The herald., 1897-11-21

cling to all sorts of foolish superstitions.
The inn. in the antebellum days. was
kept by one who was said to be the
meanest and most grabbed of mortals.
The old demon was as miserly as he was
mean, and all his narrow life he
boarded his filthy lucre with fiendish
greed. Report had 1t also that he had
even murdered his patrons in their beds
ally were / don't know, but even to this
day the old inn is held in suspicion.
lingering effect of former horrors still
clouds its memory.
The present proprietor, Bunk Watson
his real name Is Bunker, l believe-is
an altogether different sort of chap
a southern type, in fact, one of those
shiftless. needless, happy go-lucky NOR
tails who loves strong whisky and who
chews an enormous quid Of black to-
bacco and smokes a corncob pipe at the
same time.
When the former keeper "shuffied off"
his property fell to distant relative
in the person of the present keeper,
who, with his family, Immediately
moved in from a neighboring hamlet
and took possession. 1t was we'll known
that the old proprietor had accumulated
considerable wealth during his sojourn
among the living, but all efforts to dis
cover any treasure upon the premises
had failed, and now the idea of ever
finding 1t was practically given up. AS
far as Bunk was concerned. the matter
troubled him little. He had a hard
working wife who ran things the best
she could under the circumstances and
saw that his meals were forthcoming
at their respective intervals. What
more could he wish? Why should he
care II there was a treasure buried up
on his place? Indeed, it would have
been a sore puzzle for him to know
what to do with fortune, unless. per-
haps, his wife came to his aid.
Among other stories that hovered in
the history of the Buckstown inn was
one which involved ghost. In the
room where the former keeper had died
peculiar noises were heard at unearthly
hours, signing, moaning and in fact all
the other indications which point to the
existence of ghosts were said to be
present. On account Of this the cham
Der had long since been abandoned.
/ listened with keen interest to the
wonderful tales about the haunted
room and then suddenly resolved to in
vestigate--to sleep In that chamber that
very night and see for myself all that
was to be seen. told Bunk Of my pur-
pose. He shook his head, shrugged his
shoulders. but instead Of warning me
and offering a flood of protests, as ex-
pected. he merely took his pipe from his
mouth, let fly quart or so Of yellowisil
juice from between a pair Of brown
stained lips, and, opening one corner of
his wide mouth, lazily called out, Jane"
His wife appeared and he intimated that
I should settle the matter with the "old
woman" The prospect of a fee. .persuad-
ed the wife. and off she went to arrange
for my bed in that ill-fated room.
At 8 o'clock that evening / bade the
family good night, took my candle, as
cended the rickety stairs and entered
the chamber of horrors. The atmos-
phere was heavy and had a peculiar
odor that was not at all pleasing. How
ever, latched the door and was soon in
bed. Having propped myself up with
pillows ! was prepared to await the
coming Of the ghost.
Overhead the dusty rafters, which once
had experienced the sensation Of being
whitewashed, but which were now q
dirty yellowish color, were hung with a
fantastic array Of cobwebs. The flick
ering light Of the candle reflected upon
the walls and against the ceiling myr-