The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-02-20

e citation. ISL q
When my law partner, Jack Rogers.
returned from lunch was agog with
excitement
Guess what has happened. Jack"
1 crowed-
mo need to guess. Something in
the detective line has turned up."
grinned my partner as he tossed his
hat on its accustomed peg and sat
down in his chair
How did you find out7" l asked.
chagrined
"You always look especially foxy.
old man. and nothing. not even dead
client, with prospects Of rich pickings
from the
"Oh. keep stillr' | growIed. "You
talk like bird of prey"
Il am-we are birds of prey This
detective side line of yours. Hal, or
hobby. or whatever you call It. will
run US out of our legitimate course Of
business If you don't slacken up bit"
"Have you any important case on
your mind?" asked sardOnically.
Rogers felt tentatively of his head
Nothing doing, | must confess. Hal
know there's something on your
mind There's a look about you that
says we must catch the two-some-
kh;o~ for sonawhara opd IA,o 1.AS
now" He glanced at his watch.
1.-THE train leaves at 2O3. I'll tell
you about 1t ON the way up"
After we were comfortably seated
in the smoker of the train and were
headed up the bank of the Hudson
river l deemed it expedient to I'M
bosom myself lest in the telling of the
story we might reach our destination
before l had completed it.
That noon while | sat alone In the
Office l had received call from a
queer client
She was a little old woman, sharp
featured and white haired, with hard,
cold blue eyes and thin Tipped mouth
that seemed made for secrets. She
was CARRIED In shabby black and car
ried a rusty satchel filed to bursting
that she watched carefully
l learned that her name was Sarah
Penny and that she lived on a small
farm near Poughkeepsie. She said she
was a widow and. besides owning her
farm, possessed a tiny income on
which she lived. She also said that
for two weeks past she had been
haunted by spectral farm that seem
ed to adjoin her own. She related that
night after night when the moon was
high in the heavens she had seen low
lying farm buildings where in broad
daylight nothing appeared but a grassy
meadow dotted with ancient fruit
trees. On dark nights the visitation
appeared as luminous glowing out
line of buildings
Mrs. Penny's old face seemed to be-
come more wrinkled and careworn as
she impaired these facts to me and
when she had concluded. saying that
she had visited me with the intention
of making her will and had suddenly
determined to confide her fears of the
"spook farm" as she called 1t. hoping
might be able to explain away this
horror in her solitary life.
had promised to come up there to
look the situation in the face, and
declared my intention of bringing my
partner with me. So now that we
were on the way related all these
facts to Jack Rogers, and together we
tried to piece out some fabric of logical
explanation of the phenomenon.
Derry yelled the brakeman, throw
ing open the door, and as that was the
nearest station to the spook farm we
got of and watched the train wind
out Of sight among the hills. A station
agent was puttering around a couple
Of empty egg crates. and approached
him
(Which road shall | take to reach
Mrs. Pennsy's farm inquired.
zone to the right" and he disappear
ed quickly, as If fearful Of further cate
chism
1t led away from the river and then
doubled back again. and this perform
ance 1t repeated over and over until
Jack announced that he felt as twist
ed as a spiral bed spring.
II don't wonder your old lady see =.
things" he complained as he rounded
another turn. Il feel all wound NJ
just like clock
Il guess you can run down now" /
said. for just then the trees and dense
growth along the road thinned. and
we could see the gray shingles of Il
weather beaten house just beyond
Before we reached the house, which
stood in grove of gloomy cedars. we
met boy with an empty pail and Der
ry stained lips.
"Son." said my partner kindly. "can
you tell US where the Widow Penny
Iives?"
The boy turned grimy little finger
toward the weatherbeaten house. "In
there" he half whispered
do you know herr" pursued Jack
earelessly displaying a silver quarter
The boy nodded Pm afraid Of her. :"
be said with more spirit shes n
miser; that's what my mother says"
who lives next door to Mrs Pen
n.y." asked him as be clutched the sill
yer coin
Nobody lives there. It's all grass
and apple trees The house burned
down before | was born" And be
scampered away and disappeared in
the wooded road
"Huh! CALCULATED my partner. And
b silence we approached the home of
Mrs. Sarah Penny
The shutters were all closed. and the
place appeared deserted. The ground
was quite fat here and a wide creek
meandered through the rank grass
back of the house. and the adjacent
low lying ground appeared damp and
marshy.
Nice. malarious spot" ! remarked
as we walked around a weed grown
path to the back door.
might raise a good crop Of spooks
here.r said Jack, pausing and looking
over toward the adjacent property.
THE kid was right: there must have
been a farmhouse there one day. See
the sunken rectangles Of turf where
the buildings once stood? You can even
get an idea of how the yard must have
looked In those days. There's a snow
ball bush and clump of hlacs and
other Towering shrubs. and those apple
trees In the background must be the
remains Of the orchard"
I followed the direction Of his point
ing finger and saw that he spoke the
truth. We were specializing upon the
location of the different buildings when
/ heard a slight sound and, turning,
saw Mrs. Penny peering sharply from
a kitchen window