Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1859-09-29
CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.
"God might have made the earth bring forth
Enough for great and small,
The oak tree and the cedar tree -.
Without flower at all" 49,
..In this wild world, the fondest and the best :,
Are the most tried, most troubled and distrest. "
It has been said, that civilians never train
vines over cottage doors - that those, whose
hearts are stepped in the blackened waters
of vice, do not love flowers; and are 1slike
regardless of the beauties of nature and the
achievements and triumphs of art. 1t is
evident, however, that such statements con-
Aict with facts; and, any one, possessing a
knowledge of human nature, will agree with
US that even vicious men may possess refined
tastes-be admirers of nature, and patrons
and lovers of art. - ~
As general thing, when one gazes upon
a beautiful and artistically arranged flower,
garden, he comes to the conclusion that the
owner thereof must be man of cultivated
taste-a good, upright and pure minded
man. Such being the general impression OF
the locker on, it will be readily perceived
how, even villians--through policy-shoald
decorate and adorn their abodes. -.
Be this, however, as it may, Claude Mil
tons residence was certainly one of the most
elegant and tasty mansions in hometown
while his beautiful, choice, and artistically
arranged garden was at once the ornament
and pride of the town. In this mansion
lived Claude Milton, wife and daughter ;
the latter of whom was a young and lovely
girl of fifteen.
The entire family were universally beloved
and respected by the citizens of hometown ;
while Elouise and Julius were almost, If
not altogether, idolized..
As the reader will recollect, this lad, Ju-
lius, was really an iliegitimate brother of
Elouise, though it was generally understood
by the people that he was afOundling No
one ever doubted Millions version of the
story relative to the 6uding of the boy; 80
that he had ever been known and named as
julius D'Vilton, the only son and heir Of
Edward and Charlotte D'Viltou, both of
whom, had suddenly and mysteriously disap-
peared. The Millions had removed from
France and settled in hometown, about four
teen years prior to the time when my story
opens; and from the time of their arrival to
the present, were held in the highest estima-
ton and respect by every man, woman and
child.
About year after the settlement Of tie
Millions in the quiet little town of None
town, it.became reported among the people
that male infant had been found by a SER
vant connected with the family !; and that,
from papers discovered in the basket, the
infants name was ascertained as being Ju-
lius D'Vilton. Such strange and startling
intelligence produced quite an excitement
throughout hometown; and hundreds of
the citizens hocked to Milton's residence to
look upon the child of Edward and Char
lotte D'Vilton, whose singular disappearance
from tD'Vilton Hall had already produced
great excitement in hometown.
Sure enough, there Jay the infant; there
was the basket-the money and the papers.
Men recognized and swore to the haudwri-
ting of Edward D'Vilton, and the wonder
ing towusmen returned to their homes with
a settled conviction that they had seen the
heir of sD'Vilton Hail.
The mystery, however, connected with
the protracted absence of the D'Viltons was,
by no means dispelled, by the finding of the
infant. Old men shook their heads as they
passed the closed house and neglected gar
den of the absent D'Vilton; and various
were the surmises of the passers-by as to the
fate which may have befallen him.
Year after yearrolled on, and yet he came
not. The ivy crept higher and higher up
the dark walls of the mansion the once
beautiful hower-garden was becoming over
run with noxious weeds; the hinges and
locks had rusted and owls, bats and reptiles
seemed to have taken full possession of the
now deserted, but once magnificent old man
sion.
The benighted traveller told strange tales
of mysterious sounds and unaccountable
sights; and ruuor caught up the report and
whispered blood-chilling tales of appariations
in the belfry, and shrieks of horror within
the ivy.clad walls of the deserted house.
One had distinctly seen tall figure of a
female upon the balcony another could
swear that he 'heard the bell toll seven times,
at dead of night and yet another positive
ly asserted that he had seen the south win
dow opened and closed alternately-that he
had noticed light in the left wing, and
heard noises within the house.
Such reports as these were we'll calculated
to inspire feeling of awe, if not terror aud
alarm, in the minds of the mple-hearted
and superstitious inhabitants of hometown
and the surrounding country; nor did the
assurance of Milton-who caused the house
to be thoroughly searched-detract one iota
from the influence of the marvellous tales iu-
vented by the credulous and ingenious re-
porters. f.
Milton, to satisfy the people of the falsity
of these reports, determined to occupy a
room in the left wing of the building for six
or seven consecutive nights. His friends
endeayored to persuade him out of the, idea,
= - 5 r.