The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1884-02-21


lace and the small, white, jeweled hand
that rested for brief caressing moment
on his palfry's arched neck looked moro
fit for touching the spipet than meeting
death in tho melee of war.
Ny lady waits for him to seek her
bower chamber, and claim o kiss of
welcome from those proud red lips, but
full two hours pass and he comes not.
The courtyard is empty, and she feels
chill as the early twilight creeps on.
Some one pushes aside the silken
hangings of the door, and Usula turns
ronnd. q clad erecting in her heart but
"a woman OF marble to oil outward SEEM
ing.
"Thou art long in coming" she says,
and then pauses, for it is not her hus-
band, but her little maid, Alice, with
her face white as driven snow in the
Light Of the lamp she carries, and her
eyes round with wild terror.
ooh, come, dear mistress, for our
lady's sake; convince thyself that this
i1-omened house is haunted. They are
there now in the passage leading to the
dungeon keep, Ipeeped over and saw
their shadows-she with wimple, and
he proper youth, and"
"Peace, silly child" said Usula;
"this matter were we'll looked into. for
tny IOOllSn 1earS Will drive thee craHeo.
Put down the lamp and come with me;
I myself will prove these seeming
ghosts. Nay! not word--give me thy
hand. If they be indeed spirits, thou
shalt have my collar of pearls in memory
- of thy fear"
The two women walked hand in hand
softly, in the darkness, down to tho
passage that led to the dungeon keep,
and as they drew near they heard q low
talking.
Did not tell thee so, my lady ?"
whispered the maid, struggling to free
herself from her mistress hold.
But Usula, recognizing one soft, loved
voice, quickly clasped her strong, white
hand across Alice's mouth and drew the
frightened child into the shadow; for
there A., t.lo Ill moonlight that flooded
through the broken window stood her
husband, and his companion was Is
woman clad in q nuns sombre garb!
"one who like thyself leads SO holy a
life, safe in the keeping of Mother
Church, can have no cause for sorrow
and yet I marvel much to find thee so
far from our good convent of ST..
Mary"
!"Thou knowest little of the human
heart, fair sir, when thou sayest 1 have
no cause for SORROW" said the woman,
in q, strangely sweet voice.
'"The heart! sweet lady?" he an
swered. ''I an but an honest soldier
at the court.of our good queen but me-
thought a nuns heart at least was safe
from all save spiritual cares"
l. wol>
gentle sir; would that convent wall
could shut out all that makes this world
a paradise-or q hell Would that I
could kill love as easily as L can doff
this lying garb."
She pushed tho wimplo from her
brow, and as tho black cloak slipped
from her, Usula saw herself herself
in another body-standing before her
husband.
ooh, Usula! why didst thou play
me this trick?" Lord Craven cried.
because love thee," said the other
Usula: and Lady Craven felt turned to
stone at the sounding of that voice that
mimicked every note Of her own.
Dear, dear heart! At last" he said,
thou hast owned thy precious love.
My joy! My lifep
A smile of evil triumph spread over
her face, rs she nestled in his arms,
pushing him gently toward the dungeon
steps. And suddenly it came like a
revelation to the true Usula, breaking
the spell that held her silent-that this
was. the spirit of the wicked abbess
and with one loud cry she rushed for
ward to tear the guilty thing from her
husbands arms; but her fingers
clutched only empty air; for at that
cry the ghost vanished, and Usula, close
pressed to. her husbands heart, sobbing,
told him Of the peril he had escaped.
"And was so happy, thinking that
thou did'st in very truth love mo, sweet
UsuIa."
$50 L do, Robert" she whispered ;
day" -
With his arms thrown lovingly
around his wife, Lord Craven turned
to the servants and friends, who now
thronGed the passage, having come in
all haste, alarmed by my lady's pierc,
ing cry. He told them how, walking
In the plaisance yonder, white hand
had beckoned to him; and how, on.
tering the passage. he had met
and held converse with a ghost who
TOOK his dear wife's form to betraY him,
and who would have surely sealed his
doom, but for the good Lady Usula's
Come hither, child" said my lady,
turning to the blushing, trembling, tire.
maid, "here is tho collar promised
thee; and one more brave even than
that said should be thine"
Usula unclasped tho glittering dia-
monds from her slim white throat and
fastened them round the girls soft
neck.
Somo Of the servants, using their
lanterns, found that the steps leading
to tho dungeon keep had mostly rotted
away, so had my lord fallen down, ho
would have persisted to O surety.
Lying on the dungeon door was q
heap of human bones.
I'VE will give them Christian bu-
rial, said my lady; "for they are no
doubt the bones of that poor youth the
wicked abbess murdered"
And from the hour the poor skeleton
was buried, the siren of Norlake Abbey
appeared no more.