The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-02-13

ting the house for?"
Mary turned upon her mistress in
wrathful disgust.
"What did you let her come pokins
her nose out here forf" she stormed,
"and upsetting me so that mistook
a can OF sulphur for baking powder,
and put two spoonsfuls in in the bis
cuitW
Della gave one glance at the dingy,
heavy mass in the big tin on the table,
and sank into chair helpless with
laughter.
"Phew-w" exclaimed Rich and
Charley in n breath, as they paused
at the open door. what Internal
compound are you girls brewing in
there?"
Della, with gasps for breath between
the peals OF mirth, managed to en-
tighten them, and drawing a vivid pic
ture OF Aunt Trib covering in mortal
terror in one corner of the parlor, soon
rendered the young men as helpless as
herself.
What jolly lark" gasped Char
ley, as soon as he could speak, II
say, Della, don't let on to her that it
was only mistake of Mary's and I'll
wager box OF French candy against
ditto OF cigars that your greatest trib-
ulation will leave you before three
days"
"Done!" said Della promptly.
"Here, Dick, go and give these biscuit
to the pigs-quick! hear her COM
ing"
"All right" and Rich seized the tin.
He vanished, and Mary closed the
oven door on a fresh tin of biscuit Just
the latch, and her frightened face look
ed in. -
"Come in, Miss Warren" said Char
ley. reassuringy. 1T is nothing
nothing You know Elm Creek boasts
OF ghost, and this is only n precur-
sor of his usual visit. You will per-
ceive the odor is dying away. Don't
be alarmed. You will get used to it if
you remain here long"
"Wh-what do you mean?" asked
Aunt Trib, family, as she took his
proilered chair. Are you-are you
actually-haunted?"
"Did you never hear the story?"
exclaimed Charley, in apparent sur
prise. "That is STRANGE" with
glance full of reproach at Della.
"You know Rich bought this place of
q physician-Doctor Delorme. Well,
in the first palmy days of his practice
Doctor Delmore attended a poor
Irlshman through q long illness, sup
plying him with every luxury. He
died in the end poor fellow, and left
his bones to the doctor as the only
testimonial ofgratitude he was able to
render. So Delormo brought the
skeleton home. One night thieves
broke into the house-or, at least,
some OF the outraged neichbors, who
objected to any man in the commun-
ity keeping a skeleton in his closet.
They broke the skeleton up and
scattered the bones over the place,
leaving the skull nailed to the gate 4
post. The doctor tried to gather up
the bones, and buried alllbe could
find, many were missing. The people
hereabouts say the place is haunted,
the poor Irishman being unable to
rest in his grave with part of his
bones missing. l have never seen his
ghostship myself, but the smell OF
sulphur is certainly mysterious"
20, Charley" broke in Della, pity
ing Aunt Trib's white face. "You
know this is an idle tale. The spirit
OF the dead never come back. He is
trying to brighten you, Aunt Trib;
don't mind him."
Della" said the old lady, huskily,
"is this story true?-about DR.. Del
orme, / mean, and the neighbors
breaking up the skeletoh2"
natI Ia I'D, fA1 ~, ~ N f1,-.
"but about the place being haunted
that is but a superstition in the neigh
borhcod."
Della" said Aunt Trib, ''if any of
the bones of the dead are missing they
do come back to the place where they
were lost. firmly believe this is II
haunted house. The fumes of sulphur
still linger. II you have any regard for
the baby, you and Richard will move
at once"
A warning glance from Charley re-
minded Della, Just in time, of her
promise She closed her lips firmly,
and, giving Mary orders to serve sup
per, left the room.
At the table Aunt Trib, fairly
in her element, be5uiled the hour
with the most blood-chilling
tales OF haunted homes and
ghosts who walked their halls clank-
ing chain behind them; OF corpse
lights in the church-yard, and groans
OF souls that could not rest in their
graves.
Vainly Della expostulated. Rich
and Charley showed such flattering
and credulous interest in her words
that the ancient maiden continued to
air her beliefs IN the supernatural.
One thing alone troubled the boys.
She advised her nephew to sell Elm
Creek Farm, but gave no intimation
OF her own departure, md Charley
began to fear he had lost the cigars.
Immediately after supper he sather-
ed up all the empty spools he could
find, and taking a bail of binding
Irvine repaired to the granary and
was seen no more that evening.
The moonlight, fair MS dream OF
paradise, slept on the dancing ripples
OF Elm Creek and touched the quaint |
gables of the old farmhouse with q
wand, Identifying every
roluh outline