The Haunted House | Page 2

sewing room; it adjoins
the dining room, and the parlor, and has a door opening into each. Besides the four rooms
on the first floor, there is a large pantry, having a small window about four feet from the
floor, the door of this pantry opens into the dining room. Such is the arrangement of the
first floor.
Upon ascending a short flight of stairs, and turning to the left, you find yourself in the
second story of the cottage, which consists of an entry and four small bed rooms, all
opening into the entry. Each one of the rooms has one window, and only one door. Two
of these little bed rooms face towards the street, and the other two towards the back of the

cottage. They, like the rest of the house, are conspicuous for their neat, cosy aspect, being
papered and painted, and furnished with ordinary cottage furniture. In fact everything
about the little cottage will impress a casual observer with the fact that its inmates are
happy, and evidently at peace with God and man.
This humble cottage is the home of Daniel Teed, shoemaker. Everybody knows and
respects honest hard working Dan, who never owes a dollar if he can help it, and never
allows his family to want for any comfort that can be procured, with his hard earned
salary as foreman of the Amherst Shoe Factory.
Dan's family consists of his wife Olive, as good a soul as ever lived, always hard at work.
From early morning until dusky eve she is on her feet. It has always been a matter of
gossip and astonishment, among the neighbors, as to how little Mrs. Teed, for she is by
no means what you would call a large woman, could work so incessantly without
becoming weary and resting for an hour or so after dinner. But she works on all the same,
never rests, and they still look on her with astonishment. Dan and Olive have two little
boys. Willie, the eldest, is five years old; he is a strong, healthy looking lad, with a ruddy
complexion, blue eyes, and brown curly hair; his principal amusements are throwing
stones, chasing the chickens, and hurting his little brother. George, the youngest of Dan's
boys, is the finest boy of his age in the village and is only a little over a year old; his
merry little laugh, winning ways, and cunning actions to attract attention have made him
a favorite with all who visit at the cottage.
Besides his wife and two little boys, Dan has under his honest roof and protection his
wife's two sisters,--Jane and Esther Cox--who board with him. Jane is a lady-like,
self-possessed young woman of about twenty-two, and is quite a beauty; her hair is very
light brown and reaches below her waist when she allows it to fall in graceful tresses--at
other times she wears it in the Grecian style; her eyes are of a greyish hue; a clear
complexion and handsome teeth add to her fine appearance. In fact, Jane Cox is one of
the village belles, and has hosts of admirers, not of the male sex alone, for she is also
popular among the ladies; she is a member and regular attendant of Parson Townsend's
Church, which, by the way, the good Parson has had under his care for about forty-five
years. Esther Cox, Dan's other sister in-law, is such a remarkable girl in every respect that
I must give as complete a description of her as possible. She was born in Upper
Stewiacke, Nova Scotia, on March 28th, 1860, and is consequently in her eighteenth year.
Esther has always been a queer girl. When born she was so small that her good, kind
grandmother, who raised her, (her mother having died when she was three weeks old) had
to wash and dress her on a pillow, and in fact keep her on it all the time until she was nine
months old, at which age her weight was only five pounds. When she was quite a little
girl her father, Archibald T. Cox, married again, and moved to East Machias, Maine,
where he has since resided. Having followed his second wife to the grave, he married a
third with whom he is now living. Esther's early years having been spent with her
grandmother, she very naturally became grave and old-fashioned, without knowing how
or why. Like all little girls, she was remarkably susceptible to surrounding influences,
and the sedate manner and actions of the old lady made an early impression on Esther
that will cling to her through life.

In person Esther is of low stature and rather inclined to be stout; her hair is curly, of a
dark brown color, and is now short, reaching only to her