The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1873-01-03

| left my place OF esFiai ana io'loweo
her ut some distance, being careful to
tread lightly as | could. She passed
along the oaken gallery, and | wondered
more and more at the strangeness OF
her conduct. Her own chamber was,
coniectured, on the floor above, rs were
those of several other visitors, while
others, rs we'll as the master and mis-
tress Of the house, slept in that part OF
the mansion from which every step re-
moved her further and further. Why,
in the name o. common sense, had see
chosen to range the house thus, on TINS
bitter winters night? and what could
be the steady purpose that drew her
forward as steel is drawn to magnet!
All! now she can SO no further, unless
her intention be, as doubtless 1t is, to
descend 10 the reception rooms below
by the staircase, for she has reached the
end ofthe oaken gallery. Such was
MY soliloauy, as cudgeled my brains
in the effort to devise reason for these
extraordinary proceedings on the part
.of a girl of nv cousins age. 1t was
Just possible thst she, like myself. might
have eft down stairs some object o.
(which she was now in search; but II
so, why this ghostlike gliding with
bare feet about the mansion OF which
she was the heiress, INDUCED and loved
Ivy all? These thoughts came into my
head as Tor an instant she stood still,
near the angle OF the broad landing
pl,ce. while in front Of her wss the
great French window. filing up nearly
two-thirds o. the width OF the wide
passage, by which the oaken gallery was
an innovation, no doubt, bui an i'm
provement on the small.paned easement
of stained glass, through which the sun
had scarcely had power to iliumine
the OLD pictures that lined the walls,
which it had superseded.
"By heaven, she is lost!" was my hasty
Exclamation, as, to my iutirse horror.
[ saw Blanche turn from the staircase,
and deliberately yet quickly throw open
| the tall French window. That very day
lust after sunset, Sir Charles had In
sisted on my admiring the new view
[ from that west window, which COM
handed a bold sweep of the country,
sweeping mooorland and black pine
woods. rocky fort and the distan. sea-
The window was ct great Height above
the ground, since from it one could
look down. sheer over the edge OF the
stone terrace on which the mansion
stood. to a rocky dell, where far below a
Draw ING stream made music among the
boulders tina. fretted its waters into
foam. All this | remembered, at the
same instant that the dreadful truth
flashed upon me. Blanche was sleep
walker-her actions were prompted by
the strange semi.consciou ness of the
somnambulist-ard from this terrible
sluyu Der that WAS not rest, her awaken
ing would be in another world. Nearer
AMI nearer yet, she drew to the giddy
verge, her eyes steadily fixed on vacan
1>cy.,She stood poised on the sill Of the
open window, through which the bleak
night al, rushed in, causing the candle
in her unconscious hand to flare ant
flicker. | dared not call, dared no
raise my voice, lest should startle her
and precipitate the catas .rophe tina
SCENE d imminent. There was chance
though poor one, that she would clos
the window and return to her room, q
IL. had heard that sleep.walkers some
times 90, ignorant OF the mortal peri
so neatly encountered.
Nor she seemed to bend slightly fol
ward, her slender figure actually over
hanging the abyss. A fall from such
height must be fatal. Bitterly bamin
myself for my own lack Of prudence
in allowing things to proceed to thi
pitch before interfered, mustered al
my strength for one desperate bound
! ssrrang to her side, and caught the girl
falling wei shL in my arms, at the yer
moment when she stepped from tn
window LEDGE. A second or two woul
have made my hasty movement to
late; and as it was, we'll that Blanch
was a light burden, and that was az
tive and strong, or both might have ia
len from that dizzy perch. BLANCHE
abruptly awakened, broke the silence {
tha,ho,ase by an agonized scream, as {
min gled pain and terror, and for an il
slant she struggled, while the candl
stick dropped from her hand: Tn
candle was extinguishod in its fall; br
. looked down and saw the tiny lumil
, ons tpark of the burning wick fallin
. ,allin through the midnight darkness
and then heard the dull clang as the 81
. YER candlestick reached the rocks belov
. Blanche's shrieks had efiectualll
|. aroused The household, and before
could sooihe her natural alarm, she WI
clssped in her mothers arms; while
' babel Of voices rose clam orously aroun
, us, and conjectures, exclamations
' horror or thankfulness, were uttered q
e all hands, as visitors and servants can
D successfully carrying to the spo. w.len'
A the cries had been heard. That Il
!, young heiress of the Tiehernes was
was what TO one, n
U|OevenlDher own parents, knew, ror hs
Q the poor frightened child hercelf u
: least suspicion taat this was the cas-
butat any rate the incipienS ghost st
4 ries with reference to Bramshaw IL,
a were now nipped in the bud, and Il
4 most tuperstitiously disposed cou