The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-18
ESTELLA'S "HA'NT."

There was a new tenant at Barry
acre. This family was the first since
the young married pair who had come
in the evening only to hasten away be-
fore the following nightfsll. The lord
and master was a physician, as could
be told by the brand new, shiny sign
fiaring over the rickety gate, and they
were also young couple. Not so very
young in years, but young as a mar
ried pair. for Miss Estella Warner had
looked quite over the head of a fellow
| like John Hicks. but as year after year
/ passed and found her an unsuited fe-
male still. her gaze began to lower IN
til it rested not unkindly upon the same
John Hicks whom she had Indignantly
! fouted five years before. They were
married very quietly and as John had
little money laid by they decided to
rent and furnish the Barry cottage
and settle down to housekeeping at
once The cottage, quite a large and
pretentious affair, was good enough in
its way, if the need of repair were
overlooked, but the reputation of the
place was what was to be considered.
Give "a dog a bad name and hang
him" II is the same with a house in
certain localities. The Barry cottage
stood in the middle of an acre lot, a
pretty lawn sloped to the road in front
and a nice garden stretched at the back
to the edge of tongue of woods. There
We're many tempting bits of fiotsam
and jetsam lying about the place. but
none of it was ever appropriated. The
colored population, those strange folks
who exhale superstition with every
breath, gave the place a wide berth,
and though a colored settlement
stretched along the other side of the
! wood no short cut was ever attempted
across BARR acre.
THE place was haunted" was the
impression that was spread throughout
the country. though by what or whom
nobody seemed to know. One or two of
the cclored inhabitants. more imagin-
alive than their neighbOrs. asserted
that they had done seen de ha'nt"
but what it looked like or what il had
done they were unable to say.
Estella was not long kept in ignorance
of the reputation of her new abode
The Hickses came and settled and the
next step was to look out for a SER
want. Downing her wraps one evening"
Estella walked over to the colored set
Element. She had proceeded but a lit
tie way up the road between the two
rows of houses when she met two ne
crosses coming out of a cabin. Does
either of you want to hire" she asked.
ITO do WHAT" they asked in chorus.
General housework." Estella an
swered. tersely. One of the women
shook her head. Use a cook. myself
she declared, with a slight infection of
scorn-
'-Whar' you live at?" the younger one
venture5.
Estella pointed across the fields to
the cottage nesting among the groves
of china berries" Right yonder''
she said. There is only my husband
and l." The womans jaw dropped and
her eyes rolled as she stared at the
white woman who was asking her TO
come and live at Barry's acre. Dat
place. No, not dis chile" the younger
woman declared emphatically. while /
the elder emitted a lOng-drawn-out /
sound of serious denial. "Um-um. /
honeTi"
why. what's the matter?" asked |
Estella. trifie surprised.
Folks don't want ter go in service /
in no ha 'nted house." they declared and /
passed on. And so it was several days |
before Estella could get a servant TO /
called it, but at last a chore woman /
was secured-an old, black creature, |
too shiftless and mo count" 10 be /
able to choose her place of service. But /
even she insisted on leaving the place /
before dark. and would never make her /
appearance until broad daylight every |
morning.
And such grewsome tales as old Sally
re,a ted about what was told of the /
''ha'nts of Barry's acre.'-tales that 1