The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-01-06

From the Philadelphia Times
"Here we are at last, girls" / cried
cheerily, gathering up bags and um-
breIlas as the negro porter drawied out
in his lazy voice:
"An-nis-tonp'
"Oh, | am so tiredp' Bess said in
such faint voice and with such a
white, tired face that hurried her in
TO the fly waiting at the dingy little
station.
$50 the old Hardy House." order
ed briefly to the driver as he closed the
door, and even in the gathering dusk
Loo and noticed his start Of surprise.
depend upon it, the house is haunt
ed" cried imaginative Loo, "the man
looked as If he had seen ghost"
| gave her warning glance, but Bess
had not needed, indeed she seemed TO
have fallen into doze which lasted
until she was lifted out, and carried in
to the cottage in the strong arms Of
Anne Duty.
Dismissing the man, Loo and / lin
gered outside awhile trying to make
out something of our novel surround
ings, but beyond the low rambling old
house We could see nothing, not even a
village light, so closely were we shut
in by great trees.
Loo shivered lightly.
| tHoyv dark and vva;rd n IooL-s aba
whispered, running into the brightly
lighted front room, where Anne Duty,
having deposited Bess on the broad,
low lounge, was already occupied in
making tea.
II wish Dr.. Gross had telegraphed
old DIR. Deering to meet US at the sta
ton, it would have been a little less
lonesome" grumbled Loo later on,
when Bess had been left comfortably
asleep in wide, lOw-eeiled room on
the ground floor, the only one that had
been gotten ready, Anne explained.
II think DIR. Deering has been put
to enough trouble for Us, renting the
house and all that" 1 was beginning
to remonstrate, when Anne Duty com
ing in interrupted me.
"AIiss Katharine" she began in
what Loo calls her graveyard voice,
"AIiss Katharine, l don't want that
what am going to say should fright
en- you, but can't noways reconcile it
to my conscience not to tell you: 4
ghost walk, this old rattle-trap of a
house."
could not help laughing, her tone
was so sepulchral, but she went on
without noticing my levity while Loo
listened with wide eyes.
"The man that brought me out with
the boxes this morning said he had
seen it, and you couldn't hire him TO
come near the place after dark; that lots
of folks out late o. dark stormy nights
had seen blue lights burning in the
room up stairs; aud he said he wasn't
the only one that had seen a white fig
ure fitting through the dark hall,
though nobody has lived in the house
since two years ago wicked, swearing
young fellow died here, crying out at
the last that he had sold his soul to the
devil FOR drink, and it was burning
him up"
"And Miss Katharine, honey, would
you believe il? every blessed bit of
furniture that had been sent on ahead |
was piled up out there on the porch, !
just as they dumped it down, not
stick put in out OF the weather, and a |
blessed thing it hasn't rained."
Anne paused at last for breath.
Loo looked fearfully around the |
cheerful but rather dilapidated little !
room, and moving her chair nearer
mine, she said in low tone as if afraid |
OF the ghosts overhearing her:
"I can't imagine what induced old /
DIR. Deering to send US TO this hOrrid 1
old haunted house, anyway. He 4
might have known"
Loo" | interrupted sternly, ior her |
voice was beginning to tremble and l /
have all mans horror of Mysteries, |
''you know well enough DIR. Deering
has been kindness ITSELF What claim /
have we upon him, / should like to /
know, except that we are friends and /
patients of old DR. Cross. And you,
as well as /, saw the letter in which he /
described this old house, aud said its
location made it the very place for /
Bess 10 recover her shattered nerves, /
quiet and so near the sulphur water 4
DIR. Cross has sent her here to drink.
"And now Anne" turning to our
faithful old servant and friend, ''yOu 1
have too much sense, know, to utter 4
a word of such nonsense where Bess 4
can hear it, and advise you to get it
out of your own stupid old head as
quickly as possible. As for me-"
yawning, ~ am too tired and sleepy /
to sit up any longer, ghosts or no
ghosts and in a short time the old +.
house was wrapped in darkness and /
silence.