The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-06-09

long blonde beard and z~insulariy mslodiou
voiosI There waa quite . number Of
quests there-au Of them tnppers, g
Monsieur Bernard said; but this ta4i fel'
low they called Cameron had the ahodldan
Of n Hercules with the face Of m Apollo.
I suppose I was something dazed BY the
sudden relief and rescue, for it appeared
to me that q young woman b sat by b
FIRE parinQ carrots the very color OF her
long braids of hair, was rs beautiful as an
angel. Her eyes were soft and luminous,
her forehead low and white; an indesorib-
able air Of tender melancholy shadowed
her face. The chemisette she wore was as
white as the now upon which It was
bleached her bodice was of homespun;
the knots in her knitted stockings must
have been made by her own little hands;
the big buckles on her shoes could not hide
the pretty arch Of her instep. She sang
under her breath o little couplet of which
the refrain was " Jamais, jamaisip Hun
CRY as i was, I could scarcely touch the
fine grilled fowl prepared for us, but my
soul devoured the daughter Of Monsieur
Bernard. The tall trnpper and his com
panions were supping In a neighboring
room ; we could hear their glasses rap
upon the table or chink against each
other (; scraps of songs and disjointed sem
fences reached our ears. Flint picked the
chicken to the bone, in the meanwhile talk
ing In a low tome to Monsieur Bernard, who
basked in the heat that poured from the
cracking sides of the sheet-iron stove, and
blinked Mt Flint like IN ancient lizard. He
was n little, dried-up man, with q close
cap upon his head his leather brooches
reached a little below his knees; a warm
furry jacket, high wooden stockings, and
wooden sabots completed his costume. An
hour or two vent by; the trnppers in the
neighboring room had finished their meal,
and apparently gone to bed Flint and
the little Frenchmnn pursued their CONVEX
sation- As for me, ! had drawn close to
the beautiful young woman, who wa
wnshing some quaint yellow mugs ut the
end Of the long oak table. Her name was
Marie. In this primitive region conven-
tionalities were set aside-an earnest pas
sion glided along like snow shoes. I got
over a good deal Of ground In q very short
time. ! began to believe this journey was
marked out for me. l told Marie 30, and
lifted one Of her long braids to my lips. ]
was Just thinking what q sensation that
peculiar colored hair and her remarkable
beauty would create in our circles at home,
when Flint called out to me that he had
resolved to go over and sleep in the haunt
ed house.
Don't you want TO go along, Scott" he
said, or are you afraid 2"
Tho latter part Of his sentence had q pc
culiar sneering information. / said | was not
afraid, but thought 1t q very absurd and
internally uncomfortable thing to leave o
warm freside and go plunging over there in
the snow and the freezing air for a freak Of
curiosity.
Marie clasped her hands, and besought Of
us, for the sake Of the Redeemer, not to
go that in that room upstairs, upon that
very pallet Of straw, the murdered man had
been found ; and nobody had slept there
since, or staid In the house.
Except the ghosts Of Chatelousse," said
her father, In a dry, wheezy voice.
But Flint got his lantern ready. OF
course I had to 60. If one man ventures
upon q fool-hardy freak, another must fol-
low, or rest under the imputation Of cow
ardice. Monsieur Bernard helped us on
with our overcoats. Hooked into the sweet
eyes OF Marie; they were dilated with that
expression Of terror one sees in the eyes Of
q o her cold hands in my own.
REST tranquil, my sweet Child" l said,
Tor was touched by her tenderness; IL
will return to you"
We made our way through the binding
snow, md found the house black and empty,
The door creaked on its rusty hinge, the
shutters banged, q melancholy wind howled
through the corridor.
"We shall lave our labor for our palms.
I said, as I entered the room upstairs
there Is nothing remarkable in q few bro
ken chairs and a N old bundle Of straw"
- We must be patient, I" said Flint, throw
ing the buffalo robe upon the bed and blow
ing out the lantern; 1--WE must wait for thr
hour of midnight"
There WINS nothing for mo to do but h.
creep in beside him. took the inner side.
and, worn out with countless emotions.
must have fallen asleep before the hayseen
touched my hair. I WINS awakened by d
peculiar mocking laugh, seemingly close T.
my ear but, upon regaining the activity
OF my senses, l foundi it distant md below.
Again and again It seemed to come from
the very bowels Of the earth. 1 began IT,.
feel a chill run down my vertebre.
Flint" / whispered, reaching over 70,
him, "Do you hear that?"
But my hand wandered over an empty
space at my side. Flint was gone. 1 wat
alone in this accursed house. Strange
noises came to me. I fancied l heard d
groan, the clanking Of o chain. Heavier
knows what terrible vagaries beset me.
Perhaps" thought I, FLINT has bee,
okaBbco away my tuIn Will come next.
Distinctly ! heard ngain that hollow, mock
ing laugh, and step by step a foot ascend
ing the stair. A cold sweat burst from
every pore in my body. ] sprang from tho
bed and ran out the open door down the
stairs. 1t seemed to me n shadowy form
fed before me and vanished in the corridor
l plunged across the field and at last burst
into q low-ceiled room, where / found the
miserable little Frenchman and my missing
companion. =
"oh, you ran away, them" I said to
Flint
YES" he said quietly; IT thought it
best not to awaken you"
so you left me to be murdered, per
hapsg
That was what l wanted to avoid,n he
said. saw that he was pale, and his hands
shook a little. / shall push on to Chate.
lousse ut daybreak," he said.
81 thought you had more nerve, Flint v
I replied. 81 Wouldn't myself sleep in that
house again to be junior partner with Frost
& Co. but that is nc reason for neglecting
business opportunities. From a few words
exchanged with that tall trapper-I think
they call him Cameron"
YES" said Flint, with sudden eager.
ness; what about him ?"
- think he can put me in the way of a
lucrative stroke Of business here"
aHow Tn what UNIV 81 oa;d EI;nt