The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1910-12-15
Y, By
DOROTHY BLACKMORE

The old Stanislaw homestead that
stood on a hill in the outskirts of &c.
dar Rapids was known as the haunted
house. 1t 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
cient 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 ruste6
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
an unsuspecting stranger could be
induced to buy it, the story of Its
long vacancy and it's supernatural oc
cupancy reached his ears and, unsuper
stitious though he might be, he passed
1t by.
AS In the tales of all haunted houses,
there was in this one a vagueness that
only added interest, especially to the
young people of the town. The uncer
tain mystery of it all and the very fact
that their parents and elders could-o1
would so they believed-tell them sc
little Of the history of the place added
zest 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 its walls on the night
when, tradition says, ghosts and
fairies walk. But each year there had
been a weakening of the forces in
favor of the "Ha'nt" party as one OF
the southern boys called the prospec.
tive function, and the club had con-
tented itself with a make-believe
ghost party in the home of one of its
members.
This year, as usual, the subject
arose.
TITS getting to be too much of a
good thing-this haunted house story"
said John Sloan, a young lawyer in the
town. THE place is so overgrown and
dilapidated that it Is a blot on the
landscape"
"And all because it is said to be
haunted" added Claire Haman.
Eyes; because 20 years ago some of
the good sisters living near saw a
white-clad figure scrambling about the
roof Of the veranda. It's r%idiculous!"
"Oh, that isn't ALL" cried Helen
Ware, a 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 i'll and his two old
sisters almost as bad, she saw a ghost
yes, a, ghost!-walk around the 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, a year afterwards, old Mr.
Stanislaw and his aged sister fol.
lowed each other SO closely in leaving
this world"
"But they were old enough-they
were all in the 70s and had suffered
from mere senility for years." inter.
rupted the lawyer. 1T was not un.
natural that they should die"
That's all right, John Sloan, but nv
Aunt Mary Ann, with her own ewes
saw this ghost and the night the last
Stanislaw sister died she saw it as
plainly as she can see me now"
(Which isn't very plainly-excuse
me-" laughed John Sloan. IF I remem.
Der rightly your Aunt Mary Ann is
somewhat senile herself now and moi
80 keen as to eyesight as she once
might have been"
The girl gave him a whitening look
and continued:
"And then-the very next day the
young woman whom they had adopted
and who had lived with them as thei,
W child-even If she did nurse them
and do a great deal of the work-dts
appeared and has never been heard Of
since. Now-if that doesn't indicate
ghosts and 'ha'nts,' as you call them
I'd like to know what does"
"It's oueer." admitted some.