Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-02-26
THE MYSTERY OF GARRICK Hall.

THE MYSTERY OF GARRICK HALL.
at was just such a night as this,
Robert said Aunt Edith, to my papa,
with little shiver.
Exactly papa replied ,thoughtfulIy,
and the same time of year, too
Suppose you tell the children all
about it, mama said, quietly; they
look as il they wanted to know very
much.
well, since it is perhaps time they
knew,i will tell you how Aunt Edith
saved my life, continued papa, turn
ing to Edgar, the eldest Of us, 'long
ago, long before you were born, my
hoy
aunt Edith and were only broth
er and sister ever so much greater
cronies than you and Edgar are, Jes-
sic, not only because we had each
other to love, but because we had to
make common cause against an enc
my, Jeffrey lawson, our step moth
er's son BY previous marriage. We
lost our own dear mother when we
were babies. JEFF was ten years
older than | was; aud after our
fathers death, which happened when
| was eight aud Edith six, we would
have had poor time of it but for
Dame Tart.e, on dear old nurse. She
looked after our interests, and fought
all our battles valiantly whether we
were IN the right or the wrong. Our
step-mother was 50 wrapt up in JEFF
that she bestowed but little trouble
upon us. |, especially, was no fav
orlte, for she got silly idea into her
head that stood between JEFF and
the property of Garrick. He was
fine, handsome fellow, as remember
when | was Is, and he 25; strong
and daring, naughty in disposition
and hasty in temper. | could see
even then he bitterly resented my
being master, and himself as if no
body for all our servants had grown
old with us, and were staunch and
loyal to us children Of the house.
'Onr mother-we called her so,
though she was little more than kin
and less than kind'-resented it too,
and looked forward with very bitter
feelings to the time when | would be
81; for then, according to our faith.
er's will she was to leave Garrick
Hall, the homestead, and reside in a
little cottage he owned In Wales. It
would be different position for her
as she had but small iointure-all
her own fortune had been spent on
Jeffrey-and by some inexplicable
chain of woman's reasoning. she
tlamed me for what she was pleased
to call her unmerited fortunes. Each
year that passed made matters worse
between us. As | grew older many
things in the management of the
property struck me as very unjust
The best of the timber was being cut
down and the house allowed to fall
into state bordering on ruin, be.
cause my mother would not spend
money on repairs which / alone was
to enjoy the benefit of Our family
lawyer was dead. Jeffrey chose his
mothers legal adviser, and neither
Edith nor ! knew where to look for
advice or assistance Things re.
NAMED very much in this state till |
was nearly twenty, when one day
jeff entered my room in state of
wild excitement, and showed me a
will that he had discovered in some
out of the way corner. 1t was dated
a few days before my fathers death
and except that it bequeatbed to
jeffrey the sum of s., 900, and the
reversion of Garrick ii | died with.
out heirs. it was substantially the
same as the one already in existence.
4 had my doubts about the valldi.
ty Of the document, but / passed no
comment |; both the witnesses were
dead, and had not shadow of
proof to advance Suspicious in such
a case 90 for nothing, so | held my
peace,the more especially as Judson,
our old Steward, was prepared to
to swear to my fathers signature.
So Jeff had his 5000.
con the night of which I am going
to tell you, there was large part Of
the money in the house. Jeff was
going TO London the next morning
and as he meant to start early. he
said good bye to us over night, and
went to his room first, carrying the
money with him. Ediths and I re-
manned in the dining room little
longer, chatting on different matters,
among others of Jeff's departure, of a
strange restlessness bad observed
in his manner of late, of the possible
date of bis return; and somehow,
quite unintentionally, let fall hint
about my suspicious about the will,
and discovered that they correspond.
ed exactly with Edith's. At last
when the fire had burned quite out,
and the candles were getting low in
their sockets, we went up stairs to-
gether. 1t was a wild November
night, With just such angry, impa.
tent gusts of wind and'vagrant thun-
der claps as this. | occupied the
west room; your Aunt the one ad
joining; and JEFF slept in the east
room at the other end of the CORR
dor; while his mother had had her
apartments in the south wing. As Il
babe Edith good night, the clock on
the stairs struck twelve, and she
merrily wished me many returns of
the day, for | had just entered my
twentieth birthday. In a few min.
utes more my light was extinguished
and | was closely wrapped up. In
less than half an hour I was sound
asleep. Not go Aunt Edith. She
was, she told me afterwards, restless
and nervous,tw two most unusual things
with her. All her efforts 70 sleep
were unavailing, and she gave up the
attempt at last, and rising from bed
sat down bw the fire to read Twice
she fancied she heard foot steps in
the corridor, and opened the door 10
door to listen Your Aunt was not
afraid of the White Lady, our family
ghost, nor anybody else, girls. Twice
she thew herself on couch with
the intention of resting, since slum-
Der was out of the question but be-