The Arm Chair Library No. 79: The Haunted Homestead — page 24: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

et em te: ee cn me 22 THE HAUNTED HOMESTEAD. = _—— nection is your father’s purchase of this fine property.” “Ah, ae Well, after the death of his lady, Exnest Van Der Vaughan re- moved back into the old house and closed up the new one. In the course of a few weeks he advertised the prop- erty for sale, but months passed, and no purchaser appeared willing to give him the price set upon the estate. “A year went by, and Mr. Van Der Vaughan made the acquaintance of a young lady, Alice Brightwell, who was, it is said, as strong a contrast as possible to his late wife; for Alice was young and fair and gay, loved music, dancing and company, and had not a regret, a care, or an ambition in the world. “It must have been the attraction of antagonism that united the hearts of this dark and sombre man of thir- ty and this laughing, careless girl of nineteen, for it is said that they were greatly attached to each other. "At all events, after a brief court- ship, and a briefer engagement, they were married; and when Mr. Van Der Vaughan proposed to her, as he had to his first wife, that they should emi- grate to the West, she, in her gay, ad- venturous love of novelty, eagerly as- sented, notwithstanding that to go with him thither she must leave her parents, brothers and sisters. “Once more the property »ame into market, and my father seeing the ad- vertisement and desiring to remove to Virginia, opened a correspondence with the proprietor, then made a visit of inspection, and finally became the purchaser of the estates. “When the transfer was about to be made, my father, pointing to the fam- ily graveyard, inquired of Mr. Van Der Vaughan whether he did not feel an unwillingness to sell that piece of | Wol ground, and told him that he might | un] — — a a readily make an exception of that plo! and retain it in his own right. “a “But Mr. Van Der Vaughan replici that he did not really care to own 4 foot of ground on the estate. » “My father then told him that if h: would like to retain the graveyard ii should make no difference in price 0! the whole already agreed upon, for ye father, you see, Agnes, felt a sort 0! hesitation in buying the place ah exempting the bones of the old fami!) from the purchase. “But Mr. Van Der Vaughan had no scruples of the sort. ey “*No” he said, ‘Mr. Legare, u were to retain possession of the ett yard, I and my heirs after me would own an acre of ground in the aa midst of your estate, which, as ‘ stands now, might make no eeeerence. as I shall neyer return to claim it, ap” could make no use of it if I did; pe which might embarrass you very much should you eyer wish to sell the prop- erty.’ | “That was good reasoning enous . t suppose, and, at all events, the sale was a without the except eg “We moved into the house, and Mr. Van Der Vaughan and his bride de- “And he really, when he might just as easily have avoided it, sold the bones of his wife and her ancestors to a stranger?” “Eves bo. ny dear Agnes, and be- lieve me, we felt as much shocked as you look.” “But,” said I, fixing my eyes upeL her face, where the flickering firelight made the shadows play, “the strange! has net. been able to retain the peace- able possession of his purchase!” “What—what mean on, Agnes? exclaimed Mathilde, in Jac “1 mean that the late proud lady ot fbrake stil carries the keys, an¢ ocks doors at will!” Dy odd Sag