Evening star., 1928-05-23
WORLD FAMOUS STORIES
BY JEROME X. JEROME.
THE HAUNTED MILL

'JeFome 4. Jerome. born in 1854. In an
s-a;,,ss ;ga.ss snmos1ss r ne best known .grhs is
1bonEnts Of an Idle Fellow
There was once a man who took
lease Of an old mill and went to live
there. Years before. this very mill had
been occupied by a wicked old miser.
who died there, leaving, 50 1t was
Tumored, all hts money hidden some
where about the place. Naturally
enough, every one who had since come
10 live al the mill had tried TO find the
treasure; but none had ever succeeded,
and the local sages said that nobody
ever would unless the ghost Of the
misery miller should. one day lake a
fancy 70 one Of the tenants and dts
close 10 him the secret Of the hiding
place.
The newest tenant did not attach
much importance TO the story, regarding
II as an old woman's tale, and, unlike
his predecessors, made no attempt what
ever 10 discover the hidden gold.
Unless business was very different
then from what IL Is now" he said 10
himself. Il don't see how miller could
very well have saved anything. however
much Of n1iSer he might have been.
At al events, not enough TO make II
worth the trouble Of looking for it,"
Stiii. he could not altogether get rid
Of the idea Of that treasure.
One night he went 10 bed. There was
nothing very extraordinary about that,
a. he often did go 70 bed Of a night
What was remarkable. however, was
that exactly as the clock Of the village
church cf1iE1ed the last stroke Of IL he
70 ara sxys4a Ff "a
quite unable 10 go 70 sleep again.
He sat Up In bed and looked around
A. the FOO, Of the bed something stood
very stln, wrapped in shadow
II moved into the moonlight, and then
the man saw IL was the figure Of a
w1zened little Old man in knee breeches
arc pigtan.
In an Instant the theory Of the hidden
treasure and the old miser flashed across
his mind.
Hes come TO show me where III
hsd." he thought, and he resolved thai
hs would not spend ali this money or
himself, but would devote small per.
centage Of 1t toward doing good "
Others.
The appsrition moved toward tn
door. so tDe tenant put on mis- Trousers
and followed IT, The ghost went down
stairs INTO the kitchen. gladed over and
stood In front Of the hearth. sighed snc
disappeared.
Bezt ElOFning the tenant had q c0upls
Of Drackisyefs IN and made them hau
oslt tfae stove and pull down the chin.
ney, 8i1ile he st0od behind with potat
sack in which ~ put the gold, The,
ksgOckec down half the wall and negel
fDen6 10 much ss penny. The mar
dc not kn0Y what " think
The next night the ghost Of the Ole
man appeared again. and again IL Iet
the way 10 the kitchen This time
however. instead of going 10 the FIRE
place u stood more IN the middle of tn
room snc sighed tleTG
*O1 / ser what he means nov,
thought the tenant W himself 1T
under the floor Why do the old lido
g. and stand up against the etoye so q
10 make nee think II WAS up the chin
nfy9"
They spent the next day In taking VI
the Kitchen floor, but the only thin
they found wE9 . three ~pr0nged foFa
and ihe handle ~ that wa1 broken,
ON the third night the ghost reap
peaFeo quite Qnabashe6. and for q thir
lime made for the Kitchen Arrive
'here If looked 9p st the ceiling sn
vanished
"Unapai lie don't seem 10 haq