The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1912-01-05

1 ~.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
When my law partner, Jack Rogers,
returned from lunch | was agog with
excitement.
Guess what has happened, Jack"
crowed.
mo need to guess. Something in
the detective line has turned up"
grinned my partner as he tossed bis
hat on its accustomed peg and sat
down In his chair
How did you find outT' 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 stilr' l growled. "You
talk like a bird of prey"
~ am-we are birds Of prey. This
detective side line of yours, Hal, or
hobby, or whatever you call 1t. will
run us out of our legitimate course Of
business If you don't slacken up a bit"
Have you any important case on
| your mindf" 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-
| thing for somewhere-and it's 1:45
| now" He glanced at his watch.
| "The train leaves at 2:03. I'll tell
you about 1t on the way up"
After we were comfortably seated
I'm the smoker of the train and were
headed up the bank Of the Hudson
river deemed 1t expedient to I'M
bosom myself lest in the telling OF the
story we might reach our destination
before had completed 1t.
That noon while ! sat alone In the
office | had received call from a
queer client.
She was 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 rusty satchel filed to bursting
that she watched carefully.
| learned that her name was Sarah
Penny and that she lived on small
farm near Poughkeepsie. She said she
was 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 a 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 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 It. 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 off 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. rennsy's farm inquired
Zone TO the right" and he disappear
ed quickly. as IL 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 that he felt as twist
ed as spiral bed spring
| duh Nphuci youi Viu ithg otto
things" he complained rs he rounded
another turn, u feel all wound up
Just like a clock"
II guess you can run down now" I
said. for just then the trees and dense
growth along the road thinned. and
we could see the gray shingles of a
weather beaten house just beyond
Ia.
stood In Il grove of gloomy cedars. we
met a boy with an empty pail and Der.
~ stained lips.
"Son." said my partner kindly, car
you tell us where the Widow Penny
liyes?"
The boy turned grimy little finger
toward the weatherbeaten house "Ir
there" he half whispered
ado you know her?" pursued Jack
carelessly displaying a silver quarter.
The boy nodded. I'm afraid of her.
he said with more spirit shes Q
miser; that's what my mother says"
"Who lives next door to Mrs Pen
ny2" asked him "a be clutched the sill
yer coin
|
and apple trees The house burned
down before was born" And h(
scampered away and disappeared II
the wooded road
"Huhr calculated my partner. And
In silence we approached the homo Of
Mrs. Sarah Penny
The shutters were oil closed, and the
place appeared deserted. The ground
was quite dat here aud wide creek
meandered through the rank grass
back of the house. and the adjacent
low lying ground appeared lamp and
marshy.
Mice, malarious spot" | remarked
as we walked around weed grown
path to the back door,
''Might raise good crop OF spooks
here" said Jack, pausing and looking
over toward the adjacent property.
THE kid was right: there must have
been n farmhouse there one day. See
the sunken rectangles of turf where