Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 44, Number 321, 25 October 1919 — Page 13

THE JUNIOR PALLADIUM? WEEKLY SECTION OF RICHMOND PALLADIUM RICHMOND, INDIANA - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1919

The Spooks Michael Saw in the Haunted Mill

By JULIA R. BORR Why d'-d all the spooky, scarey thinp fKwe to happen around Hn. ifliJCftn? That is question, Michael Y.rM asked himself. But Of. Course we wouldn't ask ourselves such a question for we like spooky, scarey things to happen 'round Halloween, for it makes that important eve more lively. But you must know that Michael Hall was a queer boy, for no one but queer people ask such queer questions. Michael was not only queer but superstitious. lie had been reading "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which made him creepy. I am sure he would not have read it, but his school work required it, and the night that he read it, he was all alone in the bis house where he lived. He heard all sorts of queer noises and so he turned all the lights on downstairs for he was sure that a ghost would be coining in from somewhere. To make matters worse his grandfather had died in this very same house and in Michael's bedroom! So, with lights ablaze, Michael with his book seated himself in the big, cozy armchair real close to front door so if any ghosts s" jld come, the door would be handy to open so that he could run. Coming home, Michael's parents wondered why the house was lighted up so. They thought probably that some of, "ichael's friends were there and VTat they were having a gay time, but instead they found Michael sound asleep with his book on the floor. The night before Halloween, the Hall family gathered together in the family room, as 'twas their custom, and by firelight told numerous stories of haunted houses, spooks and ghosts galore. Michael said that he wished they would tell different stories. He didn't like ghost stories and would have gone to his room, but he was afraid that some ghost would get him before he got there. It was nine-thirty, much to Michael's de

THE CHATEAU ON THE BRINK OF THE HILL

In France, at a village, lives little Joan Front nac, with her father, mother, brother and sisters. On Hallowe'en night she was engaged in bringing home the cows from the pasture. The road led by an old chateau, which the country people said was haunted. As she "came up over the hill with the chateau on the cliff she suddenly felt weary. And, sitting down by the road, sat and thought for a long time. The chateau, with its massive, frowning towers, battlements and turrets had its effect along with the old loophole windows. The drawbridge over which horses' feet once trampled with great knights upon their backs, was silent now and was lowered. The moat had only two feet of water in it. The cows wandered dreamingly on down the road, and, at last, were met by her brother who took care of them. After looking at the chateau for some time she thought she saw a light in one of its windows! Then she was so curious to know what made it that she climbed over the fence and walked through the meadow and soon reached the

light that the family went to y '

m-M mornn.g w- Mlchae,.8 sister t up she ex , -'"An, i,l "(), goody, goody! "Why? asked Michael. "O!. don't you see? It is going to be a dark night, she said, "I like Halloween nights to he dark." "Is that all," said Michael. That noon when Michael came home from school there was great excitement everywhere for Mrs. Hiram's little three year old Bess had strayed away and had not been found yet and Mrs. Dearm's black cat had run away. The black cat was not so important, but Mrs. Dearm thought so. She said a black cat brings bad luck when he runs .iway and she is afraid 'of bad ick. That evening little Bess had not been found yet. A reward was being offered for her recovery. Michael did not masquerade as his sister did when darkness came. He was leaving the house to go to the postoffice when he heard his sister exclaim, "Oh!" She was looking up at the sky and when Michael looked he saw what looked to him like an old witch riding her broom. When she was gone he went on his way. Coming back from the postoffice he noticed that it was almost dark. He had not gone far when he stopped to talk to some boys that j he knew. By this time it was dark. The street lights came on. I He started to go on w hen all of a sudden he was blindfolded, picked up and carried a long distance. Then the blindfold was taken off just as he began to slide down something. Bumpety bump he went. When he reached bottom he found that he was in the old mill! He began shaking. This was where Cleo Materine was ! murdered! He sat still for what seemed hours to hi in. At last he concluded that the best thing for him to do would be to try to get out. Yes, that would be far better than to slay in that awful place all night. He took off his shoes for drawbridge. She thought she heard music for a second, but soon all the sounds died away and she found herself enveloped in silence! The light, too, was gone, and, taking the old fashioned lantern she held in her hand, she 6lowly entered. Everything was dark and dreary. She was in a long hall of marble. Seeing a door near her, she approached it. It was hanging on some old rusty hinges ,the key ww in its lock (but it was not locked). The door creaked hideously as she

lii' was afraid to make tho least bit of noise. Then he looked around for a door. Yes, there was one leading into a dark passageway. Going to the end of this passage he found a door. On opening this door he found himself in a large bare room. He began searching for a door that would lead outside. But he found none. Just as he was about to give up all hope he found a door. On opening it he found a narrow stairway. He followed it and it slopped at the third floor. Just as he readied the top floor, bang -one of his shoes dropped out of his hand. Such a noise it did make against the stillness. He waited lor a few minutes, fearing that the noise had awakened a ghost, but nothing happened, so he proceeded. To his right was a small room. He entered. There in th corner lay something white. "It must be a ghost,' whispered Michael to himself. Just then the motionless white thing moved! Yes, actually moved! AH in a moment Michael was like a trembling leaf. He tip-toed noiselessly out of the room and just as he was closing the door, the moon came up from behind the clouds and showed the face of the white thing, and Michael saw that it was none other than little Bess Hiram, sound asleep. For a moment he could hardly believe himself, but it was true. Opening the door, he went back into the room and slowly felt his! way for the moon had gone behind another cloud to the little white figure in the corner. He knelt down to her and put his coat over her. He was about to pick her up when he remembered that he had not yet found a way out. anrt rnnrliiilii fhnt lin'? hnttnr find I i way out first and then come back and get Bess. So he went out and more swiftly began his search. Down a long hall he went and at the end of it he discovered another stairway. Slowly he stumbled hH w.iv rlnwn in (ho novf flrwnThere at the right of this stair- j slowly opened it. It was dark and silent as before. She held her lantern hitrh. looked around her anil was about to leave when she thought she saw something. Ap-I proaching it she found it to be a I human skeleton! Oh, horrors! It was moving; his teeth cackled and his bones rattled, and then seeing a second j skeleton, she immediately derided! that she must be going. Running to the door, she flung it open, and rushing out, she locked it; thus she got the skeletons under lock and

way was another one. He went down this to the landing and was hoping to find another stairway, but in this he was disappointed so he decided to go straight on. He had not gone far when in a corner two big eyes were looking straight at him. This did not look like a ghost, only in the eyes, Michael thought. Where was the ghost's body then. So Michael crept up to those big round eyes with horror, touched them and found that this was no ghost, but it was only Mrs. Dearm's black cat Ho picked her up and went on trying to find a door. He struck against something and he pushed on it and behold there was an outside door: it led to the side entrance of the mill. When Michael saw this he fairly flew back to little Bess. Somehow, it seemed as if the way was lighted, this time. Michael found Bess fast asleep as before. He picked her up and without a bit of trouble found the door again. The first thing he did was to take Bess (who was still asleep) to her mother, who by this time very ill from worrying so much. It almost made Mrs. Hiram well again to see her lost little Bess. Mr. Hiram gave Michael a reward of twenty five dollars. Michael thought this was too much and Mr. Hiraam told him that he was sure Bess was worth more than that and that he intended to give him more before long. lie then restored the black cat to Mrs. Dearm and she was so happy to

have her good luck that she gavel Michael fifty cents. Michael went home whistling while the jack o' lanterns were glowing and the cats a mewing and the old witch wa3 riding her broom. From that eve on, Michael always liked ghost stories for he was no longer afraid of ghosts. He even delighted in telling them especially the one which he had a little experience with and which you have just heard. key. But as she turned around, there stood -fifty and seventy ghosts! Catching her, they carried her upstairs by way of a tower staircase. Reaching the top of the tallest tower, they laid her in the corner, and then a conversation started. One said: "Let's drop her into the pool of blood." And another, "To the chopping block with her!" "The portcullis would be nice!" "The mince -meat chormer is in the dungeon!" And other nu merous suggestions. They finally

Tom Wilson's Hallowe'en Scare Tom Wilson was a healthy boy of eleven. He had planned a scare on a chum of his. He told his other chum, Davy Randolf, about it, "Freckles" the boy for whom the' scare was Intended overheard. When Tom had gone, Freckles told Davy he had overheard, and they decided to turn the trick onto its author. J Hallowe'en night, Tom went after Dave, but he was not there. Tom thought this funny, because Dave had promised to be there; he was disappointed ,tqo. 115 went home and, his mother eenj '.irrn flown cellar to get some nuts. He lit a match to light his candle, but it was instantly blown out. He lit more but all went out. He' could hardly see, but there was a dim light from a Jacko Lantern on the gate post. What was that' noise? Was that a clanking of chains? He listened, too frightened 4 to move. Ho heard groanings and moaning. His hair Stood up and he was "trembling when he heard steps, then a shriek of laujltCT; and he felt himself grabbed by two people. It was Dave and Freckles. He was mad at first, but soon got over it. He got some nuts, popcorn arri apples, and his mother had a tub ready, and they bobbed for apples; then they popped corn, cracked nuts, roasted apples and toasted marshmallows. His mother gave them each a piece of pumpkin pie and a glass of cider and they had a Hallowe'en party all to themselves. But Tom remembers his Hallowe'en scare yet, and I expect always will. Would you like to have that kind of a scare? I would. Marion Chenoweth, ago II years.

The Pumpkin The pumpkin head grows on a vine. The pumpkin head thought it was line; First he was small and green, then big and yellow. The pumpkin is a queer little fellow. He has two shiny eyes and one shiny nose, Inside of his pumpkin head, candle light glows; See how he winks and see how he grins. When Jack o' Lantern comes, great fun begins. Ralph Miller, Grade 3, St. Andrew's School. I decided to drop her into the pool of blood. And looking over battlements, she saw in the courtyard below a great pool of blood. On each of the four inner towers stood a large pumpkin, lighted. There was also a string of pumpkins, cats, witches, skeletons and ghosts hanging on a line from one tower to another. At last, two of the ghosts picked her up and threw her out of the tower window down down down down and down past windows chimneys and balconies she fell. As she went by the string of pumpkins and witches, she tried to catch hold. She caught it but the string came down. With the witches, skeletons and pumpkins, down down still down-on and on and on and on and ker-splash! ?! ?! ?! Why, what's all this I've gotten all over me? Mud! mud! not blood but mud. Oh, goodness, this has all been a dream a dream, and I've rolled down the hill and landed in a mud puddle! My dress is a sight. Oh, it's late; the stars are shining. I must hurry home. Tho chateau on the hill was still dark and silent. She picked herself up and went home, whero she lived happily ever after.