Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-05-01
The Bells of Lara.
A MEXICAN LEGEND,
[Concluded.l


Meanwhile, certain family affairs rendered
necessary a postpOnement of the Warden's
marriage with the wealthy young heiress of
the iron-wOrks.
A year had elapsed since his visit to her
father, and the time was now at hand when
the long talked of.alliance was to take place
To give the popular eclat to the occasion,
the Warden ordered the casting of three great
bells, the amalgam Of which was to be of a
quality capable Of producing chimes of musical
tone. These bells were to be hung in the
Old tower, and their voices were to be heard,
tor the first time on the occasion of the
Warden marriage.
The day for casting the bells had arrived
A mighty tank for containing the molten metal
had been constructed in the iron-yard and,
by curious coincidence, on the very SPOT
where long before the Warden had fallen to
the ground, stunned and bleeding, from the
blow administered to him by the Infatuated
Overseer.
The tank was full of the seething metal,
which worked and dubbed angrilv, ike some
lake of molten silver, about to burst its banks.
The moment for filling the moulds had come,
but were delayed for the arrival of the Warden,
who was to have witnessed the process.
just then difficulty with some machinery
IN distant part Of the yard summoned away
all the Workmen, except one, who was left to
watch the boiling metal
On the return of the workmen, Jaquez, the
watcher, was found lying upon some blocks of
IRON IN fiji. RestOratyes were al once ap-
piled, but 1t was some time before herecovered
consciousness; and then it was perceived that
his power Of speech had departed from him.
HIS hair was blanched to a slvery whiteness,
and the vacant wandering Of his eyes denoted
that reason had lost her sway. Some of the
workmen said that Jaquez had long been
subject to epileptic fits. The poor imbecile
was taken care Of and the work went on.
The Warden failed to make his appearance.
No further time could be allowed for the
metal was at boiling pitch. The chief overseer
gave the signal, and the bells were cast.
The Warden never made his appearance.
High and low they searched for him, far and
near; but he never was seen again by mortal
eye; and many We're the occult influences ad-
verified to by the superstitious workmen to ac-
count for his mysterious disappearance.
The succession of the Wardenship fell upon
the brother of the one who had so unaccountably
vanished and who was believed by his relatives
to have committed suicide in one of his
moody fits, by precipitating himself down the
shaft of some forgotten mine. One of the
first acts of the new Warden was to have the
great bells hung in the tower, for which they
were originally destined; but strict orders
were issued that no test should be made of
| their tone, the first trial of which the new
proprietor choose to have deferred until fate
should throw in his way some fair damsel, his
alliance with whom would be appropriately
celebrated with joyful chime on the wedding
bells.
Nevertheless, it so happened that the new
Warden never was married. He died, though
lob, l
estate; and it was at his funeral that the bells
We're tolled for the first time. This was done
| by order Of the next successor, who ordained
| that the bells should be rung henceforth at the
funerals of the Wardens Of Lara, and on no
| other occasions whatever.
And on the day of the funeral strange
1 circumstance took place in the little asylum
| for decayedworkmen belongingt to the foundres
! Of Lara. An old imbecile, named Jauuez,
| who had been an inmate of the place for many
years, became suddenly restored to reason as
| the sad tolling of the bells vibrated upon his
ears. He was on his deathbed then; but,
feeble though he was, he spoke-for the first
time since his admission into the asylum.
Abiding to things of ten years past, as though
they had happened but yesterday, he made in
substance, the following statement to his
listeners, whonow crowded eagerly around him.
Jaquez, as l have stated, was left alone to
watch the boiling metal, on the casting of the
bells. A minute or two after the departure of
the other worhingmen, the Warden made his
appearance, having entered the yard by a
| postern-gate that communicated with the
grounds of the castle. He was in high glee,
and in the act of addressing some condescend-
ing banter to Jaquez, when the latter saw
| approaching from among the heaps of iron, q
wild, unearthly figure, clad in the skins OF
beasts, and his long matted locks tangled with
weeds and briars. So paralyzed with terror
was Jaquez, that his tongue lost its power,
and he was unable to give the alarm. In T.
moment, the maniac-for such he appeared
to be-confronted the Warden and with the
words, ''Miguel Brontez greets you'll struck
| him to the earth with crashing blow, and
then raised him in his arms, plunged him
bodily mao the seething beIl-metal, in which
he was dissolved into instant humiliation
| Then the maniac fed with the speed of beast
| Of prey, and Of him there is no further record
| on earth
Jaquez, as / have said, was speechless
| idiot from that hour to the moment of his
death. AT the casting of the bells of Lara,
| therefore, none were aware of the terrible
amalgam fused in their metal but is it a
! wonder that their chimes in the night should
startle sleepers, Weakening them to a dim horror