Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-06-09
MISCELL A N Y,
TRUE COUEAGE---A TALE OF
TATTERSAIAEL CASTLE.


young collegians visited Tattershall Castle.
in Lincolnshire. This remarkably noble
ruin consists of single lofty keep, rising
to the height of two hundred feet, the inte-
rior being open from summit to basement.
Mighty oaken beams, once, however, SPAN
ned the massive walls, supporting floors
which formed stories of varying height
Many of these beams have fallen to the
basement, completely rotten, through shame
fui exposure to the weather ever since the
roof crumbled away others still pertinaci-
ously hans more or less broken and decay
ed bat, in majority of instances, seem as
if strong gust Of eddying wind would send
them down crashing, to mingle their frag-
ments with those already mouldering below.
The party were in high spirits. They
had drunken old wines, and their young
blood flowed hotly in their veins and they
had laughed, joked and talked themselves
into wild excitement About half way up
to the castle turrets there is a sort Of open
landing, which goes along one wall of the
structure and on this landing the party
stepped from the grand spiral staircase they
had hitherto been ascending, and there
paused a moment to look about them. The
scene was striking. A few beams sprung
across Just below their feet few thick
NOTED rays of sun pierced through the ad-
Joining loop-holeS few fleecy cloudlets
fitted across the blue ether high overhead.
Startled by the noisy visitors, a number OF
dusky jackdaws flew out of their holes up
and down the walls, and, after chattering
their decided disapprobatlcn of being dis
turbed, made haif-a-dozen whirling circuits
of the interior, rising rapidly upward, until
they disappeared.
Immediately afterwards, great white
owl projected its visage from hole close
above where one of the beams Joined the
opposite wall, and, frightedly peerng with
its great dazzled eyes, the harmless crea-
!nre bewideredly popped from its hole on
to the beam. and having made feg feeble
Hutterings with its wings, remained quite
stationary, crouched on ball-like figure,
close to the wall.
ooh, Deschamp,' exclaimed one of the
party to friend at his side, who was pluck
ing the long gray moss Of apeculiar species
winch literally clothes the castle wall inside
and out, 'look yonder at Minerals bird"
''Ha ha p chorused the company, "a
veritable owl p
Thereupon one and all began picking up
bits of brick and mortar from where they
stood. and threw them at the bird with va
rious degrees of skill. One or two bits even
struck it but so far from being reused there
by, the o~i merely gave oae ooding, long
drawn sepuchral screech, and contracting
its CHASTITY outline into still smaller COM
pass, fairly buried its broad visage between
the meeting bony tips Of its wings.
"What stupid creature! hoo horoo -
shouted they, thinking by that means to in
duce it to fly. But the outcry only terrified
the bird to such degree, that it stuck its
claws convul<lvely into the decayed tim
ber and stirred not at all.
i'its the way of them creeturs," here
said the guide, who was showing the party
over the castle they're about the stupid
est things in creation, I'm thinking p
"Humph!" muttered Lord Swindon, a
) handsome, athletic young man of twenty,
''with such an example before our eyes, s,we
cannot but admit your opinion to be highly
philosophic and indisputabe. Bat | say,
Old fellow" added he, tapping. the guide fa-
miliarly on the shoulder with the,light riding
switch he carried in his hand, sis that beam
q rotten one :"
II shouldn't be over-for' ard to trust my
self Oh it sir, replied the mana fat dunn
py parsonage.
You wouldn't! No. | should rather
think not" RESPONDED Lord Swindon, a
smile of supreme disdain sweeping across
his features, as he surveyed the cold fel-
lown from head to foot. "i'ut, tell me. did
you ever know any body walk upon it, eh''
"Oh, dear, yes. Only last summer, q
young Oxonian ran from end to end OF It,
as seed with my own eyes"
"Did he -
True" put in Deschamp. 81 remem-
ber now, it was young Manners OF brazen'
nose and didn't he brag about it =
"Him p exclaimed Lord Swindon, witt
a toss of the head 'that fellow, poor milk
sop? Not" continued he, hastily, "that il
is anything of feat. Pooh !"
"Not feat" murmured his companions
and. with one accord, they stretched fortl
their necks, and gazing down the din
abyss. shuddered at what they beheld.-
Well they night The beam in question
rose at a height of about one hundred feet
and naught beneath it was there but gloo
my chasm, only broken III one or two pla
ces by crumbiing beams, and not one ever
OF these was by many feet near it. "Oh