The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-05-03

"By Jove I'll make sketch of this
rookery," cried Dahlgren, who was a
kind OF amateur artist, and delighted in
putting on canvas the queerest of land
scapes, and all other odd bits of quaint
ness that came under his notice. "This
must be that old concern our host was
talking about that rumor says has a
ghost. There's three of us. Suppose
we explore the castle gray?'" continued
Dahlgren, lightly.
agreed |" they cried.
And, Ned turning the knob of the
gloomy old building, and gazing curl
ously into its privacy. The paper was
peeling away from the walls, and hung
in long strips that ratified myteriously
and the dust, the gathering of years,
started up in thick clouds, as the auda-
cious feet stalked d liberately through
the long fo rsaken rooms.
At the end of corridor, up stairs,
they came to barred door. 1t yielded
to their united efforts, and they entered
large bedroom. In one corner stood
high-yo st bedstead. A wash-stand oc-
cupied the space near the grated window;
and carpe worn AID moth eaten, COW
cred the floor.
Dark red stains covered the sheets,
yellow with age, and the pillows were
stiff and hard, and with that same red
dish color. Ned shuddered.
"Blood |" said Frank Ormsby, who
was studying for the medical profess
sion, and, therefore, was qualified to
speak.
An inner door suggested more mys-
terry; which, upon entering, proved to
be a bedroom similar to the one they
had Just left. But there were no stains
on the bedding; and, finding nothing,
Ned followed his companions down the
stairs, who now clamored for an investi-
cation of the underground regions.
"There must be something in the cell
lar; ia take my oath to it, Frank said,
emphatically.
So the great trap-door was lifted but
the intense darkness hid whatever was
there and they agreed to go back to
their hosts, and return the next day
with torches and everything that they
fancied they would need.
81 dinna ken what We maun find, my
guide lads but there's ma mon in these
parts that wad gaze there" said the host
"Why SOP" asked Ned.
The good Scot shook his head.
"The dead walk there, and wi their
screeches in the wee sma' hours drove
the guide mon, old Hugh Allonby, AVA
ayant the borders o. his ain land. L my
sell haze heard the screeches o. the re-
turned spirits, as they shrieked and
groaned with awful cries at 'Allonby
| IT,, al hca ,.J
muckle cursing and hammering on
doors an, nearly dead wi fear. the
man fled ayont Scotland into England.
Since then naebody has lived there, in
that uncanny place, and now the COLLINS
hold high carnival in the old ruin"
But the more they heard, the stronger
became their resolution to explore it's
reputed mysteries and go, early the
next morning provided with torches,
crowbars, and a pickax, the three young
men returned to the haunted house.
Ned lifted the trap-door and swung
the lantern down into the darkness be-
low. The light fickered brightly up,
revealing, with ghost like radiance, a
flight of narrow iron steps. Ormsby
took the crowbar, and was first to de-
scend.
A damp, musty odor filled the walled
room. The lantern fared up suddenly
with a steady, bright glare, and the
faces of the three adventures looked
corpse-l like in their pallor.
Ned shook off the fear that had come
on him, and walked slowly over the hard
floor. A pile of earth was heaped up
in one corner; and near the iron stairs
he stepped upon something that grated
with a harsh, crunching sound under
his feet, and gust of fine, peculiar
smelling dust filled the air. He seized
the lantern, and brought its rays to
bear upon the spot. A shudder ran
through his frame at what he beheld.
There, on the damp floor, lay the glis-
tening bones of skeleton; its feshless
hands still 9rasped leathern substance,
and the skull seemed to smile hooking
ly at him as he bent over it. An iron
lamp, rusty w'th age, stood near the re-
mains ard tbe glitter of a diamond
sparkled upon one of the bony fingers.
Orus6y stopped and raised the skele,
ton, but the bones snapped apart and
fell with dull rattle to the floor. The
leathern substance it had clutched SO
| tightly proved to be pocket compan-
ion. Ned opened it, and a shower of
coins ran out like golden stream. In
side it was portrait.
"Eh what in the deuce" He
gazed at the portrait earnestly. II was
round, sparkling face, with dancing
eyes and glossy waves of purplsh- black
hair. The mouth was small, aud a
saucy smile, half sorrowful, half sad,
fingered on the crimson lips. "Sybel,
for all the world p cried he, in astonish-
ment. Touching a spring at the back of
the case, lock of dark hair fell out,
and yellow slip of paper, on which
were written the words, "Sybel, wife of
Leonard Ashmore, Bart, Ashmorelands,
England" There were package of
letters and broken seal ring, and, last
ly, an unfinished diary.
"Let us go back, gentlemen" said
Ned. CT feel that a wise Providence
has placed it in our power to unravel a
dark crime. Let us return to the outer
day and read this diary, which, perhaps,
will give us the clew to this horrible mys-
terry"
They returned to the inn, and, in the
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