New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-05-07
ALICE; Or, THE CURSE.

ALICE Or, THE CURSE.
THE LEGEND OF ELLABY GRANGE
1T is more than hundred and fifty years
ago, for it was in the reign of James the Second,
Hester Deane," when Col. Wainlete
lived here with his son and two daughters His
eldest son was, like himself, in the Army, and
seldom at home and his youngest was a great
sorrow to him, because he was bookish and gen.
tie tempered--feeble-m minded, too, his father
said, and he must have had some failing of that
sort to act as he afterwasds did !; and the Colo
mel himself was bold, proud man, fond of rois-
tering company and fox hunting after he retired
to this place; and he had the bad taste to make
a butt Of his youngest son before those that
couldn't at all understand him. There would
have been no peace for Edwin Wainfete (that
was the youngest sons name) if it had not been
for his sister Edith, who was gentle like himself,
and who loved him 80 much that she could see
no fault in him. Helen, the eldest daughter,
was bold and domineering, like her father; and
Edwin dreaded her most, perhaps, because the
stinging reproaches for his weakness were harder
to bear from woman than q man, and more of
q letting down. With all that he hadn't the en-
ergy to help himself to anything. He might
have entered the Church--and his father pro-
fanely said he wasn't fit for anything better--but
more than dream on in his own quiet way, and
the Grange was almost too hot to hold him.
"Things went on in this way for great many
years; the sons and daughters were all unmar-
ried, and the two eldest, Richard and Helen,
were getting of good age, when the Colonel
| suddenly considered that Edwin might be mar
ried if nothing else could be done with him and
he entered into treaty with Sir John Morton,
who lived in the High Peak, for one of his
daughters. Edwin had never been rebellious--
he had only kept on his own way because he
couldn't help it-but he set his face against this
match in way that almost drove the old Colo
mel mad. 1t was all very well to command him,
but it was impossible to drag him to the altar
with a rope round his neck, and it was clear he
wouldn't 60 without The Colonel threatened
to disinherit and turn him out of doors, when
circumstance occurred in neighboring village
that drew off his attention. An old woman had
occupied cottape there for many years, and
lived no one knew how. When she first came
she brought an infant with her, little girl
about two years old, that she brought up, and
who always called her grandmother. This
child grew to be a beautiful young woman, and
she was intelligent and lady-hke, too, and well
able to read and write, though she'd had no in
structcr but her grandmother For these reas-
ons, and because neither mixed commonly with
the villagers, though they were always friendly,
the old woman must be a witch. 1t unfortu-
nately happened that many cattle died sudden
ly. and the small pox took off many childen, at
the same time; and first one rumor and then
another got aioat, till the whole village rose up
in frenzy. They tore the old woman out Of
her bed, ducked her in pond on their own ac-
count, and then took her, more dead than alive,
before a magistrate.
"The magistrate was Colonel Wainfete
Some of the gentry in those days were quite as
superstitious as the common people, and the
Colonel, thinking the charge against her clear
ly made out, committed her to Upton Jail to
take her trial. Tho granddaughter was with
her through it all; but they would not allow
them to be in Jail together, and the poor girl
wandered about like one distracted, praying for
mercy, but finding no one to hear her.
"Just at that time Captain Richard came
home on a visit. The Duke of Monmouth had
just been beheaded and he had been out in the
war against him, and had deal to talk about.
Mr.. Edwin sat listening, amongst others, and
the Colonel took occasion of his brothers ex-
ample to try to shame him into being more
manly but Captain Richard, who was generous
with all his pride, tried to excuse his brother,
and said laughingly that two heroes, meaning
his father and himself, were enough for one
family.
"Well, on that same night, when Edith
Wainfete went up to her bedroom (she slept in
the room that is Mr. Henrys study now), she
heard rustling at the window that induced
her to draw the curtain aside; and there, with
her whole weight on one of the branches out
side, her small hands graspng the stone cor
nice, and her pale face pressed against the lat
ticed panes, stood Alice Leigh, the grand
daughter of the reputed witch. Edith, gentle
as she was, had the courage of her race She
flew to the door, bolted it, and then opened the
window and let the girl in, for she guessed that
she was come to ask her to plead for her grand
mother; and her own heart had been wrung by
what her father had done, for she disbelieved
the tale.
"Alice Leigh fell on her knees, but Edith
quickly raised her, and then the girl told a
story she little expected to hear. She said she
had been the wife of Edwin Wainfete four
months; that her grandfather, Captain Leigh,
was a soldier and a gentleman, who had died in
the civil wars fighting for his king. Her father
had fingered after the restoration without no.
tice, or reward for the losses his family had sus-
tanned, and on the death of both her parents her
grandmother had retired, with herself and what
small property she had left, to the village where
they had lived so many years. All this she
said was known to her husband, who had prom
ised through his brother to make interest for her
grandmother with the king But he procrasti-
mated; he failed her altogether in this greater
need. Il have seen him twice. she said, since
that dreadful night (meaning when her grand.
mother was taken), and l know l can place nc
faith in him-not in him whom have loved SO
much; he is fearful, vascillating-oh! he is sci.
fish--he will make no effort-he will leave hel
to diev
"The girl seemed distracted, and Edith Vain
tlete was scarcely less so but she saw at one
| what ought to be done, and tried to soothe her
and promised to do her best for her. She her
self took her down stairs, and saw her out of tn
house when she imagined every one was asleep
but her sister Helen had heard the noise, an
watched her, and followed her to her cham
ber to demand an explanation of what she ba,