Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1867-01-24

self upon his elbow and listened as II Tor the com
ing of some ghostly visitant, but the echoes diet
away and all was again still. With smile at hi
own weakness, he turned in bed and composed him
self to sleep.
An hour passed on, and by nervous shock, ht
was suddenly startled, and was, or believed himself
entirely awake. The first portion of the chambe
upon which his glance fell, was the place over ths
mantel- board where the portrait of Count Rober
hung. To his surprise and horror only the bart
canvass met his eyes, and the figure painted there
no longer appeared. He sat upright in bed anc
clammy sweat burst from his forehead. Hearing
rustling of the curtains at his side, he directed
his glance thither, and he felt his nerves tinglt
anew with painful excitement as he beheld Coun
Robert, in flesh and blood as it seemed, standing
there leaning upon his staff. He was about to rise
but the figure motioned to him to remain quiet
and tottering along, with difficulty managed to draw
near the bed one of those quantity wrought high
backed chairs, of which mention has already beer
made. This done, Count Robert seated himself by
the bedside and let his staff rest between hi:
knees He fixed his gaze upon his descendant a:
if striving to read his inmost thoughts before he
addressed him.
ssYou, my descendant, are a Guiscard," " said the
figure, "and yet you have dared to build your hap
piness upon the love of woman"
'sHave not all your descendants done the same
thing?" Guiscard ventured to say.
"Andwhat did itavail them?'' asked this visitor.
''Dd they find the happiness for which they sought
or did it not flee before them, leading them astray
and plunge them into yet greater misery? And dc
you venture to seek for happiness where so many
of your race have only found accumulated misery?'
II seek it not" answered Guiscard; II know
it is but phantom as you are.
"You mistake, my son, replied his interlocutor,
heaving a profound sigh. 'Phantoms are of the
earth; realities only are found in the world to
which I belong. Love, friendship, honor, wealth
and beauty, what are they but Phantoms? Agony,
conscience, sorrow and Remorse-know you the
meaning of that word?-t these and the beings with
whom they are most busy, ah no phantoms are
they And yet, with thefate Of all your forefathers
before you, you seek this phantom the love OF
woman"
'sAlas I seek it not, replied Guiscard, as if
|communing with himself II would avoid it as
would calamity that will crush myself and another
dearer to me than life; I would bar my heart
against it, as would my house against the plague,
but what avais it? 1t is necessity of our nature
to love; and the purer and better the beings that
surround us, the stronger the bond that unites us
to them
'sAnd yet, said the shade, Ito see them perish
so soon-so suddenly! This is the curse that fol-
lows all my house. Have you remembered that
this must be your portion, and do you realize what
lit is to stand by the cold clay Of that you loved
better than lfe to take the rigid hand in your own
and call vainly upon the dead for one glance OF
|recognition?'
1T is painful to think Of" answered Guiscard,
"yet thousands have endured it and lived.
'Aye but lved-if they were not clods-with
a dark shadow upon the heart that shut out halt
the light of life;' said Count Roberts shade. II
have fet-but let that pass; mortal could not
understand me. Earth has no words to compass
the thought 1 have stood face to face with ten
generations of my descendants, as with you this
night; felt all that they felt and all that they were
doomed to feel after the avenger Of my guilt had
visited their fresides Much was their suffering,
more was mine There is a day when the curse
shall come to an end. long for that hour? Then
would I rest and my spirit be at peace in the
gravel
Unhappy spirit of my ancestor! would to God,
for thy sake and that of thy descendants that the
hour were come" responded Guiscard. "But how
know YOU the coming of that blessed hour2 and
may he who inherits this sad legacy also know
when the curse is lifted from your house, or shall
he still fear-stil tremble and shrink from each
coming day, as the day of doom!'
''Listen, and you shall hear,'' replied his ghostly
visitant. "When I visited the Holy City to expi'
ate my guilt, 1 turned aside to visit wise seer
who lived on the side of Lebanon. [ told him Of
my crime, of the curse which it entailed upon my
house, and besought him to tell me when it would
pass away. At the end of three days, he gave me
scroll of parchment on which were traced few
verses in Arabic.
"And what were they?" demanded Guiscard
eagerly.
0Unhappy mortal! I tremble to tell you,' said
the apparition in sad low tones, II read them eager
ly; they told me all desired to know. But how
shall I tell them to you2 have seen others o.
nv descendants stretch forward the ear to drink
them in eagerly and draw back disappointed anc
hopeless. Must I dash your hopes, also, to the
ground? Bitter anguish will also be mine-as
deep as your own-if I find the curse still rests
upon my ill-fated race"
"I can bear to face my destiny, returned Guis
card, striving to appear calm 1T may equal my
apprehensions but it cannot surpass them
'sListen, then, " continued Count Robert" " 9th
ers of my line have hardened as eargery - may the
hour be more blessed one to you! The lines, II
Arabic, are upon parchmenthidden in the scabbarc
of my sword that hangs on the wall Of this cham
ber carefully treasured it up; remember the
burden but too we'll 1t is this
! "The curse with him shall end, who pers life to save
| His destined bride, snached by the angry wave;
| Who dearly loves, yet would her hand resign
Ere make that fate her which blasted all his line"
Unhappy Spirit you may well rest now, )" ex
claimed Guiscard joyfully. There is peace tor u
both. If there be truth in the prediction of th'
seer, the curse ends with me"
'The fate is thenremoved," said Count Robert
ghosts, solemnly "but remember, the Spectre o
the Fireside will still come to your hearth, as h
comes to ALL 1t may be in YOUTH it may not b.
till YOUR locks are white and your frame bowed
with wears; come he will, come he must Be there
fore kind, patient and loving toall whom the Crea
tor may give you. Farewell, now. l shall walk tn
earth no more! There is rest for me, and conten
- such as mortals have for my race. Sleep you
now, deeply, quietly, as one on whom bnghte