The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-04-06

1
beating of bis heart. When he reached
the foot of the stairs he still went on;
every now and then his outstretched
hands struck against wall or pillar
for he was passing through an arched
hall that ended in narrow passage.
He next entered what he thought must
be large room, for the air had an in
deinable difference and the blackness
seemed that of space instead of sub
stance. As he stood there uncertain
which way to move and the very echo
of his footsteps ceased, the horror of
darkness and silence which had been
growing upon him reached its height.
He tried to utter his challenge, but his
dry lips would give forth no sound, an
! abyss of night seemed to swallow him
up.
Suddenly he fancied he heard a move
ment, he thought that something like
palpable blackness fitted about him.
! He turned to fly and took few hurried
steps in the direction of the entrance.
| Then he stopped. 1t was no ghostly
| presence that arrested him, but the
iron hand of his resolution he had
como here to do certain thing and
was not to be cowed by feeling which
he would be ashamed to own to himself
in the daylight. He faced about and
went forward quickly few steps.
eff there is any ghost let him now
appear" he called loudly.
The dreary walls answered his Cry
with dull reverberation.
With arms folded he stood moment
the hardest thing of all to do-await-
ing results. If there had not been q
roar in his ears, if the beating of his
heart had not made even his vision un-
steady, he would have said that he
was impossible to tell which as the
sound rolled toward him from the hol-
low sides, and that he saw something
like whiteness in the distance, while
sense of presence made him cold with
horror.
He had done all he had resolved to
do and was free now to get out of this
dreadful place. He hurried toward
the entrance, urged on by the unreason-
ing sense of pursuit that comes over one
when he turns his back upon danger.
All at once he lost his footing and lay
at full length on the slippery floor; the
shock, however, only Jared and be-
wildered him. AS he put out his
hands to rise he touched something
from which he drew back instantly with
Il stified exclamation; he thought it
must be one of the reptiles likely to
be crawling in this den. But he recol-
ected that it was small and hard, per-
haps it was curious stone which would
prove his nights excursion if the
strangers he was with should be tempt
ID to doubt it. After little cropping
le found it again; it felt like stone
covered with shiny moisture, and put
ing it into his pocket he made his way
,ut of the ruins as best he could.
When he returned to the house his
friend was alone waiting for him, and
,leepy, as Homer could see, conse-
luently trifie annoyed at being kept
hat night of where he had been.
In his room he took out the stone,
was not pebble or piece of the
)avement, as he had supposed, but an
oval of grayish lava that had once been
brooch or part of bracelet. AS he
cleaned it with his penknife and pocket
handkerchief he saw that the work upon
1t was beautiful; it was a figure OF
Minerva, the very fields in her tunic
carefully cut, and, as he saw by his
nagnifying- glass, with light tracery
Of carving on her hemlet and shield
On the opposite side, just under the
shield, was the word =" Violet"
It was evidently the owners name,
but who was she? Where did she live,
and when? The pin, if it were pin,
had not lain in its last hiding-place
long, he thought, it was not enough
stained by the dampness, yet he was
not sure about that. "Violet" might
belong to former generation or might
have been sleeping the sleep of the just
for century. But suppose not, sup
pose she were young lady beautiful
as her name, wealthy and high. born?
Well, what then?
Homer put out his light and went to
bed, but not Immediately to sleep. The
affair seemed to promise an adventure
as such it would have been interesting
to any young person. But Ashton, in
addition to being barely twenty five,
had been obliged to make his way for
the last ten years for though he was
of good family, Dame Fortune had
started him in life with no more than
one of her pennies, which, however,
every time man turns it, as in the
legend, leaves gold-piece in his hand.
The next morning but one tall
young man with dark hair and eyes and
an expression amused, yet resolute,
handed in his card at Grantham hall
and asked to see it's owner, Sir Gresham
Laud.
"Dr. Homer Ashton" cried Sir
Gresham, looking up from his letters
displeased at the interruption. "Who's
he? l don't know any such person.
Beryl," to the servant, "what does he
look like?"
GAS well, Sir Gresham, only spryer."
"Oh, 'spryer,' is he? In his head or
his heels, wonder? Well, 1 suppose
1 must see what the fellow wants; one
of those genteel sponges come to suck
up as many pounds as I'll give to their
deuced charities" he muttered. By
which speech it is fair to conclude that
Sir Gresham had been sponged in this
way more than once.
But when Homer, who was admiring
the view from the drawing-room win
dow, turned and bowed as the bare net
approached, Sir Gresham perceived
nothing of tine suppliant about him and
began to doubt whether this elegant
stranger did mean to make him few
pounds the poorer by his visit. He
came forward and requested his visitor
to be seated. Ashton spoke of the
| haaufv of the countrv and Sir Graalam