Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1912-01-12

A Spook
Farm
A Wrong Is Rishied by Means
Of h.
By dARIssA MAcKIE
Copyright by American Press Asso-
ciation. 1911

\ Wrong !. Rishisd by Mean.
By dARIssA MAcKIE
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

n NtfgfiAHt lf hmtriCdu rfcA- A19S~ IL
i ciation. 1911. 4
When my law partner. Jack lsogers.
returned from lunch was agog with
excitement
~siuess What has happened. Jack"
1 crowed.
"No need to guess. something in
the deie,Tive line has turned up
grinn,%i my phnncr as he tossed MS
hat On It's accustomed peg and sat
down Ia his chair
How did you hnd outT' asked,
chagrincd
~y,si a'ways look especially foxy.
Old tnan. aud nothing not even dead
cIenf. With prospects, u rich pickings
from the
~Oa. KEEP stills erowl~a ~You
tax IKE hsu If prey.
Il am We are birds Of prey This
detetiv- side line OF yours. Hal. or
hobby. or whatever you call il. will
run us uul o. our legitimate course Of
business It yon don't Slarken up Bit"
Have yol an, Important ease ON
your mind.' asked sardonlrally
Rogers felt Tentatively OF his head.
Nothing G,ing must ronfess. Hal
know there's something ON your
mird There's look nlout you that
sayS we n.iiSt catch the two some
thing for s0Eew herp-Hnd its l;4J
now lie rlaus cd al his watch
"1he train leaves at BOB III tell
yon about II au the way up"
After we were comfortably seated
IN the smoker Of tile train md were
headed ~, tile bank Of the Hudson
river doomed Il expcdent TO I'M
bosom myself lest in tile telling Of the
story we might reach our destination
before bad completed IT.
That uoon while sat alone In the
office had reeeiyed call from a
queer client
She was a little old woman. sharp
featured and white haired. with hard.
cold bne eyes and thin Tipped mouth
that seemed made for secrets. : She
was garDed in shabby black and car
ricd rusty satchel filled TO bursting
that she watched carefully
learned that her name wis Sarah
Penny and that she lived on a small
farm uear poughkeepsie She said she
was widow aud hesides owning her
farm noSse,sed a tiny incone Oh
which she lived. She alsn 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 a luminous glowing out
line Of buildings e
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
uctti lHiitu W tVihuf dct tcotN " tht
"spook FARM as she called IT, hoping
/ mi. at lie able to explain away this
hcrrnr ~ her solitary life
nad promised to come up there to
io1S be situation In the face and
declared ms intention of bringing my
partner with me So now that we
were on the way / related all these
facts 10 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. aud 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 @ couple
of empty egg crates. and approached
him
Which road shall | take to reach
Mrs Penhsy's farm inquired
-One 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 it repeated over and over until
Jack announced TINT be felt as twist
ed as spiral bed spring
II don't wonder your old lady sees
things, he complained as ne rounded
another turn Il feei all wound up
just like clock
Il guess you can run down now"
said. for Just then the trees and dense
growth along the road ihinned. and
we could see the gray shingles OF
weather neaten house just beyond
Before we reached The hnuSe. which
stood in grove OF gloomy c-dars we
met boy with an empty pai aud her
ry stained lips.
"son. said my partner kindly. "ean
yon tell US where the Widow Penny
lives r.
The boy turned - srinly little finger
toward the weatherbeafen house "ln
there. he half whispered
DO you know ners" pursued Jack
'areiessiy displaying silver quarter.
The hos nodded I'm afraid of her
be sain with more spirit Shes a
miser; irai's What ms mother says
'whp liyss next DIOR 10 Mrs Pen
uysr asked him as be riutched the sil-
yer coin.
'sNohody lives there IT'S all grass
and apple trees The hu,Ise burned
dawn before was bern And be
scampered away and dlsarpearcd IN
the wooded road