2. Q. Where does the writer locate the haunted house? A. In one of the
Middle States, in a little town built on the gently-sloping hillside of
an inland lake.
3. Q. How long had the haunted house been built? A. About twenty-five
years.
4. Q. How long had it been unoccupied at the time of the commencement
of the story? A. More than six years.
5. Q. What occurred to persons who attempted to live in the house? A.
They either got sick and had to leave or died.
6. Q. What was the current story as to those who died there? A. That
those who died there staid there, and those who came after would see
them.
7. Q. What does the narrator state is one of his hobbies? A. That
a great deal of the sickness, and consequently a great deal of the
sorrow, from which we suffer in this world, comes from ignorance of,
or, worse still, disobedience to God’s laws.
8. Q. From what source had the entire supply of drinking water for the
haunted house been procured? A. From a well in the garden some distance
from the house.
9. Q. What did microscopic examination of the water reveal? A. That in
its then present condition it was so impure as to be actually a slow
poison to any who might drink it.
10. Q. What did digging in the vicinity of the well show? A. That a
cesspool leaked directly into the spring, which formed the main supply
of the well.
11. Q. What change was now made in regard to the supply of water? A. An
artesian well was driven in the rear of the garden entirely out of the
way of any drainage from the slope above.
12. Q. What followed from this change? A. The “ghosts” entirely
disappeared, and the house was soon found to be as healthy as any in
the village.
13. Q. What are the first directions given as to keeping a house clean?
A. There must be no decaying vegetables or fruit, no rubbish of any
kind kept in the cellar, and the air must be kept perfectly fresh and
sweet.
14. Q. What direction is given as to the sink? A. Be sure that your
sink is clean, don’t let the drain get stopped up, and once a day, at
least, wipe it out thoroughly clean and dry.
15. Q. What precaution is given in reference to the collection of
rubbish? A. Don’t let rubbish of any kind collect in the house, keep
all your pantries and cupboards clean, and don’t get into the habit of
pushing things away into holes and corners.
16. Q. What is said about the care of beds? A. Be sure that your beds
are well aired, and that the bedsteads are occasionally wiped off with
hot water and soap.
17. Q. What is the subject of Hampton Tract, No. 9? A. “Cleanliness and
Disinfection.”