The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1921-04-09

90, 1921 by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
Clayton dropped his heavy bags on
the dusty. Imprinted floor Of the Val
ley House lobby. lie had been the
only passenger ON the rickety old bus,
which he could already hear rafting
away into the darkness. This was the
first time in five years that he had
made" Green Valley-and he would
not have chosen to return.
Iii, jeff" called the ancient pro
priet@, uncoiling himself from his
tilted back chair by the stove. Take
them valiScs =. He hobbled rheu-
matiCaly to the desk, peering over
his iron trimmed SpcCtaclos at the lone
guest while JEFF n gawky country boy
of seventeen with arms and legs too
long for the garments that sought to
Clothe them, shambled forward and
gathered the baggage.
'llm-stranger in these parts be
yef" queried tue keeper of the Valley
House shifting his chew Of tobacco
eXpertly, aud studying the bold sir
nature on the register: - NJ Clay
ton, Chicago
Not exactly" said Clayton. leaning
idly against the desk He was de
pressed. very tired almost too tired
to follow the tov-hcadcd Jeff VI the
stairs Il used to cover this territory
until about five years age Always
put up at the Valley House then.
Last few years. I've bocu routed
through the South don't seem to
remember you-Y'
"No, guess not, said tic other. rub
hing bis Shirt sleeyed arm With q
guarled brown hand "Hlgsby.~ my
name. 1911 Townsend. him thI used
10 run thi~ place ne Ieit uolhiu' but
a passed q debts when hc died con
pie . years ago Ben' principal
creditor, | bought in the place on easy
terms. Whatd you say your line
was?"
Hardware" admitted Clayton.
Everything from plows to thumb
tacks -
Him" said Bagsby pessimistically,
hobbling back to his chair by the
stove. Guess you won't sell much of
either herel Green Valleys gone
1 down terrible. All the young folks
! nowadays seem to be just bound and
/ determined to get to the city; an the
i old folks can't make ends meet here,
nohow, what with hired hands askin'
! such wages. They amt farm around
here that you couldn't pick UP now
4 for song
! A moment later, with his foot act
/ ually on the ramshackle stairway,
! Clayton paused After all, he must
ask the question that had been fore
| most In his mind ever since the dusty,
rafting old day-coach had creaked to
a standstll at Green Valley station.
do you happen to know" He
thought his voice sounded husky and
strange, and flushing he began again:
"Can you tell me-anything about-er
"a family named Deming that used
to live couple of miles down the
state road?'
"Deming? Deming?" Bagsby laid
down his weekly farm paper. why,
that's the Deming place, up where
the big sign is-th-the one they call
th-the haunted house."
"HauntedY"
"Yeh," said old Bagsby, I've heard
tell that the family-Demng, If that
was their name-mOved out West
count o their girl havin lung trou-
BILE; then they say she an the mother
both died an the old man didn't want
to come back. Places been for sale
ever since | come to Green Valley
an that's four years ago"
Jack Clayton gripped the hanisters
until his kunckles whitened. Media
was dead, then He would never
see her again
With his clean-cut young face grim
and set he followed Jeff up to the
room assigned him-aud then. when
the door was shut, fell face downward
upon the springess old bed-and lay
very still.
Perhaps an hour later Jack Clay
ION tiptoed down the creaking stairs,
without waking his ancient host who
had fallen into noisy slumber beside
the dying fire, with his farm journal
falling from one lax hand The No
vember air cooled his hot cheeks and
srlarting eyes, as he hurried down the
stste road Almost before he knew
It. he was at the Deming farm. Yes
there 1t was-the white house with
it's spreading barns and outbuildings
the spacious home where he had so
often been entertained How dreary
II looked now; dark, deserted and
rlose-shuttered. No wonder 1t was
called "the haunted house" he
thought; it looked ghostly enough
The front gate was swinging idly
I'm the wind. He remembered how he
had first met Media, at that very gate,
when. driving from farm to farm in
his hired trap, taking orders for rakes,
hoes. harrows and what not, he had
stopped one day to beg drink of