New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-06


corridor "If there one else to be consulted on
household affairs except the widow Cadogna, then
the face at the.window must be some stranger. but
if no foot has Tod these precincts for score OF years
Since the old mans death probably then the
str anger must have been a-hallucnaton. Ana IL
the beauteous Italian died here suddenly aud inyi-
terlously and since then there have been uhac-
countaUle manifestations why, then, repeat
it is curious"
They stopped before a locked and bolted door
Miss Fitzgerald turned to Ambrose and uplfted
her hand with a solemn gesture as of invocation.
= Dear friend ~ she whispered we stand on the
threshold of an unparallcled adventure. We know
not what may be its upshot. Perchauce iOy-Dos'i-
bly pain-Or il NAV he some CHASTITY revelation! .
You and together TO penetrate behind the ven
of ages: the secret which the dead 50 long have
kept ia now to be uttered ia our ears. Beats your
heart high. as mine, with courage and constancy
Are you prepared. as AIN. to risk shock That may
paralyze yOnr future existence. and extend ITS
rrisly influence beyond the tombf For IL 1T not a
tomb-a world of the dead-w hOse portals we are
now about TO unbarT
ono doubt Of it. Miss Fitzgerald: and should
got safe out again YOU shall write poem about 1t
something IN the style of Poe's Raven So, IN
stead of misfortune, this adventure may result IN
benefit to the whole human race. Shall unlock the
doorW
Faith then, your strong arm may better do so
than lrailty such a. mine' said the maiden ntcnd-
ing no moral reflection upon her own character
however: "a lock that has rustcd for twenty WIN
trrs must yield only TO a stronger force than my
tiny finger, can e1ort'
Ambfos,'s fingers were not out of proportion with
his general dimensions; but if Miss Iltg'raUs
were tiny. his must have been mici o.copic. AniIc-
pating some r,s.stIucc, hc graspcd the great by
with both hands, and turned 10 with al ms might.
But the bolt slid back as smoothly and easily as #
u had been oiled The other fastenIng' having
been undone the door swung back on its hinges
with scarce a creak The haunted precincts lay be-
fore them.
Mss Fitzgerald. after moments pause, en-
wrapped her companions hand in her tiny fingers
and strobe across the threshold. Ambrose, as lie
passed IN closed the door behind him.
They were ia u spacious room, similar To that
which they had Just left, but empty of furniture,
thick with dust and cobwebs and the floor, walls
and cell ng IN as rough aud unsubdued a state AS
the last century bad LETT them in iet-his eyes
being used to nots triilmg things-Ambrose tancled
that lac dsccrned the dusty plauks certain traces
inconsstent with the theory that the apartment
had never been visited. But these traces might
have been made year ago, or possibly much more
Nor was II easy to say what had nads them a rat :
tai might have left mark scarcely dIstmgu sh-
able from the light touch OF wOmau's skirt.
Moreover. tie room owing 10 the boarding up of
the windows dusky, and Miss FItz gerald do
nanded a good deal of attention.
How weird Is this she exclaimed in a hushed
voice how gray and still. How my pulses thrOb .
All! without your support never could | brave the
perls of tins spot. Ny soul Is too timely sensitive
nay. am but a half embodied spirit"
Now. one would have Supposed thought Am
brose that she had body enough for dozen such
spirits a. bers!7 Aloud he said: How happened
THIS wing OF the house TO be abandoned ~
"The altered fortunes of the Cad0gnas. The
family you must know. is not of noble lineage
although. from their alliance with race you
might have inferred otherwise. But even the pos
teritv Of Desmond has suffered cruelty at the hands
Of fate"
Nevertheless" remarked Ambrose. L" there is
point beyond which blueness of blood becomes a
source Of weakness and decay. The Fitzgeralds
could not have gone forever nternarrving with
the MacCartys. An Italian Alternative was not. per-
haps, bad prescription. And the Cadognas were
not, take It. barbariansT
@They were attached to commerce." said the lady
with SIGH.
At this point the two adventures entered 4
second corridor. and came TO a pause in front of
what seemed to be the entrance to the tower 1t
was massive portal. clamped with iron, and
looked able 10 withstand medav al batterIng RAM
not to speak of a romantic pOeteSs and artist.
Thus far they had encountered nothing bat
emptiness full Of dust and cobwebs but now. when
the real point of interest reached an impossible
barrier confronted them. There no key IN the
lock- and the other key did not fit II.
Ambrose laid hls hand upon the heavy latch and
lifted it,-not be it admitted. expec ing any
suit 10 follow, but in order unObtrusivey 60 disem-
barrass himself of his companions clasp. which she
had not relaxed. The latch being lifted, however,
he instinctively pulled the door toward him. when
10 it gave way and opened almost as easily as the
other had done. He turned on Miss Fitzgerald with
a momentary suspicion. Was she playing of upon
him some profound and inooncevable practical
jokes
No; there could be no joke in the matter. even
had there been time to prepare one and the timer