Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-04-11


wasn't thinking of the picture. Do you
know, Baby, you've got to turn out of
this?n
"What for?" said I, calmly sorting
OYER the clusters of Grandfather Gray
beard, to get the silkiest plumes. give
heard that before. l am not TO be fright
ened away by mere shadows"
''But it's a substance this time" said
my brother. "Our dear cousin is here.
He is coming to Battersley."
Chow do you knows" l questioned.
"Jones, the steward told me. He
landed in the Barataria on Saturday"
'And this is Tuesday. Oh, he won't
rush out to his new possessions the very
first thingw said l, cavalierly. "When
he comes I'll gow
"What sort of a man is he, said Simon,
thoughtfully.
"What does it matter to us2" l re-
torted.
"Why, 1 suppose he has some sort of
a right to Battersley, or the supreme
court wouldn't have adjudged it to him, /"
said Simon.
"Pshawl' said I. claw isn't always
equity. He's a selfish, abominable old
usurper, that's what he is ~
"Well, have it your own way" said
Simon. 'I'm going over to Hawley on
the pony to-day. Don't you want to
Gomez"
II should like to-" said I, wi8tfully,
'but if that picture is to go in the au-
tumn exhibition there's no time to lose"
So settled to my work after Simon
had whistled his dogs away and clattered
down the stairs.
The morning had been clear and
goldon-bright, but at noon, when sat
down in the deep sill of the old garret
window to read an odd volume of ''Anne
Of Geierstein," " and cat my lunch, l no.
ticcd that dark clouds had swept over
the sky, and an uneasy wind was riiing
the dead-goid Of the hickory boughs
And long befo.o it was night the gath
ering gloom warned me that it was time
to desist from my labors.
l began to put away my things in a
leisurely way. did not dislike the old
garrct at twilight. l enjoyed the eerie
shadows that peopled its dim recessas,
the elm boughs against the window
pancs, the crealng groans which seemed,
ever and anon, to thrill through the old
chimney-staok without any apparent
cause; the slurry of the bright-eyed mice
across the floor.
There was portrait of my grcat-great-
grand-aunt Battersley behind the big red
chest-a hard favored old dame, whose
canvas had been rent apart by some un.
toward accident, nobody knew how,
many years ago, thereby banishng it to
this unfreQuented region. And | used
to fancy that she looked at me by times,
with curious, icy gaze, as l went to
and fro.
'IIush!n I said, suddenly, to myself,
with tin tube of ultra-marine in my
hand, there are footsteps down stairs.
Somebody is moving about there"
knew it wasn't ghosts, Aunt Battcrs-
ley to the contrary notwithstanding. !
did not believe it was burglars At the
same time, however, [ wanted to get out
of the house as quick as possible, fol
dusk was deepening into night, and
knew that the tide, rising swiftly ovel
the marshes, would roar ike a wild
wolf around my patti, if l did not make
haste.
Most probably the heir-at law had ar
rived. Well, let him come!
Silently as a shadow, l glided dowr
the back stairway to the little side-dOOr
which was my usual mode of egress and
ingress; but, to my amazement, there was
pile of trunks heaped up against it
which | could no more stir than | coulC
shake the foundation of the tower 0.
Babel.
And to reach the front door l should
have to cross the great hall, with its waxeC
floor, which was already illumined by the
glow of a gypsy fire built in the monster
fireplace in the sitting-room.
"No," said 1 to myself, with hast,
survey Of the tightly y-shuttered windows
whose bolts and bars were frightened by;
years corroding rust, 81 must just g
back to the garret and hide there"
In the midst Of my perplexity, a senst
of the Righteousness of my position
dawned upon me. laughed all to my
self as glided noiselessly up the stairs
| SIOiJlHS my way III INC ldlh'
"Cousin Battersley," said to myself
"you don't know how near you are TO ont
of your relations. The chimney smokes
does it? Well, only wish it would smoke
you out! Damp down there, is it2
only hope it won't give your old bones
new lease of rheumatism
1t was so dark up in the garret now
that l could not even tell whether my
great-grand- -aunt's eyes were watching m
or not.
There was just "glimmering square
where the hall window was, a moanin!
rustic of dry leaves against the mossy
shingled roof, and herd of mice patteI
ing across the floor.
sat at the head of the stairs and lis
tened, with my chin in my hands.
"He is sending his servant to the I'M
for something in the shape of supper"
thought. "Ahl he don't know that tn
inn is three good miles off. He hasn't
bad voice--it is low and pleasant. Tn
not sure but that he speaks with a Sigh
foreign accent. That l don't like |
my mind, Americans should be Ameri
cans. Now he's making coffee. And i
smells delicious! Dear me, l didn't kno1
before how hungry 1 wasp
Here descended two or three steps,
81 wonder whathe is libe?" l thought
"Tye great mind to slip down an
peep through the crack of the door
My goodness me, what would MANN
say9 And Simon2 How good that coffe
does smell And the chimney don
smoke any more now"
Softly | crept down. Goblin-like
glided across the hall and peeped aroun
the big mahogany door, which stoo
conveniently ala .
The old room was all in glow c
ruddy light. Close to the hearth, who's