Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1883-12-13

lt.wasiR The days of our grand
mothsrs. wien brick ovens we're u
fssz lasa wiIsn Mr. Hubbard bought
his house. and bought ID very much
against his wife's will. It was 4 Iona.
ly house. and reported 70 be haaated.
1t was next to q graveyard which
though unused, was not at all cheer
ful. and which likewise had the rspu-
tation Of a ghost. However Mr.. Hub.
bard did not believe in ghosts, and
was too cheerful to be depressed By
warnings and never intended to Be
lonely.
Mrs. Hubbard" he said, when his
wife shook her head at the purchase.
IL got it cheap and il Is q good one.
You will like It when you get there
if you do not, why then talk"
So the house was bought and into
it the Hubbard family went. There
was scarce q chance for q ghost to
show bis face in such family Of boys
and girls. Mr.. and Mrs. Hubbard
counted ten OF them, all noisy ones.
Having once spoken her mind in re-
gard to the house, Mrs. Hubbard gave
up the point. She scrubbed and
secured, tackled down carpets, put up
curtains, and owned that the place
was pretty.
As not ghost appeared for q week
she made up her mind that there
were no such inhabitants. She even
began not to mind the tombstones
So the house got to rights, and baking
day came about. In the press of bus
iness they had great deal of baker 8
bread. and had become tired of it.
Mrs. Hubbard never enjoyed setting
batch Of bread to rise so much as
that which was to be eaten for the
first time in the new house.
For cannot get up an appetite
for stuff that nobody knows who had
the making of" said Mrs. Hubbard,
"and all puffy and alumy besides"
So into the oven went the bread,
and out it came, at the proper time,
even and brown as loves could be.
Mrs. Hubbard turned them ND on
their sides as che drew them forth,
and they stood in the long bread
tray, glorious proof of her skill and the
excellence Of the oven, when Tommy
Hubbard bounded in.
Tommy ives four. and when ut that
age we are prone to believe that any
thing will bear our weight. Tommy,
therefore anxious to inspect the bread
tray, swung himself off his feet by
clutching the edge of the bread tray,
and over it came. loaves and Tommy
and all.
Mrs. Hubbard few to the rescue.
and picked up the loaves. All were
busted and put in the tray once more
but one. That lay bottom upward
under the table.
"A bothering child, 10 give me 20
very much trouble" she said, as she
'crawled under the table to get il.
Observation-Disclosures --oh-O-
my"
And there on the floor sat Mrs.
Hubbard screaming. wringing her
hands and shaking her head. The
children screamed in concert. Mr..
Hubbard rushed into the house from
where he was at work.
What's the matter, mother" he
gasped.
Mrs. Hubbard pointed 10 the hot
tom OF the loaf lying in her lap"
Look there and zee T. she said.
cit is a warning, William I'm going
TO be taken from them ell r.
And he looked, and he saw death Z
head and crossbones az plainIy en-.
craven on the bottom Of the loaf a.
could be.
1T is accident" said Mr.. Hubbard
Some queer pranks do come you
know"
But Mrs. Hubbard was in q trou.
bled state Of mind. a. was natural.
The stories about the haunted
house were true" she said. The
spirits have marked the loaf, and
am afaaid it is warning"
And the loaf was put aside. fou
evan Ar. Hubbard did not dare "a
eat any of it himself.
Hrs. Hubbard got over her fright
at last, but the news Of the awfully
marked loaf spread through r.
and the people came 10 Hubbard'l
all the week to look at it. 1t was a
death o. head and crossboDes, certain.
iy-every one saw at glance-buI
as TO Its meaning. people differed
Some believed that it was q warning
Of approaching death, some thought
that the spirits wanted 10 frighten
the Hubbards away, and get possession
Of the house all to themselves.
The latter suppOsition inspired Mrs
Hubbard with courage. Finally, be.
ing . brave woman, she adopted the
belief; and when another day arrived
for baking put her loaEes into ths
oven once more. prepared for cross.
bonea and not to be frightened b.
them
The leaves baked as before. They
came out brown aud crusty as Mrs.
Hubbard turned each ia her hands
There were no skull and crossbones
but on the last we're snndry eharae-
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