The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1870-01-08
The Albang 22egister.
A Legend of New York.

stone, in the now magnificent pleasure
ground which we call the Central Park
of New York Isolated and bleak, in
those days, with no attempt at ornament
upon its rude walls, the old home had
been untenantcd for years, when Hugh
Garbolt saw fit to make 1T his habItatlon.
No one then living could say to whom it
belonged, or by whom it had been built
though gray haired men told that it had
sprung as from the earth unmade by
mortal hands, aud fit only for the lurk-
ing place of smugglers, desperadoes or
demons. The last man, within their
recollection, who had lived their before
Hugh Garbolt made it his home, had
died there alone; nor was he known to
be dead until wandering hunter, de-
manding shelter at its iron bound door
and prison-like windows, and receiving
no reply, forced an entrance from the
rear; and after striking a light with
flint and steel, beheld human skeleton
clad in decaying leather garments, ip an
oaken chair, in ghostly grimness.
Before this hideous figure was spread
upon table, eoodly store of gold and
silver coins, which their owner, per-
chance, was counting when the hand of
death smote him sudden and sure. The
hunter was man of nerve, and did not
hesitate to appropriate the treasure and
though he did not fail to tell of what he
had seen IN the chair, he did not say a
word of what he had taken from the ta-
ble-the latter truth leaked out when the
hunter became man of money.
The honest burghers of New Amster-
Hon 70
persisted in calling New York, smoked
their pipes for three months in deep cog
itation and resolved unanimously that
the hunter was tremendous liar, until a
tall, gaunt and evil-eyed man from France
set the town in an uproar by declaring
that he intended to penetrate to the spot
and make the house his abode From
the very day that the hunter had told
his tale the Stunned dwelling had been
called ''Thc Skeletons House. and no
urchin. however daring, had ventured
within mile of it; and as for any sensi-
bic Knickerbocker's going there, the
very idea was preposterous.
But Hugh Garbolt. with sncer that
had been growing his thin, hard face
for sixty years, detied all known and un
known demons, with scof that made
the good burghers' hair bristle over their
heads, and went alcne to ''the house Of
the skeleton" The bur.hers waited two
days, and then nodded through clouds of
smoke that Hugh Garbolt was Il fool.
But when he returned on the third day
with bag of coin so heavy that he
staggered under it, the burshers opened
their eyes and whispered that Hugh
Garbolt was a very wise parsonage.
IL searched about the place" said
Garbolt to score Of listeners, as his
sneer deepened around his lips, ''and
found some musty papers which told me
than an old buceaneer had lived there,
and where to dig for this. dug these
10000 golden crowns from under the
table"
''But," said Hans Won Schleeper, the
innkeeper as he slowly filed his pipe,
"the skeleton p
''Is there" said Garbolt "Iy dear
friends, you are all welcome to that"
The burghers smoked several hundred
pounds of strong jamestown weed dur
ing the following week, and on the eighth
day resolved to claim the 10000 golden
crowns for the township. But Monsieur
'Garbolt had disappeared, aud with him
went the crowns. Twelve months rolled
on and still the skeleton of the dead buc-
cancer held grim aud unmolested watch
over the table, when young Albert Van
demeer paid it a visit Albert Vande-
meer was the only son of Il most worthy
and respectable widow, whose husband
had paid the great and final debt when
Albert was but ten years old
Ten years more had passed, and though
the sad hearted widow held her head
droopingly, as she thought of the time
past, here soft eye sparkled with joy as
she gazed upon her manly son. Kind,
generous, handsome and affectionate,
with his tall, 1.-THE frame, keen blue eyes,
and bounding step, he never paced the
street ungreeted by gossip, glance or
smile from the rosy damsels that fes-
tooned the windows like living garlands
of beauty on either side But the good
burghers and their better wives shook
their heads as he stepped SO gaily, and
said he was by far too daring, as had
been his father, who had lost his life in
trying to swim through He'll Gate with.
out putting out the fire of his pipe, an
exploit that extinguished pipe and life
forever. One fine day some phlegmatic
youth, who envied Albert for his famous
courage, bantered him to go and spend a
stormy night In sthe skeletons house,
ssIye res oect for tcmbs," said Al
bert, as his handsome face flushed with
Indignation, sand have never made them
q butt for sport. And that is the only
reason l have never entered that bug
bear. But if you, John Bloof, will 90
with me, | will stay there any night you
may appoint"
John Blooc turned pale at the idea,
and took to his heels as some of his
young companions vowed the challenge
was fair; but Albert declared that he
alone would dare the unknown horrors of
the place that very night. "For," said
he, glancing at the sky, ''the clouds that
scud above, foretell a stormy night to my
eye"
Arming himself with his fathers trusty
pistols, and good old cutlass that had
cloven the scalp lock of some dozen or
more red sayages, Albert was soon on his