The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-02-18
Rirhmuno pispatrh.
MONDAY MORNING. :. ...FEB. IS, lse,
HORROR: A TRUE TALE.
TcoxTIxfgD.l


mirrors, and there Were pictures on the walls
and handsome furniture, and marble chimney.
pieces, and a gay Tourney carpet; but these
merely appeared as bright spots on the DARK
background of the Elizabethan wood work -
Many lights were burning, but the biaekhess
of the walls and roof seemed absolutely W
swallow mp their rays, IKE the n,one, . hn ;.
cavern. A hundred candies conia hot NV 6
given that apar tment the cheerful isn thess Oh
modern drawing room Bnt the gioo'ny ii. III
ness of the panels matched Wen WIN 'n u
rufdv CLEAN from the enormous WOOD IRE, IN
which cracking and glowing. now lay the
mighty Yule log. Quite biood-reu ihstre
poured forth from the fire, and quivered on
the walls and the groined roof. We had gath
cred round the vast antique hearth in wide
circle The quisering light of the fire and can
dies fell upon all but not equally, for some
were in the shadow. / remember still how
tall and manly and handsome Reginald looked
that night taller by the head than any there,
and full Of high spirits and gaiety. l, too,
was in the highest spirits; never had my
bosom felt lighter, and l believe ii WAS my
rairth which gradually gained the rest, for l >
collect what a blithe, Joyous company wa
seemed All save one. Lady Speldh drst,
dressed in grey silk ana wearing quaint
head dress sat in her arm chair, facing the fire,
Very silent, with her hands and her sharp chin
propped on n sort of ivory handled eratch that
she walked with, for she was lame, peering 1t
me with half shut eyes. She was a little spare
old woman with very keen, delicate features
of the French type. Her grey silk dress, her
apotless lace, d-fashioned Jewels, and prim
neatness of array, We're well suited to the in :
telligence of her face, with its thin lips and
eyes OF piercing black, undimmed by age.
Those ewes made me uncomfortable, in spite Of
my gaiety as they followed my every move.
Inent with curious scrutiny SIN was very
merry and gay; my sisters even wondereda At my
ever-ready mirth, which was almost wild in
lis excess. l have heard SINCE then oi the
Scottish belief that those doomed 20 some
great calamity become Jey ana are never 50
dspospd for merriment and laughter JUS
before the blow falls. If ever mortal was FEY,
then / was on that evening. Still, though
stroye to shake it off, the pertinacious obSer
walton of old Lady Speldhursts eyes did make
an i'm pression on me OF Il vaguely dis tgreea-
BILE nature. Others, too, noticed her scrutiny
of me, but set il down as a mere eccentricity
of a person always reputed whimsical, to say
the least of it.
However, this disagreeable sensation last ted
but few moments. After a short pause my
aunt took her part IN the conversation, ana
we found ourselves listening to "a weird legend
which the old lady told exceedingly We'll. One
tale led TO another. Every one was called on
in turn 10 contribute to the public entertain
ment and story after story, always relating
10 deInonology and witchcrait, succeeded. II
was Christmas, the season for such tales and
the old room, with its dusty walls and pic
lures, and yaulted roof, drinking up the light
so greedily, seemed just fitted to give effect to
such legendary lore. The huge logs cracked
and burnt with glowing warmth; the blood
red glare of the Yule log flashed on the faces
of the listeners and narrator on the portraits,
and the holly wreathed about their frames,
and the upright old dame in her Anticipated
dress and trinkets, like one of the originals of
the pictures stepped from the canvas to join
our circle. 1t threw shimmering iustre Of
omnously rudy hue upon the oaken
panels. No wonder that the ghost and goblin
stories had a new zest. No wonder that the
blood OF the more tmid grew chill and curdled,
that their flesh crept, and their hearts
beat irregulary, and the girls peeped fearfully
over their shoulders, and huddled close to-
gether like frightened sheep, and half fancied
.hay ahaId IN I ili0nant
gibbering at them from the darkling corners of
the old room. By degrees my high spirits died
out, and l felt the childish trelnors,
long latent, long forgotten coming
me. l followed each story with painful
interest / did not ask myself if l believed the
dismal tales. i listened, and fear grew upon
me-the blind, irrational fear of nursery
days. / am most of the other ladies pre-
sent, young or middle aged were affected by
the circumstances under which these tradi-
tons We're heard, no less than by the wild and
fantastic character of them. But with them
the impression would die out next morning,
when the bright sun should shine on the frost
ed boughs, and the rhine on the grass, and the
scarlet berries and green spikeets OF the holly;
and with me-but, All 3D., what was to happen
ere another day-daWn2 Before we had made
an end of this talk, my father and the other
squires came. in, and we ceased our ghost
stories, ashamed TO speak of SUCH matters be-
fore these new cOmers-hard- headed, unima-
ginative men, who had no sympathy with idle
legends There was now stir and hustle.
servants were nanulnS Toulu Tea ana coffee,
and other refreshments. Then there was lit
tie music and singing. l sang duet with
Reginald, who had a fine voice and good
musical skill. l remember that my singing
was much praised, and indeed / was sur
prised at the power and pathos of my own
voice, doubtless due TO my excited nerves and
mind. Then heard some one say to another
that was by far the cleverest of the Squire's
daughters, well the prettiest. 1t did not
make me vain. l had no rivalry with Lucy
and Minnie. But Reginald whispered some
soft fond words IN my ear, little before he
mounted his horse to set off homewards which
did make me happy and proud. And to think
that the next time we met-but l torgaye him
long ago. Poor Reginald, And now shawls
and clolks were in req uest and carriages rolled
up TO the porch, and the guests gradually de-
parted. AT last no one was left but those Visi-
tors staying in the house. Then my father,
who had been called out to speak with the
bailiH of the estate, came back with a look OF
annoyance on. his face. "a strange story
have just been told" said he; "here has been
my bailiH TO inform me OF the loss OF -FOUR OF
the choicest ewes out OF that httie mock OF
SouthGowns l set such store py, ana Whicn
arrived in the north but two months since
And the poor creatures have been destroyed i'll
so strange manner, Tor thelr earcasse7 are
expression of pity or surprise, and some sug-
gested that a vicious dog was probably the
culprit sit would seem so,'' said my father;
at certainly seems the work of dog and
yet all the men agree that no dog of such hab-
It's exists near us, where, indeed, dogs are
scarce excepting the shepherds colies and the
sporting dogs secured in yards. Yet the sheep
are knawed and bitten, for they show the
marks of teeth. Something has done this, and
has torn their bodies wofishly but appar-
emily it has been only TO suck the blood, for
little or no flesh is gone" How strange! ~
cried several voices. Then some of the gem tie
men remembered 10 have heard OF cases when
dogs addicted TO sheep killing had destroyed
whole iocks as if in sheer wan tonness, scarce
ly deigning TO taste morsel of each slain
Wether. My father shook his head. 81 have
heard of such cases, too, +" he said "but in this
instance am tempted to think the malice of
some unknown enemy has been at work. The
teeth OF a dog have been busy, no doubt, but
the poor sheep have been INITIATED in a fam
tastic manner, strange horrible their
hearts, in especial, have been torn out, and
left at some PAGES OFT, half -gnawed. Also the
men persist that they found the print OF a
naked human foot in the soft IN nd of the ditch,
and near it-this." And he held up what
seemed a broken link OF Il rnsted iron chain
Many Were the CALCULATIONS of wonder and
alarm, and many and shrewd the conjectures
but none seemed exactly TO suit the bearings
of the case. And when my father went on TO
say that two lambs OF the same valuable breed
had persisted i'll the same singular manner
three days previously, and that they also We're
found inangled and gore stained the amaze
ment reached higher pitch. Old Lady Speld-
hurst listened with calm, intelligent attention
but Joined III none OF our ordinations AT
length she said to my father. .'Try and recollect
have you no enemy among your neighbors 2"
Ny father started, and knit his brows. tNot
one that know off, he replied and indeed he
was popular man and a kind landlord. THE
more lucky you" said the old dame, with one
Oh her grim smiles II was now late, and we
Tehred 10 rest before long. One by one the
guests dropped on i was the member of the
INN, 20 my selected TO escort old Lady SpeIdhnrst
70 nef roomv-the room l had vacated in her
FAVOR did not much like the Office f.i, !,
iemarkaoie fepugnance TO my god -noth.r hui
should inasy. anus nv. insisted so much that |