Morris tribune., 1882-09-21

ii
kiss from those lips-I have but TO close my
eyes, and you are before me again, as bright
and sunny as in the bright time of your girl
hood. How swestly the vision shines on mel
l SEQ the calm old woods Of Devon, aud rising
from them the roof of gray manor-heuse, its
twin vanes shining redly in the morning sun |;
through the trees are caught glimpses of the
windings of the Dart and the far-off blue Of
the sea, and wooded peak melting softly into
peak, and fading in the haye Of the distance as
fades dream.
followed her through the inhabited part Of
the old house that summers morning with
little in my mind beyond the thought that she
was fair, and that loved her. We turned pres
emily into . narrow, badly Lighted passage;
and at the sight of ancient doors on either side
Of me other thoughts came into my mind
thoughts OF those who had been this fair crea-
lures ancestors. In these rooms they had
lived and died; here the spirit of one Of them
Godfrey, the Cavalier Heathcott, who. had
fought IS brsvely as foolishly for the Stuart
cause-was supposed sometimes to wander
restlessly from midnight to cock-crow knew
nothing more Of the legend told of him than
that his end had been strange and dreadful,
and that his fate was in some way connected
with that Of his steward, Winstanley, whose
name had been given to the room where Erna
was now leading me-
You care nothing for my legends, Gerald"
she said. her voice breaking in suddenly on my
especially uninviting appearance, and now I'M
locked it You might say that in any of the
rooms below, or even here in the daytime but
-" Reckoning ME to enter-''Would YOU dare
repeat it at twelve at night, and alone in 3
room tihe this?" A
You don't think much of my nerves, see.
Erna," answered, following her into the
haunted room. ~
A strange, gloomy place it was, scantily fur
nished III the fashion of at least a century be-
fore, and having III one corner an antique bed,
dating back, perhaps, TO the time of Anna or
George l. found myself looking at this with
an uncomfortable feeling that perhaps the
gh0sty steward. after his nightly walks through
the old house, might lie down in 1t sometimes
in preference to his grave. ''Erna," asked
of the girl beside me, :; DO YOU say that mortals
have quite given up occupying this room?"
my grandfather once or twice slept here, or
so 1have heard, she answered. He must have
been brave nan-worthy of tho cavalier race
he came rom. .-...r- s-s.-.
is tho ghost so terrible ghost, then, to en-
cuunter?'
Terrible to Heathcott," she said, serious
ly. Il know you will laugh at me, Gerald
and perhaps the fancy is silly one, but never
come here without feeling that every word of
the story they tell me of the room must be
true. Out of it, am moro o. a scephc about
my ghosts"
I'll hear the story before laugh at you,"
answered. was more curious about the le-
gend, standing in this dim, old room, than had
been half an hour before, when resting at
Erna's feet, with the roses about US and the
blue of the sky above and finding in her eyes
blue between sky and violet and in her check
the roses faintest most exquisite blush.
She told me her story that fairy summers
moruiag-told it half laughingly, as was in her
nature to do, and yet with something OF
esrnestness breaking out more and more visi-
bly,. AS the gloomy legend blackened to its close
Godfrey Heathcott, one OF the most faithful
and foolish adherents to q bad king and worth
less cause, left England in despair soon after
the terrible Both OF January, 1919; but re-
turned next year to follow the fortunes OF
Prince Charles from Stirling to the fatal field
Of Worcester. He escaped with his life,
and after shifting for many months from one
place of conceaiment TO another, venured back,
some time in 1858, to Devon and Heathcott
manor, and lived there undsturbed by the Pro-
tector's government until unhappily for him.
self, lie became implicated IN an abortive
scheme for rising In the West He was seiZ-
~, effected the Same nlghta daring escape
with \ party of ironsides IN fierce pursuit to
HeathcJtt house. The search that the Par
hanentarians conducted there was at first
without result; but General Harrison, their
savage commander, was not man to be- easy
banked He had the old steward of the family
brought before him, and threatened him with
instant death unless he would betray his
masters hiding =Diace. The old man, still pro-
testing his Ignorance, was dragged to the cham
Der that had ever since been known bv his
name, and there party of musketeers were
told of to fire on him. Harrison had, how
ever, secretly given order only to load with
powder. The volev killed Winstanley none
the less; his frail hold of life was not to be
thus rudeiy played with. When the soldiers
lifted the old man from where he had fallen,
they found HIM dead ~
''And the ghost, OF course, has ever since
haunted the scene of his murder" broken,
when Erna's legend had reached this point:
according to the foolish custom prevalent
among ghosts of haunting the neighborhoods
that must be most dsaSreeable TO them. But
don't sec why this poor old spirit should lie
so very dreadful to Heathcott."
His master was never heard Of afterwards, y
said Erna. Slowly and solemny.
s'Weli?"
Don't you sec Gerald, that the old mans
murJereTs were right. and that he was the only
person whom GeoTrey Heathcott had trusted
with the secret of his hiding place: It is true
the rUmor at the time went that oUr ancestor
had escaned to Spain, and died there: bat
don't believe it. believe that what the legend
says of him is trua" -. S ss.t- w
And what does the legend say OF this mys
teriUuS c, o frev?"
says that he had taken refuge in hiding
place con'riveL III Eliz ,5eh's time by hisCath
o!ic grandfather--a small cell that, unhapriiy
for him, by All oversight of the architect, could
only be opened from without, and so made
prisoner Of auv one now was hidden there"
SO that, l SAID, catching at her meaning.
IF the old steward were really his masters
only cOuliant, the Door p;i4ouer in the present
case wnnld have been buried allya"
Erna lid not answer: she drew closer 70 me,
ard locked round her with a shudder. "Corue
away she said, catching at my arm. If feel
as though If [ STAYED here longer the air would
choke me. Let Us get away from these fright
Fr1l nria and 7 y,
not sleep here for the worid-I should wake
up with a start at midnight, and see the old
seward standing at my bedside, ard heckon-
ing me to follow him, thai he might
show me where his masters bones are hid
den -
'tThey are hidden, them to this day."
$50 the legend says; but when begged my
father to have all this part of the old ihbuse
pulled down that they may befound and BURIED
he only laughed at me. ButtiH they are found
and buried, feel that this will be haunted
room The man who was killed here wilil.net
rest in his grave till ne knows that his inastdr
has one, too. Il. 49,.
Laughed at her wild suggestions; and she
turned Indignantly from me- AUD fitted ikea
sunbeam from the quaint, dark chamber, !eav-
ing me 10 turn on its ghosts and its silence
key that grated in the rusty luell, aud tofollow
her at my leisure TO the garden. t-,fgt--e
#"Gerald,' my entertainer said to me, CURLY,
that evening, after dinner, you're a fool, and
this little daughter of mines a goose; and if
the goose must needs tempt the fool into ghost
hunting, By rgking mp for his benefit some of
the ridiculous old legends that are sure to cling
about tumbie-down place like this, why. I
don't know that | feel called upon to Interfere.
I'll put more serious obstacle in your way
than promise of laughing at you when yon
catch cold, instead of your ghost You'll find
the quarters you want to occupy rather damp,
and there's more than suspicion of rats about
Them. hut try them NV all neans-trv them ~
concluded Mr. Heathcott, with yawn; "and
if you stand the damp and the rats for
night or two. let me know. OF the end Of 1.-The
timehow you liked your bed room II
dreamed that night of having fallen asleep
in the great old bed in the haunted room, and
of waking with start and shiver to find
skeleton lying beside me. I had taken,