THE HAUNTED COTTAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 267, 10 November 1928, Page 20 (Supplement)

THE HAUNTED COTTAGE.

(By Molly Stanawny, Garfield Ed., HelensTille, aged 13.)

"Mummic, Eliza says Woodvine Cottage is haunted." The remark was greeted with a shout of laughter from Betty's two brothers, Harold and Jack. Mother only, smiled, and said, "Nonsense, dear! ;Eliza is a silly girl. She ought not to tell you such silly tales." "But, mummic," protested Betty, growing very pink, "Eliza"says lots of people have heard noises, and one night there was a light there." , "Tramps,"-suggested Harold. . probably," said mother; "perhaps someone has found a way in, and-spent the night there. It has been empty quite a long time now, you know; apparently no one wants to buy it, or the agents are not troubling themselves about it." . , Mother dismissed the subject from her mind, but the children continued to hear rumours in the village to the effect that the cottage was "haunted," and that mysterious lights were sometimes seen there. •- ■ '. "1 say, Jack," suggested Harold one day, "it wouldn't bo a bad plan to catch that ghost, would it?" "Ripping idea!", agreed Jack, "but now?" ' ••. '■. •„.:" "I've- been thinking it oyer, let's creep out one night quite late, and try to find a way into the cottage. Then if there was nothing to be seen, we might wait till the "ghost or -tramp appeared." Jack agreed, and they decided to carry out their plan'tho first night they were able to keep awake long enough; for it ■would never do to proceed with their adventure, before the grown-ups were ■asleep.', "'.','. A night or two later, inspired by' further rumours about the "Hauiited Cottage,'.' they decided to sit up in their room until quite late—"Midnight is spook-time,"' said Harold—and then -let themselves out"of':'the house when all was quiet. '•"Wolf," the Alsatian started to bark as they emerged from the back door; but a reassuring pat silenced him at once. "We'll take the short cut across the fields," suggested Harold, "then we. shan't be likely to meet anyone." "It seems rather creepy, doesn't it 1" remarked Jack. ■ ■;■ t

"Oh, it's all right, we'll soon be there," answered Harold airily; though in his heart he, too,.thought it "rather creepy."

Woodvine Cottage was a somewhat ramshackle little cottage now, although it had been a picturesque cottage in its time. • ■'' . .

There were no mysterious lights to be seen now. All was horribly .dark and creepy, because the cottage was surrounded by trees. They approached the tack door silently and to their surprise it was ■ unlocked. They crept silently into the kitchen, and Harold turned on his electric torch. ' • . '

"Hullo! Someone lias been here quite lately!" whispered ' Harold. "Here's a piece of candle on the mantel piece, and an old newspaper, with a stile crust and some cheese. Ghosts don't eat bread and cheese."

They crossed the kitchen, and then got the shock of their lives. The door opened and a big man 'emerged with a candle in his hand.

He. seemed almost as surprised to see the boys as they were to see him— though certainly not so alarmed. They stood in the kitchen- doorway too startled to run away. He spoke with rather a pleasani voice but with a "twang" that told them he was a foreigner. "Hullo, you two! How did you get here at this time of the night?" The boys' fear vanished, for they knew he was no tramp. • "We kept hearing tales about this cottage being haunted," explained Haloid, so we thought we would, come here

one night' and investigate, but we expected to find a ghost or a tramp." "And you found me? Ha, ha! I'm a pretty substantial ghost, eh?" The boys laughed. "But there have been lights here," said Jack. "Was it you all the time?" ">To, sonny; I guess some tramps have been sleeping here instead of under the hedge. I only came hero cbout an hour ago." "But why did you come?" asked Harold, bent on solving the mystery. The- stranger's face grew suddenly grave. "Well, you see, it's like this, sonny. I was bora in this cottage, and I've just come back from Australia, hoping to find my poor old' dad still here: but I fear he must have died, because my last letter was returned through the dead letter office." • "Is old Mr. Ryan your father?" asked Harold, "'cause he's not dead! He went awa}' to the Veterans' Home in town some time ago." ■ ■ "Well, you've made me very glad, sonny! Ho should not have been so badly off, because I sent him money, but perhaps ..it went astray." • "Were you going to sleep here tonight?" asked Jack. •-' "Yes; I've got a coat for a pillow and a 'rug for a blanket, and I've slept in many a worse place. I was just dozing off when I heard mysterious noises—but I didn't think about ghosts! Well, come along—l'll see you home now. It's too late and too dark for little chaps.liko you to be out alone!" Harold, being thirteen, rather resented being referred to as a "little chap"; but nevertheless ho was as glad of the big man's company as Jack. The boys crept into the house and up to bed without waking anyone; but next day they told mother the whole story. She laughed at their foolish escapade, but was very interested to hear of the return of old Mr. Ryan's son. . . No one. ever heard any more about Wobdvino Cottage being haunted, for young Mr. Ryan bought that, and a few cows as well, "so that he and his father could live comfortably.