Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1922-10-07
HER STORY
BY MARGARET A. swrs

One night IN late Decem5e-
ping cold night in 191S-lIrs ~
told this story that am afo.. ''a'al
peat. Phoebe Haland nv bn
aunt, was then about seyarrr
cerely pious woman who was 70
rarily making her home win n- me
hsr two sons, both surgeon 1-
overseas with the Yankee dfris. .s
My husband had Just fnisFo5
lag aloud newspaper article ~
house in our neighborhoo5 tba.
supposed to be haunted. The a-
gave the history OF the hons.
list of its former owners VII
found it advisable to Sell ,ba
soon after moving in. The Jas+ ga. s'-'
had bought the place for sin
nothing, and after waa,,s
he, too, moved out, and told tba , ~,
through the newspapers ~.
would have the place torn down :,
spring.
"That ghost talk is an hosb -.
husband declared. a house al,
name for being haunted and ~.
everyone that moves into it is on ~
lookout for spooks and-and tB.,
imagination does the rest"
The newspaper futtered and p,
Mrs. Haland and I, continued with ~
knitting and waited to hear .o,,
more news. Then Mrs. Haland loo:s
at me over the top of her nd
trimmed spectacles and said.
"a good deal of It is both. no d,ps
but there are, I am sure. troasi
souls that for one reason or aDotts
return and make themselves Seen
felt"
Mrs. Haland put down her knitts,
and her serious, kindly old eyes IA,
rowed and she took a long look b,
the face of Time before she spoke
'It will be 80 years next May-yr
10-since l was married" she be.,
"and we started housekeeping IN
little house that is still standing n,
small village a mile or two beygE
Hartford, Conn. My nearest neg5.e
was a Mrs. Wright, and she called d,
on us almost as soon as we were 81
tied.
"She was a tall, thin woman. and
remember well the buff-colored cnale
dress with little blue flowers in It tg
she wore that day. She had her little
girl with her-a sturdy child Of 81
or seven, her black hair braided b
two stiff bralds that hung down tg
little square back.
81 was twenty then" she confined
"and I think that Mrs Wright Va 81
about thirty-eight-she was just fou
when she died, and we had been neigh 4
bors for two years In that time
had learned to love Mrs. Wright-shs
was like o mother to me She WASN'T
a well woman-sOme heart Affection
and her husband was a drinking ull
She Shielded him all she could Ss
was too proud to let the neightH Is
know that he had at times beaten be
and his little daughter
"She was not long lila few days
and l was in and out al the time ala
not once did she complain BESSIE, BE-
little girl, seldom left the bedside ba
that last day. when the child Tas 90
of hearing, Mrs. Wright said to u
II don't mind it a all-only e
Bessie-my poor BessieN It was hlT
ing to leave Bessie that troubled he
"When it was all over the husbali
disappeared-no one knew where
l took Bessie home with me and iG'
week / tried hard TO lessen the gla
in the childish heart Then one ee
ming, as / was about to send Bessie
bed, her father came in-swagges
in without knocking growing a3a
wild-eyed. Bessie at my knee Fepea'
ing the Lords prayer buried her iaa
In my lap and I felt her little beg
culver. He wanted Bessie to caa
right home-he guessed he mao J
right to his own daughter.
"Wel. he took Bessie-took =
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS her along
could not reason with him and 4
husband had gone on some business
Hartford. My instinct was 20 l-'
Bessie, but l was afraid Of thIs nv
and as / stood there IN tle h.'t4s
near the open door. praying taai
husband would come soon 4''
Wright walked in.
81 saw her as plain as I SEE
now. She wore her butt-co-oFed l
with the little blue flowers 20 y Y
she looked neither TO tae Hs4
left. just passed me as Z HF5
piece of furniture, and waised sia-
into my bedroom.
"Something-the mystery i's
Of it-overwhelmed me and a'e
me to my knees. and then sa1ae-s
arose and ran out Of the aaas "a
the road toward that man We
when nearing the house
hear Bessie still crying ana
in-T went in as brave as -
defending her cub. and ] "a
and / shouted at him that a4
and all the men in town N5.s
tar and getting feathers en-
he wanted to save himself g -
ter clear out.
81 think it must have h