Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-02-03

rior in my life, Doc. Purse-proud
snobs that they were, they'd sold OF
everything to keep up their station.
chairs, two beds, and some tables,
there wasn't hardly bit of furniture
in the house. First thing | did was to
pitch that lumber out of the house.
They saw 1t lying there and begged
me to sell II to them. l told them to
take 1t and decay with it, which they
duly did. Then / sent for an uphol-
sterer and ordered fine suit in red
plush for the dining room, blue plush
for the bedrooms and green plush for
the rest of the house. Yes, sir, I've
fixed the place up 1T for gentleman.
7 moved in last week to warm up
the house for my wife. Got the SER
wants in and all, was ready to sur
| prise her when she came back went
| to bed the first night and had good
sleep. In the morning, going round to
make final inspection, saw one of
them wretched old chairs that had
been left in the hall by mistake. I'm
made me so mad l kicked it over.
Then / went into the dining room and
sat down in an armchair to cool OF.
First thing knew, something like
tack was sticking into me. / jumped
up with a yell and my man came run
ming in. You clumsy LOOM / cried,
'what'd you mean by leaving tack
1 -
There's no tack here. sir he said.
II tried another chair: same thing
It was like sitting-on red-hot poker.
The man thought was mad. guess.
Well, Doc, to cut the story short,
there's not chair in the house l can
sit down on, except that dirty old
broken affair that | kicked out into
the lot. And there it rests. I've been
sitting on IL ever since. / couldn't go
to a doctor and have him call me a
lunatic and lose my influence, so
came to you"
May / ask how you happened to
conclude that this trouble was of SUI
pernatural origin?" asked Brodsky.
why, to tell the TRUTH" said Mr..
Baron, 'the house was supposed to be
haunted. That's one of the reasons
why / bought It; it gives it. tone. And
didn't care to tell you, but the fact
is they pinch me. I'm black and
blue" he ended mournfully Somehow
his pompous demeanor seemed to be
subsiding under the doctors influence.
when you sit DOWN." asked
Brodsky.
"At all times, sir" cried the man
angrily. THE only time they don't
pinch me In that house is when I'm
sitting In that dirty, old chair. They
pinch me when I'm sitting and when
I'm standing, and when I'm in bed.
Fancy me giving up the place because
I'm pinched by ghostsl I'd lose my in
fluence at once. There's mighty little
place for cranks and lunatics in this
world, SIR. So want you to come
down right away, and If you can stop
this game 1t win mean $4,000 in your
pocket. If you can't. I'll give you
five
Brodsky looked at him rather stern
ly. Il do not accept money for this
class of work." he said. Il will en-
deavor to allay the trouble if you will
make me out a check for $4,000, to
be devoted by me to any cause |
please"
Baron stared at him for a moment;
then his face softened into a grin.
"Oh, all right, Doc, all right" he
said, writing a check and signing it.
There's some swallows their medi-
cine straight and some wants 1t choco-
late coated. I've met both kinds.
Here you are-and put it to any pur-
pose you please" he continued. with
loud gufiaw.
Il was arranged that Brodsky and /
should go down at the end OF the
week. About noon on the following
Saturday we found ourselves at the
little country village near which the
mansion was situated. The coachman
who drove us up was loud in his lam
entations over the change of owner
ship.
Hes a low-down, mean cuss," he
exclaimed emphatically. 1.-THE OAR
I TcnS udu OWHcu IL tOT nlSu On n nun
dred and fifty years and he bought it
over their heads when they couldn't
pay the mortgage. l don't blame him
for that so much, but he's trying to
put them out of their cottage, too;
that's mortgaged and he won't give
them a months extension; hates to
see 'em, reckon"
/ AT the door of his new residence
Mr.. Baron received us somewhat
moodily.
Come in, gents" he exclaimed, rub
bling his leg. They've been at me
like mosquitoes all morning." he con-
tinued. Pinch. pinch--it amt the
pain, it's the indignity, and James
thinks me crazy. hitting out at the
air so much. This is the dining room"
1t was the most fearsomely incon-
gruous thing that l had ever seen.
The old oak paneling had been COW
cred with scarlet paper, furniture in
bright red plush coverings was scat
tered throughout the room, and on
two sides were huge mirrors with
great gilt frames that reflected the