Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-09-10
FOR RENT FREE.

1t was an al tocratic looking man. sion in the n,Osl aristocratic neighbor- hood of the aTistocratic city of Wash ingtOn, and inasmuch as it was offered rent free for one year to any one who would agree to occupy it for that time did not hesitate long in making up my mind to take it. Upon inquiring the reason why the place was offered for rent on such easy terms the agent in- formed me that it had the name of be- ing haunted, and that the owner had been so unfortunate as to procure in succession q number of tenants, all of whom were supcrstitious and all of whom straightway moved out
 Twas pleased with the frankness of the agent until l afterward learned that the owner had come to the same conclu- sion a dozen years before, and that the only tenant he had secured since then, a young bachelor like myself, had been found dead on the drawing room floor the morning after the first nights oc- cupancy. The police had been told to go there and look for him by the servant, who had fled from the house when the ghost first put i'll its appearance The coroner s verdict was, Died from heart failure. 1 am not superstitious, nor am I even nervous, and so it was but a few days before 1 moved into the haunt ed house, but i'll that time I had nearly lost Nose, my old colored servant and standby, who had been the one thing left mo after the settling up of my fla th:r'S estate. My father had bought him years before up at Fairfax Court house. and he tried to buy his sister, CalIa Lilly, who was equally black, but she was sold to higher bidder from Alexandria After the war she went to live i'll Washington with Mrs Lee Nel- son, whom she called one of her "chil ' Mrs. Lee Nelson lived at 1703, directly across the street from my free mansion. and thus Nose learned all about the ''ha'nts over to yondah house whar you'se gwine to live at
 Poor Nose! After all he had heard of the ghosts that had been seen there I can scarcely blame him for his unwill- ingnc>S to live with me in my free quarters, and 1 do not wonder that I found him hard to persuade and finally reaSsurc, as 1 eventually did
 The day after tho furniture had been put i'll Nose and I were hanging pie turcS, unpacking the library and at the same time investigating things, looking to see where this door went to and that noise came from. Most of all we were curious about the great red stain on the fl,sOr ill front of the mantcl in the front drawing room. It was during this time that Nose was telling me what Lilly dun tolc' him
 ''Mah>a, Lilly she say dat we uns gwinc hC sk,1rcd 90 bad dat our tccf gwiuc shake outrn our head. Lilly she s:ly dat she rcckuns she knows all bout dis yer house. GUS she knOw'd de young gen man what commit de sOOSidc yer, GU he WAT engaged to her young Mistus Charlitt, what married her cousin Richad MOncurc- Miss Charlitt's maluuy she insists sh. d0au' marry no nurthcn Il man. but must marry quality people. and dat . how dc trouble hit all come crbout
 Prince Ciiolly, dat's what dey all ust Ia call him. GUS he war So sprit'ly ill his nlanIall<, he uSt to lib yer long bcfo' de w.lll, and hc uSt to come down to Alexandry to cot Miss Charlitt all de time. And Lilly she say she cain't hope but think dat hc was quality. even cf hc war nurth,'uah. Lilly say he war a DOW fui pr, tty man. and dat Miss Clarlirt cert uly <Ot a heap of Sto' hy him. b. pr,.>'Iant what war de pres tlaut l.,fp' Mi>I..h Lincoln war de pres .l.Int h.. Cuu :, ut Prince. CnuIIv's pappv away to England tu l. a nin>tah, and he t.;k'. Prime. Cholly'S manmy along W wiIh him Prince Choily. he tell his parVy he come i'll dc spring Lilly sho Sly dat winrah he corIc pow full clOst to libbiu down 10 AlcNandry, and Miss Charlitt she jest as snilin as basket of chips OH frosty mo'nin.
 When all de Chairry trees and cv- erytiiu was bloss' min. Prince Cholly he tells Miss Charlitt he got to go to England and join his pappy and mammy fu' de $ummah. and he ax Miss Charlitt If she won't get married to him then, '$tcl "f wait Il nutha yeah. He want her |" gu long with him on a honey rl,afu and >'prizc his folks. Miss Char litt she mighty glad to do this, GUS her niIuIulv dun tryin aIl de time to get her tu marry Mi>tIh MnnCurc. Lilly say her Imuiunv jest put her feet down p'intieiIy and fused to let Miss Charlitt get married den. GUS she ain ole huff, and finally Prince Cholly he have to go way ly hi>s,.,lf. and Lilly say she dun hai d. niZry in her side fo' week, GUS he lonk So mnLnful when he say goodby tn Miss Ch4rlitt i'll dc gyrdcn. Lilly say dat >h,' and all the house niggahs was r,eIiI:, aEd ity could see Prince Cholly and Mss Charlitt i'll de moonlight by de lilac hedge, and den bymby Prince Cholly he let go his holt of her and mahch off down :.c street, Miss Charlitt she stautlin lOpkin aftah him tell he out ,,f sight
 Lilly sine say she cain't remembah ever sccin Miss Charlitt smile gain
 lftah d..t day. All de trouble came den. fo' dc next U'nin yer come Mistah
 Moncur,., and he try right way to make
 Mi>s Charlitt marry him, and Miss Cua:l.tt's < rltmmy she hope him all shc know Il how. Miss Charlitt she wouldn't low him Ia cot her at all, doh, and she tell him ef he don't go way she'd s'pize him Mstah Moncure he stay right thar, doh. all de time, and de Lawd only knows how dey do hit,
 but in August he and Miss Charlitt's s mamuy dun make her marry him Miss CharIitt she declare all de time she jest hate him, and Lilly say she know she did, tpn, cES she s1-cd hit i'll Miss Char litt's face, she look sO contemptu' 'slike.
 Den ti' ' move way, down to Fredericks- burg. and ain hardly mo- dan gone when VT Ccmc Prince Cholly home again. and Lc find dc lcttah what Miss Charlitt dun write to him de mo'nin she git married Lilly say dat de ebi- dcncc dun show dat aftah he read de lottah he 'lrap hit on de flo in front of de nantcl in de front pa'la and go up