Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-12-24
A Christmas Mystery.
~ ENGLISH STORY.

never could quite understand my
strange liking for the Count. We had
but few feelings in common, and he dcs-
pissed the pursuits ] followed and the
tastes | cultivated. BE that as it may,
/ am bound to confess that, in spite of
his ccccntricities did in q mysterious
sort of way cotton to the fellow.
| must digress here a little, a order to
state chat = the Count was a college
nickname, bestowed unon one Charley
PEBBLES. lie had little sympathy with
the muscular ACTIVITY OF college life,
was entsallytircd OIpctting plouthed,
and one day ne suggested to me the
possibility OF his quitting the embraces
Of 4 ma Mater for a more cXhiiiratin@
and active profession.
The Conmt left college | renaiued,
and graduated. | went to London and
read for the bar, and 10 my intense sur
prise who should turn up one day in the
nall Of Lincoln's Inn bat my Old friend
the Count. Tircd-as uSuAl-of cham
bers in London, he hal ftrrettcd out
u deserted tower on the top Of q high
hill in Gl0ucesteIshire, OF which, for the
noble sum of s. year, he had become
the sole possess0r.
" have had some st. Olavcs men
down there staying with me off md
on" said old Charley, and with a
harmless innocence added - they call
it " the Counts folly
" But what are YOU going to do Are
you going to st y thele moping all your
life -
No, I'm not
What then?'
- am 90 .ng to be married"
We'll. congratulate you. y hen is
it 20 be?n
. efore lristmas."
Then, | suppose you will abandon
the tower? ?"
Wei, not just yet. Lilly, who lives
! in the ncighhurhood, wishes, after Il
| short honeymoon, to conc back and
spen G 4ristmas at the tower; and size
rave me special instructions to bring
dowr what friends / liked, in order to
try, If possible, to make mp q jolly party.
vii YOU be One?"
The Idea rather ticFlcd my fancy, and
[ readily accepted the invitation.
is but fair TO add with reference TO
a surmise of mine, dpropos for the ia
ture Countess that Charley told me how
for some months he had been a serious
invai id, and that the aforesaid Lilly
had nursei hi u through dangerous
illness.
" | never took my meals regularly
he said " and consequently nay di.
gestiYc organs got altogether out Of
ORDER
SO it was that Lilly nursod The Count
and the Count fell III ,ovc with Lilly.
Snow snow! snow nothing hui
cheerfulness and everlasting snow!
| shuddered as | thought OF the Count
castle on the top of the deserted Glou
cestershire hill, and bitterly repcnteo
me of my promise to spend Christmas q
the Counts Folly. However, there
was no getting oIt Of it now. Ii the
TIA Ms could ran, J could go; and as tn,
snow continued and the ira ms DID run
! prepared myself for my journey
It was neccssa Y, so the Count told me-
10 ge- to the nearest station to his castl
while daylight lasted, a. [ should hav,
10 trudge t from the little village at tn
foot of the hill, there being no mean
of getting any vehicle within g1oi
=, mile of his extraordinary resd nee.
Qbeyed his injunctions, but the trail
was OF course late. Il was dark when
rot to the station, and | was landed in
sloWdrilt, wnioh cameuP "a my KIN, es
G it was darker still when | got to the lit
tie village ut the foot OF the hill. 1t va
blowing hard showing bitterly, aud II
e one seemed inclined 10 guide mo 10 m
f friends hospital mansion. Vnere Va
= nothing for il but to sleep at the littl
= village. The weather might be NOR
g propitious III the morning, My surmise
4 did net turn out to be correct. Christ
e mas-day dawned, and the weather wa
4 as wletched as ever. Anything was pro
a terable 10 eating myroast beef and plum
Y pudding III the miserable little inn i
r which had passed the night, so, shou
e deiing my traps, / trudge forward up
:. windipg-path to the castle on the hi
: top. The Count gave me warm an