The House on Peri Lane

"Don’t suppose it would hurt to check." She was busy examining the oak tables and wasn’t paying much attention. "Some of this stuff would clean up quite nicely."

"On no. You never want to clean up an antique. The older and more grimy they look the more they are worth." Page explained. "Mom has a Queen Ann side board she gave twenty grand for that is the rattiest looking thing you ever wanted to see. She keeps it in the dining room to show off to her dinner guests." She looked over the table Babs was talking about. "The most you would want to do with this is wipe it down with a damp cloth and maybe add a coat of furniture polish. From the look of it I would say there is quite a layer of polish under that dust."

"Maybe if we asked the county clerk about the place. Kind of pretended indifference. Like we were interested in the property, not the house." Babs mind was already working over time. Since Page had pointed out the value of the furnishings, her mind had gone to work.

The girls went through the rest of the house, room by room, taking careful inventory of the furnishings. There was a den with another small library, a gun cabinet, which was securely locked. They didn’t dare force the lock. A kitchen large enough to feed an army, a formal dining hall with all the furnishings, including silverware and chinaware.

"My goodness! This china ware has oriental markings on it. From China or Japan." Page exclaimed as she examined a huge dinner plate from one of the cupboards.

"I wonder why no one has robbed this place?" Babs asked. "There have to be a lot of people around who would recognize what this stuff is worth."

"I think, it being way out here at the end of this old lane, it has just kind of been overlooked. We had a heck of a time getting in here and all the ghost stories the old timers tell, like the two in your store, probably would help to keep people away. We would have never known it was here if you hadn’t overheard that conversation." Page replied. "The trees are pretty dense around the house and the lane was overgrown with shrubs. Hope I didn’t tear the underside of my MG up getting in here.

"The men didn’t say to much about the ghosts. Just that they had heard from their parents that one of the brothers had killed his mistress in one of the third floor bedrooms. Babs answered.

"We haven’t been up there yet. Let’s go have a look." Page suggested.

The stair treads were creaky. The old boards had warped, some bowed upward and others down. The girls tread lightly, taking their time and picking their way up the stairs, avoiding any places that looked weak. Luckily none of the windows had been broken out and the old slate roof seemed to be about as sound as the day it was built. It must have taken a lot of luck and good fortune for the place to have survived in tact, much less in any condition for the girls to explore. They had discovered a wealth of antique treasures. Since mother nature, good fortune and the forgetfulness of the community had worked to preserve the place Page and Babs were taking full advantage.

The second and third floor each had a sitting room, fire places, and several bed rooms. All were completely furnished. Several rooms had suffered some water damage around windows where the casements had rotted through and let in the weather. The only damage to furnishings was an old chest that set under one of the damaged windows. It had been water soaked, causing severe damage to the exterior but when Babs opened it, she found a full set of linens for the bed undamaged. They were so old she was afraid to handle them. With Page’s help, she dragged the chest away from the window where no more damage could be done.