Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-08-14

this disorderl9 fringe II ed TO re
| main round thu b use r M nber
Cd, however, that WIN my cousin
Frang had o,ce prap aed some al
teraiian his fatrer mi replied, wi b
uausual sharpness, that be did not
| choose 10 meddi with the moat.
On the fourth side the di,eh v az i &
original de ,ih aud " ,bd n bridge.
with ~ f,ntysiic ,a'Iing, crossed
1t where The draw bridge had fun
erly been. The wtll- Of tho Tow =
were enormously thick aud the in
terror was co seqneutiy somewh 81
somNre, There Was plenty o! heavy
old-iashloned furniture, but there
were few m03ern elegancie4 in tho
house. La the loom lbaJ had been
Harry's were two new q. y chairs
some engrevings after Landseer, and
some pewters and eups--reIies y
the foot-racsa and scnling match 9
of his Il on and Oxford days.
Ga the ground floor were the
drawing and dining rooms, with two
Smaller apartments; the bedrooms
we're up stairs; and the servants -
had but three--lired 10 some new
or offices quite at the back.
| myself chose To il habit curl.
QUE turret that projected from one
corner of the Tower. partly because
it was light and cheerful, partly be.
cause | had used il when visiting
my cousins in our boyhood. The
round shoulder Of the void cut us
oil early from the evening sun, and
from the turret widows | could
watch the light being stolen from
our Fens by the advancing shadows
of the fir clad rising GROUND.
loved to zee the last glitter do
off the canal, and from between he
reed beds, to watch lazy barge
perhaps being moored for the night,
gray heron caring his way across
the opal sky, or string of carts or
team of horses G ing slowly home-
ward-tor no living creature moved
quickly in the Fens.
When all was stili, save that the
frogs had begun TO croak among
the rushes. | turned TO my books,
ana in mystic volumes. such az the
history of the Rosy Cross, sought
for counsel from men who, like me,
had resolved to be alone.
One night. when / had been about
fortnight at the Tower, | sat ~
rather later than usual at my stud
les. A new vista was opening be
fore me, aud seemed TO be on the
point of reaching over that indefi
nable barrier that separates us from
the world in which spirit is the
known reality world whose laws
must some day yield themselves up
to our mastery. | raised my head,
and drew in long breath Of the
night air that blew in at the open
easement. While sitting thus, pur.
suing an argument in my own mind,
the sound of ~ stealthy footstrr On
he air caught my ear, and abrup ly
broke the chain Of my thoughts
Irritat, d at this disturbance, re-
solved TO forbid tho servants coming
up stairs so lat' and then tried to
resume my reading. Bot the words
on the page conveyed no meaning
to my mind, and | found myself
dwelling instead on that unwouted
sound
Suddenly it fl sshed upol me-
had not heard the step 90 a,oay
Ny door faced the stairs, md on.
ly very small landing interviewed.
| looked at my watch il was half
past one.
Obviously none of the househ. Id
had any business up stairs at that
hoGr; had | heard the step of bur.
giar, who was even now outside my
door? was unarmed, and hey ond
reach of help. for the bell in my
room communicated with an empty
part of the Tower, and | had not
vet given orders for its alteration.
Hastily and nervously l locked my
door, and listened long for a retiring
footstep, but not sound came, and
tell asleep at last without undress-
ing. Next day 1 felt somewhat
ashamed of the nervousness that
had seized me for though | do net
boast of any special amount of ali
NAL courage, | had never before ex-
perlenced such uDeasiness. con
cluded that my nervous system
must be unstrung, and resolved To
take more Xercise than | bad
done of late.
| a.ked lhe butler, c usually, if he
had been mp stairs late last night.
he was All elderly man, and had
spent many years 10 my Cousins
service, and | thought there was
something strange 10 his look and
tone as be replied NO, Sir. none
of as were up stairs
A confused remembrance of q
ghost story came into my mind,
told long ago by chance guest,
and summarilv cut short by the old
squire. Perhaps the Tower was
haunted, and ghost was part of
my inheritance! | hesi,ated to in
quire, lest l should put the idea into
the heads of the servants hut as I
had little faith in the supernatural
origin of so-call-d ghostly distur-
Dances, took sundry precautions
against imposture. / bad once been
fair shot so opened a long un
touched box, and got out pistol
that had lain there for two years.
This | cleaned and put away in my
room. then ordered that candles
should be placed there 10 addition
to my usual lamp, aud desired that
the bell should be at once altered.
When evening came, sat down
to my work, and read with quite my
usual attention; but | could not re.
call the keen perception of the
previous night.
About one o'clock / felt my mind
wandering involnutarily from my
book, although / bad not been
aware of the lateness of the hour
until looked at my watch:a quar-
ter OF al hour later heard q faint
sound. listened anxiously: it was
the same step as before, coming
slowly up stairs; the step of one
who walks wearily-the s,ep of a
woman. for | distinctly heard the
l.. - u II