The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1910-12-24
In the D
Haunted \
|Ho1nestead(
By
DOROTHY BLAcKMORE
W
DOROTHY BLAcKM0RE

The old Stanislaw homestead that
stood on a hill In the outskirts Of Co
dar Rapids was known as the haunted
house. II never had been Inhabited
within the remembrance Of the rising
generation of the town although the
pioneers and older citizens RECALLED the
good old family that had once lived
and died there.
The house was low and rambling,
and the two great wings on both sides
that reached far out among the an
oient beech and chestnut trees were
quite hidden from the view Of passers-
by in the lane below. The faded green
shutters were always closed; the paint
had long since faded into colorless
nothing; the rain pipes were rusted
and bent with age and the one-time
beautiful home was a sorry wreck.
The place was listed with the es-
tate agents of the town but before
IN unsuspecting stranger could be
induced to buy IL, the story Of its
long vacancy and its supernatural oc-
cupancy reached his ears and, unsuper-
sutious though he might be. he passed
Il by.
As In the tales of all haunted houses,
there was In this one yagueness that
only added interest. especially to the
young people of the town. The uncer-
tain mystery Of 1t all and the very fact
that their parents and elders could-or
would SO they believed-tell them so
little of the history Of the place added
Eest to the situation.
Every year as the weird season Of
Halloween approached a club Of young
people discussed the prospect of raid
Ing the haunted house and making
merry within It's walls on the night
when, tradition says, ghosts and
fairies walk. But each year there had
been d weakening Of the forces In
favor Of the liant" party as one Of
the southern boys called the prospec-
tive function. and the club had con-
tented itself with q make-believe
ghost party In the homo Of one Of its
members.
This year. az usual. the subject
arose.
TIE getting to be too much Of q
good thing-this haunted house story"
said John Sloan, a young lawyer in the
town. The place is SO overgrown and
dilapidated that It IL q blot on the
landscape"
"And all because It Is said TO be
haunted" added Claire Haman.
+ Yes; because 20 years ago some of
the good sisters living near saw
white-clad figure scrambling about the
roof OF the veranda- It's ridiculous!"
"Oh, that isn't ALL" cried Helen
Ware, pretty, delicate little person
who believed firmly in the haunting
proclivities of the old Stanislaw place.
my Aunt Mary Ann told me herself
that, night after night. when old Mr..
Stanislaw was SO III and his two old
sisters ain ost as bad, she saw a ghost
-yes, q, ghost walk around TIE yard
and climb up the porch columns and
disappear into that little south win
dow there-the only one that has no
shutters, to this day"
The members Of the club were In
various stages of emotion as they lis
tened. Some laughed; others tried to,
and still others had earnest, credulous
faces.
Then" the little lady continued.
when. q year afterwards. old Mr..
6tanislaw and his aged sister fol-
lowed each other so closely In leaving
This world"
.p,,b xhov -.ro ala ooouUh-thav
were all in the 70s and had suffered
from mere senility for years." inter-
rupted the lawyer. "It was not un-
natural that they should die"
That's all right John Sloan. but my
Aunt Mary Ann, with her own eyes
saw this ghost and the night the last
stanislaw sister died she saw It a
plainly a. she can see me now"
(which isn't very plainly-excuse
me-" laughed John Sloan. IF rsmem-
Der rightly your Aunt Mary Ann IL
somewhat ssnils herself now and not
20 keen a. to eyesight a. she once
might have been"
The girl gave him whitening look
and continued:
And then-the very NEXT day the
young woman whom they had adopted
and who had lived with them - their
,own child--svsn II she did nurse them
end DO . great deal Of the work--dis-
appeared and has never been heard a
llnee. Now--if that Doesn't indicate
ghests and ha'nts. - you oall thsa
"a IKE 70 know what d0ss.-
sIt's queer admitted soma