The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-01-25

to help them through; George Grey
being 'muff,' and he himself but O
''poor creature, owing to his health,
Banks mot to be depended on-men-
servants never are"-and Day living
out of the house, at the end Of the
garden, with his wife, the family
laundress, and his brother, the
. family gardener. Walter bowed and
smiled, and turned rather red, and
thanked Carry's uncle warmly; and
after breakfast they all went through
the ceremony of Searching the
house thoroughly" They made
quite formidable party-the three
gentlemen and Banks; and they look
ed everywhere (save Carry's room,
of course peering into every closet
and every recess; George Grey
especially great in looking behind
window shutters and chests Of
drawers, and other places leaving a
clear space of about a couple of
inches or SO; but they found nothing
not a trace. not a line Of the mid
night consumer of Mr.. Buffers
pigeon-pie. There was small kind
of dust-hole in the further garret,
which they did not enter. The door
was locked, and the key had been
lost these twenty years, Smith But
Ter said; 50 they passed that by as
labor lost indeed, to stir up the dust
of twenty years, though Walter
would have got the door open by
some means or other had he been
allowed to do so; but MI. Butler,
who had become tired by this time,
was peevish and cross; and SO they
all streamed down stairs again
Walter laughing at the whole affair,
and even George Grey putting in his
perky little word Of scotfing courage,
so fearfully like a bantam's crow.
What q strange day it was, this
Christmas day! Here they were,
actually showed up" and unable to
get dozen yards from the house.
Day, the coachman, had attempted
to get down the road, but had been
obliged to turn back again-the way
was utterly impracticable. There
was no help for it; Chey were all
Gagged and imprisoned as surely as if
they had guard of soldiers or a
grating of iron bars to keep them
in; and, enemies or lovers, sick or
we'll, sad or joyous, they must make
the best of it, and pass the time as
pleasantly as they could. Smith
Butler was neither help nor him
,dranco as things were. He was in too
feeble and irritable a state of nerves
and health to bear society for many
hours at time; so he went to his
study soon after breakfast, where he
made believe to read, but where he
did really doze for half the day, and
the three young people were left to
themselves. If only that horrible
nuisance, that George Grey, had
been out Of the way, thought Garry
and Walter, what time of vcritable
paradise it would have been!
But, as all things come to all end
at last, SO did this strange Christmas
day; and when they were all in bed
and asleep-only poor, irritable
peevish Smith Butler sleeping in short
snatches, and waking for long dreary
watches-a thickset, brutal-looking be-
grimmed man crept cautiously out of
the closet IN the garset, which Walter
Lechmere would have opened but
was prevented, and, with the aid of
a dark lantern, made his way noise
lessly down stairs, and again devour-
ed Smith Buffers viands, and drank
his brandy and his wine. And while
he ate .and drank, in his stealthy
woltish silence and rapacity, he
glared round at the valuables in the
dining-room, and, handling a pistol
concealed in his pocket, said in
hoarse whisper to himself, "Ah. we
shall have a rare swag when the time
comes!" Then he crcpt back to his
lair again, and carefully locking the
door after him with skeleton-key
that could lock and unlock most
things, pulled over him a pile of rugs
and u huge wolf skin ''borrowcd''
from the hall, and turning round on
his side, went to sleep without snor-
ing. Next morning the scene Of yes
terday was in a measure renewed.
Again had food been eaten and wine
drunk by some one on the premises,
getting up in the dead ci the night
to satisfy his unearthly craving; and
still the mystery as to who it was,
and why, remained as dense as ever.
Even Waiter was puzzled, and Garry
Il little uneasy; while the servants
were as scared as if there was real
live ghost am ong them, and George
Grey was unafectedly frightened Of