Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-07-07
TRUE COURAGE.
a tale of Tottershall castle.


gay young colegians visited Tattershall
Castle, in Lincolnshire. This remarka-
bly, noble ruin consists of single lofty
keep, rising to the height of two hundred
feet, the interior being open from sum-
nit to basement, Many oaken beams,
once, however, spanned the massive
walls, supporting floors which formed
stories of varying height. Many of these
beams have fallen to the basement, COM
pletely rotten, through shameful exposure
to the weather ever since the roof crumb-
led away: others still pertinaciously
hang moro or less broken and decayed,
but, in majority of instances, seem as
if strong gust of eddying wind would
send them down crashing, to mingle their
fragments 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
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 moment to
look about them. The scene was strik-
ing, A few beams sprung across just be-
low their feet; a few thickmoted rays of
sun pierced through the adjoining loop
holes; few 1cccy cloudIets fitted
across the blue ether, high overhead
Startled by the noisy visitors, n number
of duSky iackdaws flew out of their holes
up and down the walls, and, after chat
tcring their decided disapprobation of be-
ing disturbed, made holfa-dozen whirl-
ing circuits of the interior, rising rapidly
upward until they disappeared.
Immediately afterwards, great white
owl projected its head from hole close
above where one of the beams joined the
opposite wall, and, frightedly peeping
with its great dazzlcd eyes, the harmless
creature bewilderedly popped from its
hole on to the beam, and having made a
few feeble hutterings with its wings, re-
manned quite stationary, crouched on a
ball-likc figure, close to the wall.
"Oh, Deschamp," exclaimed one of
the partyt TO friend at his side, who was
plucking the long gray moss Of a peculiar
Species which literally clothes the castle
wall inside and out, look yondcr at
Minerva's bird"
- cha! hal" choruscd the company,
ga vcrtable owl -
Thercupon one and all began picking
up bits of brick and mortar from where
they stood, and threw them at the bird
with various degrees of skill. One or
two bits even struck it, but so far from
being reused thereby, the owl merely
gave one boding long-drawn scpulchral
screech, and contracting its ghastly out
line into still smaller compass, fairly
buried its broad visago between the
meeting bony tips of its wings.
"What stupid creature hoo horoo p
shouted they, thinking by that means to
induce it to fly, But the outcry only
terrified the bird to such degree, that
it stuck it's claws convulsivcly into the
decaycd timber, and stirred not at all,
ITS the way of them crceturs," here
said the guide, who was showing the
party over tho castle; they'cr about
the stupidest things in creation, Pm a
thinking !"
Humpl. !" muttercd Lord Swindon,
4 handsome, athletic young man of twen-
ty, ''with such an example before our
eyes, We cannot but admit your opinion
to be highly philosophic aud indisputa-
bic. But say, old fellow" added he,
tapping the guide famliary on the should
or with the light riding switch he carried
in his hand, :" is that beam rotten one %
81 shouldn't be ovcr-for'ard to trust
myself ON it sir" replied the mana fat
dumpy parsonage.
You wouldn't! No. should rath-
or think not" responded Lord Swindon,
smile of supreme disdain sweeping
across his features, as he surveyed the
cold fellow" from head TO foot. But,
tell mo- did you ever knew any body walk
upon it, ell %
ooh, dear. yes, Only last summer,
young Oxonian ran from end to end of
it, as seed with my own eyes"
"Did he ?"
"True," put in Dcschamp, II re-
member now, it was young Manners ot
Brazennose and didn't ho brag about
it I"
/" Him 70 exclaimed Lord Swindon
with toss OF the head that fellow
poor milksop? Not" continued he,
hastily, that it is anything of feat
Pooh p
"Not u feat" mumured his compan-
ions and, with one accord, they stretch
ed forth their necks, and, gazing down
the dim abyss, shuddered at what they
beheld. We'll they might. The beam in
question rose at height of about ono