Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1850-03-09
NORTHUMBERLAND

"" out they Ohiy uoWiCu auu ihoahSo, o"u
lay still.
A strange shuddering seized him, which
redoubled when the old woman raised hel
lantern on high, and her long white hail
appeared waving in the storm, while, with
a sad and threatening voice, she exclaim-
ed f"
"Thou in the heavens, who seest and
nearest
Trembling, the knight retired from the
window, and ordered the people to give
her what she demanded. The domestics,
frightened at the apparition, placed some
food without in basket, and then secured
the doors--all the while repeating prayers,
until they heard the strange old woman
carry away the food. As she stepped out
Of the castle gates, the hounds moaned mys-
teriousy after her.
From this time, regularly, every third
evening, the lantern was seen in the castle
yard, and no sooner did its strange twink
| ling begin to be visible through the dark
ness, and the light steps to BIZ heard TO tot
ter softly over the pavement, than the lord
Of the castle fastened back from the win
dow, the domestics put out the BASKET of
food, and the hounds moaned sorrowfully
till the apparition had vanished.
One tay--it was now the beginning of
winter, the knight followed the chase in
the widest part of the mountains. Sud-
denly his hounds darted up steep height,
and, expecting good capture, at the risk
of imminent danger, he forced bis shudder-
ing horse over the slippery, stony ground.
Before a cavern, in the middle of the as
cent, the hounds stood still but how felt
the knight when the figure of a woman
stepped TO the mouth OF the abyss, and with
ick drove back the dogs! From the sill
very locks of the woman, as well as from
the restless and low moanngsof the hounds,
and his own internal feelings, he soon per-
ceived that in this dread spot the lantern
bearer stood before him.
Half-frantic, he turned his horses head,
buried his spurs in his sides, and gallopped
down the steep, accompanied by the yell
ing hounds, towards the castle.
Soon after this strange occurrence, the
lantern was no longer seen in the court of
the castle. They waited one day-seve-
raj days--a whole week passed over, but
If its first appearance had alarmed the
lord Of the castle and his domestics, its dis
appearance occasioned still more consterna-
ton.
They believed that the former prognosti-
Gated some dreadful event, which the latter
betokened 10 be near. On the knight this
anticipation had terrible effect he be-
came pale and haggard, and his countenance
assumed such disturbed appearance, the
inmates Of the castle were of opinion that
the appartion gave warning OF his death.
| 1t was not so.
One day, as was his custom, the knight
rode the chase, and in his present distrac-
tion Of mind he approached, unawares, that
part of the country where the old woman
with the white hair had appeared TO him,
and which he, from that time, had with
great care avoided. Again the dogs sprung
up the height, bowling, and looking fear
fully into the cavern. The afrighted
baron in vain called them back. They
stood as if fascinated on the dreadful spot !:
but on this occasion, no one appeared TO
chase them away. They then crept into
the cavern, and from its dark bosom the
knight still heard their meanings and cries.
At last. summonng resolution, he sprang
from his horse, and, with determined cour-
age, clambered up the steep height. Ad-
vancing into the cavern, he beheld the
hounds crouched round wretched mossy
couch, on which the dead body of woman
lay stretched out.
On drawing near her, he recognized the
pure white hair of the formidable lantern
! bearer.
The little horn lantern stood near her,
on the ground, and the features were those
Of his only child
More slowly than the faithful hounds,
who from the beginning had known their
young mistress, did the unhappy kniqht
become aware whom he saw before him
but, to dssipate every doubt, there Law, on
the breast OF the dead body, a billet, on
which, with her own blood, her hand had
traced the following words:
"In three nights the wanderers hair be-
came white, through grief for the death o.
her lover.-She saw il in the brooks. Hel
hair he had often called a net, in which
his lite was entangled. and life were
by one stroke DESTROYED. She then though
of those holy ones of the church, who il
humility had lived unknown and despset
beneath the parental roof, and, as a pen
ance, she has besought aims from her ia
theirs castle, aud lived among the rock
from which her lover fell. But her pen
ance draws near its end--the crimson
stream fails. All faith"
She would have written "lather," bu
the stream was exhausted, which, with un
speakable sorrow, the knight perceive'
had issued froT deep wound in her lef
arm.
He was found by his servants near tn
corpse, in silent prayer, his hounds moan
ing beside him. He buried his daughter il
the cavern, from which he never after
wards came out. The unhappy hermi
forced every one from him his faithful
: dogs alone he could not drive away an
: mournfully they watched together by th
grave of their young mistress, and besid
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