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

1--WE do not consider 1t as such.
spoke lightly because wanted to allaJ
your fears"
"Your own fears may need quietins
after you have seen them"
People. you mean" asked Jack.
"They were once" she answered
DULY.
You mean you have really seer
them?"
Eyes; the whole family. They're al
dead now"
you can recognize them from your
Window" he asked incredulously
She nodded an affirmative and then
sat in moody silence while Jack and
conferred together. The result Of this
interview was that my partner and
wandered about the spook ridden field
next door until Mrs. Penny summoned
US to supper. We ate without referring
to the object of our visit. In fact q
great depression seemed to have set
tied upon the three of us. The air was
heavy and damp. but the sun set bril-
liantly. and In the east splendid full
moon was rising.
you can sit In the side porch il
you want to-" said Sarah Penny. 81
shall be in the sitting room here wait
ing for it to come"
Jack and | both shuddered as she de-
parted. We whispered to each other
and maryeled that any sensible ghost
would care to return to such gloomy
God forsaken spot as this We lighted
cigars and tried not to admit that an
eerie sensation was creeping over US
when Mrs. Penny's shrill old voice
broke excitedly on the air.
''They are here-it has conner
We lifted reluctant eyes and gazed
upon the spook farm. There was q
fascination about the weird scene that
drew us to the dividing fence.
There had arisen before our unbe-
lieving eyes white misty buildings
farmhouse with adjacent wings, dairy
barns-and here and there were forms
Of people, white wraiths with beckon.
ing arms. 1t was a MINDLESS night, and
the moon shone brightly
Sarah Penny's voice again broke the
stiffness, this time hoarse with fear.
She was at my elbow. do you see
itT she whispered
"Yes," l answered, but
Does he see 1t tOoY
Yes, but
"Then it is soF' she moaned. And
saw that she was holding her black
bag under her arm. Il must give up
the papers, and perhaps they viii 60
away"
There was an instant Of intense ST.
lence. and then | turned my back on
the spook farm and said quickly:
"Yes, you must give up the papers,
Mrs. Penny. and right the wrong. You
had better move away" | advised.
leading her into the house, quite
broken in spirit.
Eyes. viii go away. have a sis
ter in the west, who wants me 10
come. l can sell this place-and-here
are the deeds. executed them years
ago. but ! hated to part with them.
l have so little money!" she walled
pitifuIly. opening her black bag.
Little by little | wormed a confess
sion out of her Of how she had held
mortgage on the farm next door,
which was owned by a German family.
She had coveted the land. but the
farmer had been industrious and paid
his interest promptly Then one night,
sorely tempted. she had set fire to the
buildings. and when they lay a heap
of ashes on the ground she took the
land for the amount of the mortgage,
and the Germans were homeless and
pepniless. They had gone forth, help
ed by charity. to make a new start,
and she had heard from some source
that each one had died years ago. All
this had happened fifty years before.
and she had had long time in which
to repent of her crime
The next morning when Jack and
went down on the early train we car
ried proper legal papers conveying the
spook farm property. as well as the
home Of Mrs. Penny. to the heirs Of
the German farmer. Fritz Steber And
may add here that in due course Of
time his children were found and their
inheritance restored to them. Mrs
Penny, who possessed a comfortable
fortune through her misery habits.
went west and was heard Of no more
/ never knew what became Of the
Bpook farm after that.