Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-08-14
THE GHOST OF MOACAR'S TOWER.

For three generations the direct
heir to the estate Of Morcar's Tower
has not succeeded TO the property.
The last owner. Squire Fairfax, was
a bale, jreial fellow. and had three
stalwatt sons,yet mono of them lived
to possess the place.
The eldest was killed when
Clyde's army relieved Lucknow !;
the second fell q victim to the Jungle
fever that haunts the moist rice
fields Of Central India; and the
youngest-it gives me choking
sensation in my throat even now
when recall his fac
The hero of the Playing Fields,
stroke of the eight.oar in the II ost
closely confessed race that Oxford
ever won, be was q iavOrite every
where, and the pride OF his home. |
can see him yet, with his laughing
brown eyes. standing up agains, the
crack left handed bowler, who came
as ured of an easy victory for Step
ton over the eleven of STEPHEN. in.
the. Fens There were some ofu who
thought when he carried his bat
that greater triumphs must be in
store for that ready hand, that
watchful eye, and CHEEKY spirit
A year later. when a pleasure
boat went down in quail, the onIv
hope left US was that he hal not
suffered long, for there was dark
bruise on tho pale f rehead when
the body was washed ash re. His
father meyer recovered the blow,
but died soon after his boy and
thus it cam 20 pass tn 1t |, > dig ant
cousin, found myself the owner of
Morca,'s Tower
The curse, if curse there stili be,
will be again fulfilled for no children
of mine will ever brighten the
gloomy chamber Of my new home
1t matters not how know this SO
certainly, tor it is not my own sto-
ry that am about TO tell. Suffice
it to say that the joy was crushed
out of my life ere | was thirty, so
that | abaD doned my chosen career,
and hid myself in lonely cottage,
thinking That in the quiet life OF a
student | might find solace for my
grief When first | heard that the
old Tower was mine | was un will
ing TO remove from the abode to
which | had already grown accus-
toned; but on further reflection
decided that the effort must be
made, and that | must not shrink
from my new duties on account of
the melancholy associations con.
nected with the place. To the Tow,
err, therefore, / went, taking with
me the treasured volumes that were
my Only friends.
For obvious reasons | can not
give the true names of tho localities
| am about to describe, but they
will re easily recognized by any
one belonging u the neigh borh BOD
who may chance to peruse this tale.
Morcar's Tower was situated in
one of the --LATEST districts 10 Eng-
land. In old days, before cannon
were 10 use, 1t must have been a
valuable str )nghold, for it was then
surrounded by reedy fen, full OF
dangerous and unsupported depths.
and only prscticed guides could find
the narrow paths that threaded
through the grass and rushes Grad
nally, however, the fen land was re.
claimed. though the drainage was
extremely difficult and a canal,
more sluggish than any [ have seen
elsewhere, was cut across from the
Ayder 20 the Deene The soil was
rich. and paid we'll and at last q
little town grew mp, known as Step.
ton'in-the- Feus, to distinguish il
from S.ep:on proper, or, as it was
sometimes called. Ssepton on-the-
Weld This void was nothing but
rise of the land on the west of the
Tower, and would hardly have been
remarked IN less level country.
The Tower itself was more prop
ely keep, square and grim, built
of dark red stone that took q pnr.
plish hue when wet. R,und ii was
deep ma, that on three sides had
been hastily and carelessly filled up
Yellow hawk weed and the stray.
glirg ragged.robin grew 10 profu.