The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-10-17
BREAKING THE SPELL.

How many acres of land did you
saypn asked Miss Gaxton.
"Fivc-antl. forty. ma am, said Major +
Bluff, leaning back in his chair with /
/ the complaeency of one who sees in the /
| future a snug commission. just on /
/ the edge of the rixer-fine arabic land, +
4 and a part of it wellwooded. Couldn't I
be a better property"
And a large house. you tell me-
"Thirty-six rooms. Miss Caxton. In
tended for n summer hotel, but proved |
| dead failure on account of being too |
/ far from the railway station"
That would form no sort Of objec-
tion TO me, said Miss Caxton, twirling
her eyeglass metlitatiyelx.
Not the least in the worldt'' said
Major Bluff. balancing the office-ruler
on the third finger of his left hand.
And If vou want TO secure 4 bargain
now is your time.
I'm go ont and look at il. said Miss
Caxton, who, II she was anything. was
prompt
She did 50. She saw Olney Hall out
lined against the orange glow of
March sunset. with the ruddy refiec-
tions yet lingering on the frozen river,
the woods rising up in the ground
and the blue range Of hills in the dis
tanee.
..Its 4 nice place said she. .Pn
buy II. At the price, it is certainly
cheap piece of property"
While she was waiting for her hot
cup Of coffee, before the one-horse
chaise started To convey her to the
. railway station. five miles away, she
asked q few questions of the rosy land
lady.
, s'Going to buy Olney Hall?'' said the
I I I,sr II. hrt cd
mullins. "Well. I'm glad somebody's
; going to buy it. Its been drug on
the market ever since"
She checked herself here. and pre-
, tended to be busy arranging the neat
: little butter-pat aud pitcher of cream
on the napkin-eovercsl tray.
|, ..Since when?r Miss Caxton asked
= with alertness.
> "Sinee the neishhors got mp that
! ridiculous shast-siory about it," said
7 Mrs Hutclin@s with a forced laugh.
Y "of course its all nonsense. but people
I will talk
; .What was tie story asked Miss
: oh nothing to signify. Hutchings
wouldn't have no patience with me il
he knowed had spoken Of it, pleaded
:, the woman.
'sSinee vouye said so much, YOU may
as well say the WHOLE" observed Miss
= Caxton, fixing on the shrinking land
- lady that judicial gaze which had ap-
a palled many of a successive generation
a of schoolgirls.
''Well, the Olneys was dreadful
. quarreisome family" reluctantly spoke
:, Mrs. Hutchings And something was
= always wrong there Old Jabez Olney
q hung himself in the big circular hall
= with n rope hitched over the banister-
- rail; and Mrs. Peter Olney was fiung
> from a horse, Jest in front of the door
"a with her head agin the stone step, an(
n. never drawed two breaths afterward.
- THAT might happen to anybody.
: said Miss Caxton. adding another luml
= of sugar to her coffee.
u "Oh, yes; that might. But there wa
: Alice Olney!r
= ssWhat of Alice Olney?'
=" ''She and her father had troubl
about the attentions of young man ii
the neighborhood,' said Mrs. Hutch
ings. s.He locked her upstairs in he
r room, and she got out upon the roo
~ and throwed herself down. Some say
as as so, aud some saws she lost her balane
~ wavin' her pocket-handk'c chif to he
ne beau, and fell accidental Leastwise
on she was killed. And since that day
~ ~ some of the neighbors declare solemn
" ly that they see her, all in white, o
the roof every Ash Wednesday night!
ne "Ash Wednesday night What hs
"a Ash Wednesday night to do with it?i
up ''Oh, didn't tell you? Everyone
,s. these dreadful things happened. takil
as .one year with another, on Ask Wed
80 nesday. That's the queer part of it,
said Mrs. Hutchings.
sM Miss Caxton set down her cup an
ns saucer with clatter.
ne " THAT accounts, in some degree, IL
on the extraordinary cheapness of the pr,
perty.m said she. s'But | shall not Il
M M it daunt me-. People will build up
eu ghost-story on the most absurdly insu
lor ficient foundations, nowadays"
III Just what Hutchings says" erie
ere the landiady.
70 Miss Caxton bought Olney Hall:
a bargain. She fitted it up for frs
u ol class young ladies' seminary, and ha
y, ~ it filed with pupils when the summ'
~ vacation drew to an end.
For Miss Caxton was an excellel
I lle teacher, and did not lack in executi7
ne. 1St ability.
ny Undoubtedly, as she told herself, Il
ghost rumor detracted from the desir
= bility of the premises; but one or tv
T. hints from a specialized lawyer as
suits for damages, in case of too mus
QelHnDOInODu lOQudCllls eNeECloeQ
be- truly marvellous influence in silencir
the peoples tongues. and the ''sweet gin
nUs graduates and their mates disport.
,0s. themselves on the moonlit lawns, float,
down the sunlit stream in deli cious
80 tie boats, and organized botanical e
W. cursions into the woods, undisturb,
ey by any visions of the supernatural.
To- "Olnev Hall was a bargain after all
AV'- salu Miss Caxton, rs she turned oy
the leaves of her account-book Al
ted ledger with a satisfied smile.
,en- But as the season approached wheI
sed in the ghost was said to make its a
tics nual uninvited visit, Miss Caxton eou
the not repress certain uneasiness.
the 1T IS very ridiculous of me-, 5
in said to Mrs Bibb, her housekeeper a
confidante, shut / shall certainly fl
of better when the month of February
!. by we'll over.
ible MY dear Caroline-n said NJ
ing Bibb, who feared nothing in the wol
ing or out of it.
but Yes, know said Miss Caxtc
viii but YOU must remember that there
n fallible spot in every armor. and