The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-12-17

"
by me In conversation with "old settlers"
and considered from professional point
of view, was to the effect that the present
owner was man beyond middle age who
had been disappointed In love, the object
of his affection being the daughter Of the
woman who had been murdered and the
man who had murdered her, and that he
csme to the house every little while, like
one to the tomb of his departed, to mourn
over his loss the girl having considerably
married the man she loved 1t will be OBJ
served that the little house seemed the
nucleus of several tragedies, real or unreal,
and therefore became an uncanny spot to
the superstitiously inclined. Acommunity
Of houses, like a community Of persons,
seems necessarily to cover disreputable con-
stituents, and the cottage, from its mean
ness of appearance and its unpleasant an
tecedents, looked more disreputable than
any of its neighbors, and seemed, therefore,
always an object of suspicion.
The light of the Christmas day had blend
ed with the darkness of the Christmas
night had travelled my beat as In duty
bound. Our dinner had been eaten and
all evidence that 1t had existed removed
with housewifely skill and care. Frank,
Toinette's big brother, had gone out for
mile walk, Ito shake down his food, as
he said. Toinette was reading to me, half
doing In chair, and the clock had just
struck the half hour after when mother,
with an unnatural excitement in look and
action, came into the room.
"It's there!'' she cried, breathing hard,
her hand over her heart 1--WE been
watching for it. Somehow felt sure that
whoever was there last night would come
again tonight, just as last year
''What is the matter motherY' said my
wife, running up to her. You brighten
me-"
"There, there daughter. didn't mean
to scare you, but it excites me so to see a
quiet thing like yellow light looking out
between the blind Stats of that empty
house that suppose / show my feelings"
Toinette's forehead had two up and
down wrinkles between her eyebrows as
she looked at me with q hard stare. Then
she spoke:
"John Austen-dear John-you're big
and amt afraid of ghosts and are po-
liceman besides. Now do go down to that
shanty and find out what's inside 1t will
relieve mothers mind SO. F"
l wasn't on duty, but an officer Of the
/ look at it. So got my work clothes on,
put my star where could show 1t easily
and went away with the laughing threat
Of arresting the ghost.
Somebody or something was In the old
house, sure enough. Threads of yellow
light around the windows proved it.
pushed softly at the door of the little lean
to In the rear 1t noiselessly swung open,
letting me into as mean and squalid
kitchen as l ever saw or heard of. 1t
wasn't much bigger than large closet.
The stove was cold and rusty. Its front
door was broken and hung by one hinge
The griddles had pieces knocked out of
them. Only one pot or kettle was visible
Two panes Of glass were gone from the
one window, and rags were stuffed into the
holes, the tight wooden shutters hiding
them from outside view. A tallow candle,
stuck in its own grease to the bottom of
ruined saucer, gave swirling, smoky
flame, by which saw few bits Of dilapi-
dated crockery on shelf The table was
an inverted dry goods box, from which
pieces had been broken for fuel. Great
heavensi Into what a nesting place of
poverty had l stolen my wayY What did
this opening scene promiseY
just hairs breath, the door to the adjoin-
ing room. Blowing out the CANDLE en-
larged the opening until my eye could take
in the contents of the apartment. The first
look showed gray haired man seated at a
table, his arms upon it and his head upon
his arms was directly behind him, and
my chances took in the length of the little
room. Such room and such table, The
Il ~, 1al offf br nd
sides, leaving ulcerous looking spots.
What remained was Of dirty, gray color
and network of cracks. The lath showed
like the ribs Of skeleton.
The table was covered with cloth,
clean, but porous with holes and fringed
with tatters. In the center was little
kerosene lamp of glass, whose wick was
SO small as to afford little more than q
FREELY sort of glow, but it was enough to
show q plate holding six potatoes with
their jackets on and half loaf of bread.
Three plates turned down, three tumblers
of water and knives and forks at each
place, added to those articles which the
man had pushed aside, were all the table
held Three vacant chairs, one at each
plate, were notices of expected guests.
There was no stove, and the air came cold
and musty into my face through the crew
ice of the door, Warmly dressed though
was, shivered with dread that was
looking at the phantom Of the dead MUIR
derer or at the real and crazed lover or at
a tramp making mockery of his Christ
mas dinner The bowed down figure sud-
denly shook as with an ague. A groan
came from it. A minute more the man
was sitting stiffly erect, staring at the ta-
BILE and muttering and signing.
Very real, but very crazy, he seemed.
None the less so when, rising to his feet,
he became figure of magnificent man.
hood-gray topped, but tall, muscular and
dignifed--a soldier In looks, even to the
trimming of the heavy white mustache
His clothing was black, and not CLINT Of
ornament was visible What had this
grand looking old man to do with this
place of chilling miseryp He was its foe
by dress and bearing. Its unspeakable
poverty made it his enemy.
He walked the room with long strides
and heavy footballs, the floor creaking and
grooming under his weight. There was no
cessation of his talking to himself until,
placing his hands on the back of his chair,
4 - III t1xa al