The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-03-31
: HE PHANTOM OF pEApmouK TOWER.

HE pHANTOM OF DEADnIoUR TOWER.
At't5 O'Clock one fine autumnal morning,
Seymour and stood on the deck of a Lon
don steamer, which was easing, and stop
ping, and turning astern, aud going on, in
her endeavors to lay herself alongside the
quay of q foreign town, without smashing
any of the smaller vessels which were in her
way, :,
my friend. "The voyage has been plea
sure trip instead of bore. I have had a
good nights rest and feel as fresh as a
lark, instead of being jaded, and anxious to
get to bed, as usual, on arriving at the end
of long journey And then one always
gets disappointing impression of town
by riding into it from q station, which is
always in the worst quarter; whereas, look
therel Why, it's more like scene in a
theatre than anything in real life. I de.
clare will never go abroad by short sea
passage and rail again if can help it"
Seymour is a ''swell." He goes to his
hair -dressers several times week. sends
back coats and trousers which do not ex-
actly fit him, habitually wears gloves, has
valet land pronounces the ~ drives q small
pheton, drawn by two steppers, who are
apparently always endeavoring to strike
their own noses with ther fore legs; and
altogether it is surprising that he cares to
be seen with 30 humble an individual rs
myself; surprising, that is, to certain of my
acquaintanoes, not to ime. for 7 know the
mans real character, and that he considers
large income as piece of good fortune,
but no absolute proof of merit in the pos
sessOr
Still. ] was rather astonished when he
proposed to accompany me in my holiday
trip.
ga golden pitcher like you would smash
my4clay sides in q week, if we sailed toge-
ther." demurred.
''Not bit, my dear fellow" said he "I
want to do it cheaply. How much money
are you going to take? WE'LL will put ex-
actly the same sum in nay pocket, and when
we are drained, we will come home. Will
that do?"
It would do exactly; that is just my idea
OF comfortable travelling. But suspected
that, with my friends tastes and habits, our
funds would last but very short time
'tFor instance" said I, 'I always travel
by boat from London bridge and so get
out and home again for less than single
fare by any other route
He acquiesced joyfnlly, and on our ar
rival, expressed himself as above.
Certainly the voyage had been very pros
porous, the weather fine and warm, the sea
as smooth as glass, the passengers few and
rather amusing. And the old town looked,
as he said, charming; quite fairy city-all
cathedral, palace and grand square, without
back-sluras, dirt, vice or crime; fit to be
photographed as a model for seaport
towns. Our luggage was examined, landed,
put on truck and wheeled off to the hotel
fixed upon, we following on foot at our lei
sure. ~
'Let US turn into the Place, and have a
nearer look at the cathedral" proposed
Seymour. "Every scrap of tracery looks
as sharp and clear, in this early morning
air, as If 1T were under q microscope. Hal
loa! what's that?"
sThat" was hum and tramping, dis
tant at first, then louder and nearer. When
we entered the Place, we found groups scat
tered about; fresh corners were perpetualIy
arriving from all the large open space, and
presently presently the head of the large crowd,
whose march we had heard in the distance
debouched upon the scene.
In the centre of the square scaffold had
been erected, around which all these people
were gathering. Seymour, good German
scholar, made inquiries. A man, supposed
to be an Englishman, had committed hor-
rible murder, attended by circumstances of
revolving treachery and ingratitude, and his
head was to be cut off in half an hour at
furthest.
Now, certainly should not have gone
out of my way to see such sight; but
being there, sort of fascination bound me
to the spot. AS for Seymour, he was glad
OF the opportunity of seeing any of the
foreign customs; and since he had served
in the cavalry during bloody Indian cam
paign, it was beyond the power of heads
man to spoil his breakfast, even if the fell
low bungled. Some of these languid fine
gentlemen you meet in Pail Mall, and think
effeminate, have seen, and done, and suf-
fered things which could not be read by
many of their critics without shudder.
There were immense numbers of people
present, but no crowd, in the English sense