Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1884-03-20
THE GIPSY'S CURSE.
CHATTER III.


The Larches was a fine old Elizabethan
mansion, surrounded by ample grounds,
laid out in excellent taste, and broad
terrace occupied n considerable stretch Of
the frontage. AS Miss Durnford and her
niece approached this terrace, female tig-
ure suddenly appeared upon it, and, after
gazing for q moment ut the visitors, ran
quickly down the steps and hurried up to
them.
"How good of you to come and bring
cousin so quickly, auntie Rachelw cried a
fresh hearty voice, with a marked but not
vulgar North Country accent; and the
young lady threw her arms around Miss
Durnford and kissed her; then she turned
to lima, scanning her from head to foot
= with round frank eyes that expressed I'M
disguised admiration.
al am SO glad TO see you, cousin - clasp
Ing Ilma's white hand in an ample brown
palm. 81 am sure we shall get on beau
tifully. 1 am Rose"
"And l am llma," said the Canadian
In turn inspecting her cousin but with q
gaze more keenly observant and not ex-
actly admiring, though giving no indica-
tion of opinion.
Rose Sabine was not handsome, though
she might have fairly been called good
good deal of color, round bright blue
eyes, and soft brown hair; but her figure
was little too robust for her height, and
ner arched brows gave her surprised
look that lima thought "funny." but no
one could have mistaken Miss Sabine for
anything but lady, though equally mani
fest was 1t that she was provincial.
"Aamma aud jamie are in the drawing
room," proceeded Rose. "Roland will be
home soon; or, if you like TO 80 down to
the weir, llma-what a pretty name we
may find him there. lie went TO fish,"
"Ilma won't care for Gipsy's Weir, af-
ter Niagara" remarked Miss Durniord,
smiling.
"I shall auntie, IL it's pretty said
lima. "Why do you call it Gipsy's Weir,
Rose?"
"Ah, thereby hangs a tale! I'll inform
you all about it presently. Aunt Rachel
has evidently told you nothing about the
Dark barrels and the CURSE
81 left that for you young folk" said
Miss Durnford.
"Have you family here with curse'"
exclaimed lima. GLOW delightful and
old-world! We have no such things in
Canada. / long for curse, or banshee,
or something Of that.sort."
Rose laughed merrily; then she looked
very grave.
"You wouldn't care about the Darrell
curse, lima. I'll tell You all about it pres
entity"
She led the way through the open win
dow into the drawing-room, and a pale
sickly-looking lady rose from q fauteuil
and came forward with outstretched hands
TO meet the young stranger.
"Welcome, DEAR" said Mrs. Sabine cor
daily, embracing and kissing the girl
."We will all try to make you as happy as
we can. You have seen Rose. This is
JAMES" ana Il girl somewhat resembling
Rose, but younger, paler, and slighter, ad.
yanced and greeted her cousin kindly,
though less demonstratiyely than Rose had
done.
Tears filed Ilma's large brown eyes,
How good they all were to treat her so
lovingly, as if they had known her for
long time! Her aunt Sabine made her sit
down by her, and, holding the little hand
in her own, asked her about her uncle,
and her life in Canada and her journey
over. After u time Mrs. Sabine handed
over her niece TO her cousins.
al must not usurp you" she remarked
smiling; "young folk like to be together.
.
lima would like to go with you to the
weir, to meet Roland"
al should very much," said lima; "and
Rose promised to tell me some legend
about a great family under q curse"
awe don't think 1t Legend" observed
jamie; s.but i am afraid you will think
Cumberland people very superstitious."
The Sabine girls fetched their hats, and
the three young people went of merrily
to the Gipsy's Weir.
"Now do toll me, Rose" said lima, as
soon as they reached the grounds, "about
this Dark Darrell and the curse"
Rose was ready enough.
"You foreigners are inpatient" she be-.
gan, laughing, unable perhaps To resist the
pleasure of tantalizing.
"Foreigner"
"Why, yes! Aren't you half Cornish to
start with, and haven't you been brought
up all your life abroad? And you don't
speak like an English girl either"
"Don't I!'
al dare say you think we don't. Ro-
land used TO be so savage with us when he
came back from Cambridge. He'll like
your way of talking, / know. How did
you escape the Canadian twang!"
81 hardly know. You see i have been
only five years in Canada. Now the curse,
please"- u pirouette.
"All right. Well" said Bose, compo-
sing face and voice to a gravity becoming
the momentous history she was about TO
relate, "you must know that, first Of all,
that most Of the property about here be-
longs to the barrels of the Court. Pll
show you that to-morrow--you can't see il
from the weir-and they are very old
famiy-date back TO Henry Ill They
were called the Dark barrels because they
were SO very dark, and since the curse,
their fortunes have been as dark as their
faces; not as to worldly matters, for the
are the wealthiest family in the North,
but am speaking Of their lives, their sin-
ner lives you call IL in Germany, don't
your"
eyes," replied lima" and, looking rath.
er mischievous, she added sentimentally,
elbow very Interestingly
"You mustn't be fippant, New World"
said Rose; "for IL is all very Serious
Well among the Darrell tenants are the
people who have the Weir Mill-you will
see it I'm few minutes. it stands just by
the weir that works IL. The present oc.
cupants are job Heston and his daughter
Zsph. They're Of gypsy blood, and they
look it. The mill was granted 10 their
ancestors in the reign of Elizabeth, by
the then Lord of the Manor; Sir Ingelhard
Darrell. The barrels were always a wild
dare.all set; and Sir Ingelhard was like
the rest. Hiram Heston, a regular gypsy,
had saved Sir highlands life, and that
was how he got the grant Of the mill. Hes