Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-01-08
THE HAUNTED MAN.


hills that environ the city of Cork there
once lived a hod-carrier whose name was
Michael Grady. He was so very poor that
his only possessions were few pieces of
household furniture, the honest hod with
which he piled his trade, and speckled sow
which had been given him on a st. Patricks
day by n more prosperous neighbor.
Michaes family consisted of a wife and a
bright little boy who had been christened
Michael Small as his family was it re-
quired vast amount of thrift on the part
of Michael and his good wife Bridget
to keep the bailiff from their cabin
door. However, by the death of an
aunt, who had been housekeeper to a priest,
Michael fell heir to several hundred dollars,
and upon this money Michael and his fam
lily emigrated from Ireland to America,
taking with them to their new home the
honest old bod and the equally honest old
family SOW. But in less than year after
his arrival in America Michael, having par
ticipated too generously in a political cam
paign, was Frustrated by disease and, feel
ing that death was at hand, summoned his
family about him, and with his last breath
made a distribution of his little property.
To his wife he gave 5000 in money, and to
Michael he bequeathed the old family SOW.
Having thus disposed of everything, and
having invoked the blessing of Heaven
fell back on his humble husk mattress and
expired.
The mother soon found employment to
which her sex and humble condition suited
her, and the son set out in the world to earn
his own living. Being at this time about 10
years of age, Michael rented sty in the
of certain stable, and i'll this he
housed the old SOW which had been given
him by his moribund parent He himself
,l,., h.. l., tl,D,,a
fore his care of the old sow partool largely
of the nature of recreation. His kindness to
the amiable creature duly rewarded,
for one morning she presented him with
thirteen as beautiful little piggies as ever
squealed i'll chorus or gladden. mothers
eyes. In a few months Michael Melted
quite handsome sum on this brood for if you
have evertasted roastpig you will admit there
never was more savory Wand served on a
platter, and you can depend upon it there
were cpicures in the city where Michael
lived.
Now, having profted so considerably by
this means, it occurred to Michael that there
awaited him goodly fortune in the pig
business, and, with the capital he now had
in hand, he removed his to the suburbs
of the city, where he onsconed her in
larger sty, near which she soon established
capacious and odorous wallow In these
improved quarters the old SOW duly became
the mother of eleven piggies, and, in less
than eighteen months thereafter, she was
the grandmother of threescore and ten
grandchildren, male and female So you
see, Michael, by practicng frugality and
industry, had, in comparatively short
time, become exceedingly well-to-do He
leased other sites and other wallows, I'M
til the whole neighborhood wherein
he lived seemed to he devoted to
the pig industry. Then Michael built
a smoke house. and it was not long
before his hams and lacon came to be
known as the choicest in the market Mean
while the number of his pigs increased, and
both near and far was Michael called the
hog-king.
1t was about this time that Michael be-
came euamored of a pretty girl who waited
on the table he patronzed in the corner
restaurant. Finding that she rcciprocated
his passion he proposed marriage, was ac-
cepted, and in time was welded to the OBJ
ject of his affections. The following spring
he erected monstrous slaughter-house on
the ground previously occupied by the pig
sites and wallows, and from that time he be-
came a prominent figure i'll the community.
His wealth could scarcely be estimated.
From thousands of dollars it sweled into
millons-yes, it was simply fabulous!
Now, it quite natural that finding
him abundantiy provided with gold
society should recognize Michael as its darl
ing. All at once it discovered that
Michael possessed rare qualities of head and
heart and that his wife was a lady of ex-
ceeding beauty and grace. The newspapers
fiattered the precious pair and society paid
them homage in the thousand delicious ways
known only to society. What wonder was
it that Michael's head was turned and that
l. ,,-bn 1al l,, tl,-,
hypocrisesi How should the simple stable
man and the innocent restaurant-girl know
aught of the ways of the society world,
1t was not long before Michael found it
necessary to build a residence, for his family
was increasing and society made
demands which required honoring.
His mother had died - God rest
her honest soul.-and he had the humble
birth of no other relative to be ashamed of.
So it a magnificent mansion he erected
on the most fashionable avenue in the city
palatal dwelling, surrounded by beauti-
full park, and furnished in truly regal
manner. And here lived Michael and his
family in sumptuous style. Their neigh
bors were the ornaments of socety-people
of as large wealth and gentle blood as
Michael and his spouse. To their right
dwelt one who had begun life as peasant
vender a railway train; to their left
lived a merchant prince, who had peddled
suspenders i'll his early days, and who had
married a butchers daughter; over the way
was the splendid brown stone mansion OF
the wealthy broker who had but recently
returned from Canada by the grateful
grace of the statue of limitations. Oh. il
was, ! can assure you, the most aristo
cratic neighborhood in all that great city
1t was about this time that Michae
changed his name. One of his aristocratiC
friends assured him that Grady was not
worthy name, and that Michael was posi-
lively vulgar SO, by paying $500 to a very
scholarly gentleman who made business o
tracing and providing pedigrees, Michae
learned that he was a lineal descendant o
that grand old Norman knight, Niche