The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1883-01-20

between the buildings In the barn
we saw a sight never to be forgotten
The horses and cows had eaten every
straw within there reach; had licked
the floor clean of even the last particle
Of dust. They had died from starva-
tion and were frozen stiff.
"Of course we came to the conclus-
ion that the old man was under the
snow somewhere III that neighborhood,
and we We're on the lookout for him to
come to the surface iii the spring, but
he didq't."
And hasn't he been seen since, eh2"
"If you think so, you'd better stay
III his house tonight In the spring
this same neighbor, his name is Hill,
said to me one day that he was going
tc SOW the cid Swede's plowed ground,
about thirty acres, and take his
chances. Of course if the old fellow
should put in an appearance any time
during the summer, Hill would be out
his seed and labor, but if he didn't,
Hill would be out his seed and labor,
but if he didn't, Hill would get thirty
acres Of wheat pretty cheap. About
seeding time there came along Nor
wegian family, consisting Of a man,
his wife and two children, looking for
work. Here was chance for Hill.
he hired the man for the season, and
told him he could live IN the old
Swede's house, and they moved in at
once, Hill sending them over a lot of
provisions. At daybreak the next
morning, the whole family showed up
at Hills house white with terror,
and the man declared that he'd seen a
ghost during the night; that be was
awakened by groaning noise, and
could plainly see the figure of a man
sitting by the stove; that he rose up
in bed, and said who are you, and
what do you want?' but received no
reply; that when he spoke, his wife
was awakened, and screamed when she
saw the figure whereupon it arose,
went towards the door and disappear
ed, but without opening or closing the
door; that he sprang up and went to
the door and saw the figure pass down
to and enter the barn; that it did not
walk, but moved as if floating; that
he took lantern and went to the
barn, but could find no one; that
when he reached the house and was
about to enter, he turned and looked
toward the barn, and there, in the
very path he had just traversed, stood
the figure.
Hill poohed at the fellows story,
telling him he had been frightened by
shadow. but he took his wife and lit
out. Although Hill laughed at the
story, he determined to disprove it,
and so that evening he took his dog
and went to the house to spend the
night, though after he got there he
decided to watch in the barn. He says
that he had got within twenty feet of
it, being then about midway between
it and the house, when, as if rising
from the ground, the figure of an old
man appeared not over ten feet in
front Of him. The outline was SO clear
and distinct that he supposed it was
the old man sure enough, and ex-
claimed: Hello, when did you get
back? At the words the figure float
ed off toward the barn and disappear
ed. As it did so Hills dog gave a
howl, dropped his tail between his
legs and darted across the prairie i'll
the direction of home, and Hill ad-
mits that he wasn't far behind the
dog.
"Of course the news quickly became
known to everybody in this vicinity,
and Hill was laughed at wherever he
went. He got mad one day and de-
clared that he would give anybody
SO to stay in that house over night
and couple of fellows who were
working down here, about three miles
west, said they wanted the money.
Armed with shotguns, they went over
to the house one night just before
dark, Dragging about the way they
would blow the head off Of any ghost
that came fooling around them. They
were to 90 over to Hills in the morn
ing and get the SO, but they didn't
show up. Hill waited two or three
DAYS, and then he and | went down to
see them.
'They were 10th to say anything
about it, but finally told us their ex-
perience. They took their guns there
for a purpose. When they reached
the house one of them sat down by a
window, the sash of which he raised,
where he could see every inch ofspace
between the house and barn, while the
other one sat down on the well-curb
few feet from the path Not far