Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-07-25
THE LINEN CLOSET.


.sBut surely there are morerooms2"
The young widow who had come
down to Garland TO hire alittle house
for the summer had followed the
agent into the two-story cottage, and
was staring about her.
AOnly four rooms?" she said.
"Surely there were ten originally,
ma'am,' the agent replied. "There
were ten, but the rest are boarded up,
This Is simply the wing, but you have
a parlor, dining-room and two bed
rooms besides the little outside
kitchen, which is building by itself
and the rent is actually nominal. T"
"But the folly OF boarding up six
good rooms, said the lady. The
parior with the wainscot and the
black marble mantel-piece.'
'eYou know the house?" cried the
agent.
..Oh, in houses OF this sort you al
WAYS find a black marble mantel and
a wainscot." said the lady. "And on
the other side OF the hall the sitting
room and spare bedroom, and three
bedrooms upstairs, and the linen
closet and bathroom-the long, dark
linen closet.
''The ghost always comes out OF
that said the agent
"Oh, ho." cried the lady. "The cat
is out of the bag, The house ishaunt'
ed?"
ayes, ma am, replied the agent
ait has that reputation among ignor,
ant people. But since the main build
ing has been boarded in, the figure has
never been seen by any one"
1.-The figure?' asked the lady. "Al
In white ike an ironing-board?'
"All IN white, but like a pretty CIR
OF sixteen" replied the agent. II re
member the murder myself. Ny faith
er was in the real-estate bushes
where am now. | was a school boy
I remember how the news ran through
the village that Martha Penny ha,
been killed by wild Jack Parker, anC
how rushed with the crowd to Sc
her. Yes, ma am, | saw her lying il
her blood across the threshold of tn
linen closet.
The lady shuddered and sat dow
in the large, chintz-covered armchai
of the room they had entered.
''You can 90 and play in the gal
den,'' she said to the little boy whom
she led by the hand. Don't go on
OF sight. Now tell me the story, Nj
Brick"
every sensible to send the chi
away" the agent said "Well, tn
facts were these: Martha Penny live
as seamstress with Mrs. Parker. The
made her one OF the family. Jack fe
in love with her. The story goes tina
she refused him, and that he sal
that she should never marry an
other man. Then she declared tina
she meant to 90 away, and she wa
getting ready to go when she saw hi
with blazing eyes coming down til
passage, and ran into the linen close
A black servant watched it all. A
he passed the door he shot her. The
arrested him and took him off t
prison But while the body was wal
ing for the Coroner it disappeared, n
one ever knew how. Mrs. Parker ha
taken to her bed Black Ann ha
been afraid to sit in the room with IL
murdered girl. In the night Marth
Penny's corpse vanished.
f1he jury made up their minds thu
Jack was crazy, and he was locked Il
awhile, though he swore that IL
pistol went off by accident. When /
was let out again his mother wa
dead He is quite rich man, but !
never could bear to live on his pro
erty. He has a room at the hotel an
has let all the land. At first he Il
the house also, but the tenants we
all scared away by the ghost, the
said, so five years ago he boarded I
the main building and only let Il
wing Every summer people hire
1t is prettily furnished, you see, wit
new things. They do say that the
hear noises in the big building, bl
probably rats make them And, Mr.
Smith you don't look like lady thi
Ywill. ould be afraid Of
q Martha Penny's ghost?" Interrupt
"a the lady. "Indeed am not. Pc,
VIittle Martina would do no one al
harm ! should be much more ARA
of wild Jack Parker, though he
alive"
"He's an altered man, ma am
said the agent; "quite broken, thoul
he is rather young in years"
"I'll take the house, MIR. Brick
said the widow, rising and beckoni
through the open window to her lit
boy ''And my servant and ! al
little Tom. will move III on Monday
They did SO, and soon fiowe
bloomed in the garden and at t
window, and the pretty child swu
under the elm trees or tossed his bi
.w.-4ixa IL u,,, fTha nathan ,onlipi,o