Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-05-09

| yeyancc to nsighboring spit the grunting
of pigs near 10y was more melodious to my
ears than the music of the spheres yonder in
the storm-tossed, binding snow.
Were saved Flint, my boyw Thank
! God, we are saved 2"
"This must be Bernard's, said Flint, look
ing about him with his keen gray eyes and
over yonder think | can see the outlines of
the haunted house"
Five minutes after, we sat in a long low
| ceiled apartment that covered half the ground
floor. The oaken rafters almost touched the
head of a tall trapper who was lodging with
Monsieur Bernard. lie hada long blonde beard
and q sngularly mrlodious voice There were
quite Il number Of guests there-all Of them
| trappers, so Monsieur Bernard said but this
tall fellow they called Cameron had the shoul-
ders Of Hercules with the face of au Apollo.
l suppose ! was somewhat dazed with the
sudden relief and rescue, for it appeared TO
me that young woman who sat by the fire,
pairing carrots the very color of her long
braids of hair. was as beautiful as an angel.
Her eyes were soft and luminous, her fore
head low and white an indescribable air of
tender melancholy shadowed her face. The
chemsette she wore was as white as the snow
upon which it was bleached her bodice was
of homespun the knots in her knitted stock
ngs 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 little couplet, of
which the refrain was "Jamais, jamais :"
Hungry as | was, | could scarcely touch the
fine griled fowl prepared for us, but my soul
deyOured the daughter of Monsieur Bernard.
The tail trapper and his companions were
suppng in Il neighboring room; We could
hear their glasses rap upon the table or clink
against each other scraps of songs and dis
joiutcd sentences reached our ears. Flint
picked the chicken to the bones, in the mean
while talking in low tone to Monsieur Ber-
nard, who basked i'll the heat that poured
from the cracking sides of the shect-ron
stove, and blinked at Flint like an ancient
lizard He was a little dried-up man, with a
close cap on his head his leather breeches
reached II little below his knees a warm.
furry jacket. high wooden stockings. and
wooden sabots completed his costume An
hour or two went by; the trappers in the
neighboring room had finished their meal
aud apparently gone to bed Flint and the
little Frenchman pursued their conversation.
As for me, had drawn close to the beautiful
young woman, who was washing some quaint
yellow mugs at the end of the long oaken ta-
BILE. Her name was Marie. In this primi-
tive region conyentionalities were set aside
an earnest passion glded along like snow
shoes. got over good deal Of ground in
very short time. / began to believe this
journey was marked out for me. told Ma
rie so, and lifted one of her long braids to
my lips | was just thinking what sensa-
tion that peculiar colored hair and her re-
markable beauty would create in our circle at
home, when Flint called out to me that he
had resolved TO go over and sleep in the
haunted house.
Don't you want to go along, Scott, he
said, ''or are you afraid =
The latter part of his sentence held pc
culiar sneerng iutonation. l said was not
afraid. but thought it a very absurd and in
formally uncomfortable thing to leave warm
tireside and go plunging over there in the
show and the freezing air for freak of curl
osity.
Marie clasped her hands, and besought of
us for the sake Of the Redeemer, not to 90
that in that room up stairs, upon that very
pallet of straw, the murdered man had bee n
found and nobody had slept there since, or
staid in the house
Except the ghosts of Chatelousse, said
her father, in dry. wheezy voice.
But Flint got his lantern ready OF course
l had to go. If one man ventures upon a
fool-hardy freak. another must follow. or rest
under the imputation of cowardice. Mon
seur Bernard helped us on with our over
coats. | looked into the sweet eyes of Ma
re; they were dilated with that expression of
terror one secs in the eyes of fawn. took
her cOld hands IN my own.
Rest tranquil, my sweet child, / said for
! was touched by her tenderness Il will re-
turn to you
We made our way through the binding
snow, and found the house black and empty
The door creaked on its rusty hinges the
shutters banged, a melancholy wind howled
through the corridor
I'VE shall have our labor for our pains" l
said as | entered the room up stairs there
is nothing remarkable in few broken chairs
and an old bundle of straw"
1--WE must be patient" " said Flint, throwing
the buffalo robe upon the bed, and blowing
out the lantern I'VE must wait for the hour
of midnight"
There was nothing for me to do but to
creep in beside him. / took the inner side,
and, worn out with countless emotions,
must have fallen asleep before the hay seed
touched my hair. l was awakened by a pc
culiar mocking laugh, seemingly close by my
ear; but, upon regaining the activity of my
senses, found it distant and hollow. Again
and again it seemed to come from the very
bowels of the earth. l began to feel chill
run down my vertebrH.
FLINT" l whispered. reaching over for
him, do you hear that 2"
But my hand wandered over an empty
space at my side. Flint was gone. | was
alone in this accursed house. Strange noises
came to me. | fancied heard a groan, the
clanking of chain. Heaven knows what
yagaries beset me.
Perhaps" thought |, Flint has been
dragged away my turn will come next. Dis
tinctly heard again that hollow, mocking
laugh, and step by step foot ascending the
stair. cold sweat burst from every pore in
my body. | sprang from the bed and ran
out the open door, down the stairs. 1t seemed
to me a shadowy form fed before me and
vanished in the corridor. plunged across
the field, and at last burst into the low-ceiled
room. where | found the miserable little
Frenchman and my missing companion.
"Oh. YOU ran away then :" said to Flint
"Yes. he said. quietly. II thought il best
not 10 awaken YOU"
so YOU left me to be murdered, perhaps ?"
That was what wanted to avoid " he said.
l saw that he was pale, and his hands shook