The Washington herald., 1907-11-03
CHAPTER /.


house is haunted. In all the rural district
near about, and even in the town of Mar
shall, a mile away. not one person Of
unbiased mind entertains a doubt of II;
incredulity is confined TO those opinion
ated people who will be called "CTanks
as soon as the useful word shall have
penetrated the intellectual demesne Of the
Marshall Advance. The evidence that the
house is haunted is Of two kinds; the
testimony OF disinterested witnesses who
have had ocular proof and that Of the
house itself. The former may be disre-
garded and ruled out on any Of the vari-
Gus grounds of objection which may be
urged against It By the ingenious: but
facts within the observation OF all are
material and controlling.
in the first place. the Manton house
has been un0ccupied by mortals for more
than ten years. and with its outbuildings
is slowly falling into decay-a circum-
stance which IN Itself the judicious Will
hardly venture TO ignore. II stands a
little way Of the loneliest reach OF the
Marshall and Harriston road, in an open
ing which was once a farm and is still
dishgured with strips Of rotting fence and
half covered with brambles overrunning
a stony and sterile soil long unacquaint-
ed with the plow The house itself is in
tolerably good condition. though badly
weather-stained and in dire need Of at
tentiOn from the glazier. the smaller male
population Of the region having attested
In the manner of its kind It's disappToval
of dwellings without jewellers. The house
is two stories in height nearly square, its
front pierced by a single doorway fianked
on each side by a window boarded up 10
the very top. Corresponding windows
above not protected. serve 20 admit light
and rain TO the rooms Of the upper floor.
Grass and weeds grow pretty rankiy all
about. and a few shade trees. somewhat
the worse for wind and leaning all IN one
direction, seem Go be making q concerted
effort 20 run away In short, as the
Marshall town humorist explained in the
columns of the Advance. the proposition
that the Manton house Is badly haunted
is the only logical conclusion from the
premises" The fact that I'm this dwelling
Mr. Manton thought il expedient one
night some ten years ago 20 rise and cut
the Threats Of his wife and two small
children. removing az once to another
part OF the country. has no doubt done
its share In directing public attention 20
The fitness Of the place for supernatural
phenomena
To this house, one summer evening.
came four men in a wagon Three Of
them promptly alighted and the one who
had been driving htched the team to the
only remaining post Of what had been
fence. The fourth remained seated in
the wagon. Come. said one Of his COM
panions. approaching him, while the 9TH
ers moved away In the direction Of the
dwelling "this Is the place"
The man addressed was pale and trem-
bled visibIy. BY God" he said harshly.
this IS a trick. and il looks to me as if
you were IN it
Perhaps I am" the other said. looking
him straight in the face and speaking in
a tone which had something Of contempt
In It. You will remember. however. that
the choice OF place was. with your own
assent, left 20 the other side. OF course
If you are afraid Of spooks-"
Il am afraid Of nothing" the man in
terrupted with another oath. and sprang
to the ground. The two then joined the
others at the door. which one OF them
had already opened with some difficulty.
caused by rust Of lock and hinge. All
entered Inside IT WAS dark. but the
man who had unlocked the door produced
candle and matches and made a light
lie then unlocked a door on their right
as they stood in the passage This gave
them entrance TO a large. square room.
which the candle but dimly lighted. The
floor had a thick carpeting OF dust,
which partly muffied their footballs. Cob
webs were in the angles Of the walls and
depended from the ceiling like strips of
rotting lace, making undulatOry move
ments in the disturbed air. The room had
two windows in adjoining sides. but from
neither could anything be seen except the
rough inner surfaces OF boards a few
inches from the glass. There was no
fireplace no furniture, there was moth
ing Besides the cobwebs and the dust.
the four men were the only objects there
which were not a part OF the structure.
Strange enough they looked in the yell
low light Of the candle. The one who
had so reluctantly alighted was especial
'ly spectacular might have been
called sensational He was of middle
age heavily built, deep chested. and
broad shouldered. Looking at his figure,
one would have said that he had
giants strength; at his face, that he
would use it like a giant. He was clean
shaver, his hair rather closely cropped
and gray. His low forehead was scanned
with wrinkles above the eyes, and over
the nose these became vertical The
heavy black brows followed the same
law, saved from meeting only by an up
ward turn at what would otherwise have
been the point OF contact. Deeply sunken
beneath these, glowed in the obscure Hight
pair of eyes Of uncertain color, but,
obviously enough. too small. There was
something forbidding in their expression.
which was not bettered by the cruel
mouth and wide jaw. The nose was well
enough, as noses go; one does not eX-
pect much of noses. All that was sinister
in the mans face seemed accentuated
by an unnatural pallor-he appeared al
together boodless.
The appearance Of the other men was
sufficiently commonplace; they were such
persons as one meets and forgets that
he met. All were younger than the man
described, between whom and the eldest
OF the others. who stood apart. there
was apparently no kindly feeling. They
avoided looking at each other.
Gentlemen. said the man holding the
candle and keys, I believe everything is
right Are you ready, Mr. Rosser2"
The man standing apart from the group
bowed and smiled.
And you, Mr.. GrOssmith?'
The heavy man bowed and scowled.
You viii please remove your outer
clothing"