The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-08-03
THE GHOST OF MORCAR,S TOWER
BLACK wo9d's for JuIy.l

| For three generations the direct heir to the es.
| tate Of Morear IS Tower has not succeeded to the
| property. The Last owner Squire Fairfax was
a hale, jovial fellow. and had three stalwart
| sons. yet none OF them lived to possess the
| piece.
| The eldest was killed when C1yds's army re-
| lieved Lucknow. the second foil II victim to the
jungle fever that haunts the moist rice fields of
| Central India. and the youngest-it gives me u
| choking sensation In my throat even now when
| recall his fate.
The hero Of the Playing Folds. stroke Of the
eight oar In the most closely contested race that
Oxford ever won he was favorite everywhere.
and the pride OF his home. / can see him yet
with bis laughing brown eyes. standing up
against the crack left handed bowler, who came
assured Of an ensy victory for Stepton over the
eleven Of Stepton- in the Fens. There were
some Of ia who thought when he carried bis
bat that greater trump hs must be In store for
that ready hand that Watehful eye and cheery
spirit.
year later when pleasure boat went down
In saual. the only hope left us was that he
had not suffered long, for there was a dark
bruise On the pale fprehead when the body was
washed ashore. His fat her never recovered the
blow. but DIED soon , Y, his boy. md thus 1t
came 70 pass that l. q distant cousin. found my
self the owner uf Morcar's Tower.
Jhe curse. II curse there still be. will be again
fulfilled. for no children Of mine will over
brighten the gloomy chambers Of my new home.
1t matters not how ! knew this SO certainly. for
# is not my own story that | am about to tell.
my life ire was thrty 50 that abandoned my
chosen career and hid myself In Il lonely cot
tages. thinking that u the auet life of a student
might find solace for my grief When first
heard that the Old Tower was mine was I'M
willing u r move from the abode to with |
hah already grown accustomed: but on further
~ fIf ,Hn
and that / must nov shrink from my new duties
account ot tie melancholy ass CITATIONS con
nAcled with the place. 10 the Tower therefore
| Y. nt, taking with me the treasured volumes
TINT were ny only friends.
Morcar's Tower was situated In one Of the
--LATEST districts In England. In old days. be-
tore canbon were III use. 1t must have been a
valuable stronghold for 1t was then surround
~ bY,a reedy fin fuIl of dangerous and unsus.
pee "a depths. and only practised guides could
lind the arrow paths that threaded through
the grass aud PUSHES.
/ myself chose to inhabIt curious turret that
projected from one corner Of the tower, partly
because 1t was light and cheerful, partly be-
| cause had used II When visiting my cousins Ia
our boyhnod. III, round shoulder OF the void
cnt us otr early from the evening sun. and from
the tnrret windows | could watch the light be-
Ing stolen from our Fens BY the advancing
shadows of the fir-clad rising ground.
loved 10 sec the iast glitter die off the canal
and from between the reed beds, TO watch a lazy
barge perhaps. b-ing moored for the night, =
or u string I carts Or team Of horses going
slowly hpmsWard-tOr 10 living creature moved
quickly LII the Fms.
When all was stll save that the frogs had be-
gun 10 crtak among the rnshes, turned 81 my
books, and tn mystic volumes, such rs the his
men who, like me, had resolved to be alone.
One night. when had been about u fortnight
ut the Tower. sat ~ rather later than uanal at
my studies. A new visa was opening before
me. and seemed 10 be Oh the p0intot reaching
over that in lefnabe barrier that separates US
from the other world In which spirit Is the
u N VI l9 i3JUl mug
day yield themselves 10 TO our mastery. |
raised my head and drew In a long breath Of the
While citing thus, pursuing an argument In
my own mind. the 81und Of a steHlthy footstep
on tho stair caught my ear and abruptly broke
the chain Of my Thoughts.
1Irrifa ed at this disturbance / resolved to for
bid the servants coming 40 stairs SO late and
then tried % resume my reading But the words
and i found myself dwelling instead on that
nnWontef sound.
suddenly II flashed upon mol had not hoard
My door faced the stairs and only a very small
landing interviewed. looked at my watch, it
WAS half past FL
asked the butler casually next day II he had
been up etHirs late last night He was an elderly
man. and hAd spent many years In my Cousins
service. and | thought there something
strange In biz look and tone as he replied. No,
Sir, none If Us we're ny stairs"
confused remembrance Of a ghost story
came into my mind. told long ago by chance
guest, and summariiy cut short by the old
squire. Perhaps the Tower was haunted and a
ghost WAS part Of my Inheritance. Ihesitated
70 inquire lest should put ihe idea into the
heads Of the servants but as had little faith
in the supernatural origin Of so-called ghostly
Disturbances. | took snndry. precautions
against fmpo5ture. When evening came sat
down to my work and read with quite my usual
a tention. but could not recall the keen per-
csptiOn Of the previous night.
About O'clock [ felt my mind wandering In
voluntarily from my book. although | had not
been aware Of the iateness Of tho hour until |
"A bf.r ip4..
1 beard IL faint sound. listened an1ously: IL
was the same step as before. coming slowly no
stairs. the step OF one who walks wearily-the
sep Of a woman for distinctly heard the RUS
tie Of a dress. quietly placed the amp so that
the light would stream right into the passage.
cooked my pistol, and as the footsteps reached
the door | threw it open. There was no one
there
sense Of horror seized me. and / think at
that moment | would rather have met any ysi-
bic foe than hay. stood face to tace. as 1t were.
with an empty sound.
Next morning Bond fingered unnecessarily
In removing the break asst things. aud after
glancing two or three times at me as | sat idly
by the window hes poke.
Mr. Fairfax-exeuse me. sir-but you don't
look well this morning "
Il don't fe. very we'll Bond" replied
=, Been DISTURBED at hight, perhaps, sir. said
the old man pointedlya
turbed at uight?"
Because you're the owner of Morcar's Tow
Then there is q story that don't know" |
exclaimed. Go and finish your work. Bond,
as not to let the women remark anything,
ami then come and tell me about It.
When he returS ed Bond gave me CARRIED
version OF the tails shall presently reIaei in the
words Of one immediately concerned: but he
added that since the commission OF the crime
that gave MoTcars Tower It's EVIL name it had
been haunted by mysterious footsteps. No
ghost had ever been seeb. but these steps con-
tinnaly passed TO the door Of the room oee "a,
pied By the owner and there. died away. My
cousin, tout he ,rted, practical man as he was.
had tried every room IN the Tower without es--
Gaping from this terrible guardian: and Bond
thought the nervousness caused by the nightly
visitation had helped u bring about Mrs. Fair
fax's sudden death
Had he been richer man the squire would
have abandoned the Tower. bu hs could HI
afford to do SO and in time became accustomed
to h. ghost
felt that here was an opportunity OF testing
some OF the theories in which was most de- D
iy interested. and resolved that no Effort vi