The Penn's Grove record., 1885-02-21

They couldn't be sure that Sir Herbert
was dead, and so of course the next
could not have it and at last the law
Yers put the case In Chancery, where it
is TO this day,
"Maurice Fendall he was the next
heir and Sir Herbert's uncle-came to
live at the Court /; but he couldn't take
the title, and never a penny could he
spend of the rents, even to keep up tie
place so 1t las gone to wrack and ruin
"a sore sight after the grand old place
Of long agot
"Maurlce Fendall died, and left a
son-Mr. Rex-as fine a young gentle
man as you'll End anywhere. With the
help of God, maybe he'll come into bis
rights sooner or later ; but sure it's
hard on him to know that, while many $
the time he has not a fve-pound note in
ms pocket, there are thousands belong
ing to him in the bank, if 1t could be
proved that Sir Herbert was dead and
left no children.
"Mr. Rex's aunt, Miss Letltia Fen
dali, lives at the old house with one or
. wo servants, where in old times there
were twenty. She has a little bit of
money of her own /; and it is well she
has, for times are hard with them.
There is a beautiful young lady living
with her-Miss Gladys Luttrell-maybe
you'n remember, sir, l told you she
looked like Lady Irmentrude's picture2
Mr.. Rex is in an office in Dublin, but
comes home sometimes. They do say
he is in love with Miss Gladys !; but
sure people cannot marry on love alone
and there is not much else for them
now.
"But the strangest thing Of all, sir,
is about an old crazy woman, Rachel
Bray. She lives at the Court /; and
many one thinks that, if she was right
in her head, and could tell, she knows
something about Sir Herbert. She
came first to Fendall as maid TO Lady
Irmentrude, a acknowledgements
young woman, but SO high and mighty
III herself that she never had a word
for the other servants.
"Well, sir, the morning after Sir
Herbert was lost they found her in her
room all doubled up like in u corner,
and quite mad entirely. They knew
that she had gone to Sir Herbert's room
with a message the evening before, and
they do think that she saw something
dreadful there that took her wits clean
away !; but Heaven only knows what it
was. Anyhow, she never got over it
more's the pity /; for, if she only had
her mind, who knows but what she
might be able to help our young master
to get his rights Z She Is very quiet i;
so they let her stay at the Court, instead
of sending her 10 the madhouse Just
over at Boynton. But sure the Fendalls
were always good TO the poorl
NOW, Your honor. that is all | can
tell you about Fendall Court and yon-
der is the end of the road. Go on,
Gipsy By the powers, l believe the
beast is fast asleep"
Two days before the close Of the year,
Gladys, on her knees in the attic of the
old house, was busily turning over the
contents of many mouldy boxes and
trunks. She was searching for some
bits of fUr-trimming with which to
adoln a red woollen jacket for the old
Jewess Rachel, which was to be pre-
sented to her on New Years Eve /; the
poor creature had a childish delight in
bright-cOlOred garments, and she suf-
fered much from the unusual cold of
the season.
Gladys seemed not altogether pleased
with the result of her search, for she
had ransacked box after box, till all
stood open, with their contents scattered
over the hoOr-all save one-a heavily.
made chest covered with widowed
leather, with corners, hinges, and bands
of curiously-wrought brass.
II have looked over these rags and
scraps a thousand times already" muir
INJURED Gladys lmpatiently, ''and might
have spared myself this trouble. These
bits of beaver will have to do, moth
eaten though they are. | hoped to find
an old chinchilla muff of aunt Letitia's;
but IL seems to have disappeared. You
old riddle, what wouldn't l give for the
key to you ?"
This last remark was addressed to
the brass-bound chest, which, d%ust-cov-
cred, solid and invulnerable, stood III
the same spot in which Gladys had re-
membered seeing it ever since she came,
a child of five, to live with Miss Fen
dali. Many and many a time, when a
little girl. had she sat upon that old
chest, swinging her shabby heels against
It's substantial sides, and wondering
with all a child's eager curiosity what
it contained-it being to her youthful
imagination an exaggerated Pandora's
casket, which she longed to open.
Long before - many years before
GLADYS was born-this chest had been
placed, locked, in the attic, and MISS
Fendall had strictly forbidden its being
opened. Whether it was a freak of
hers to feign a mystery where none ex-
listed, OF whether the chest really con.
tanned what was best left in ~obscurity,
no one knew /; and, as time went on, in
mates of the house learned that. inqui-
ries on the subject were idle and useless.
No one, not even Gladys, the pet and
light of the house, could get a CLEAN of
enlightenment from the old lady as to
what the mysterious chest contained,
The fact that the young girl was al
lowed free range over ali the rest of the
house and intimate acquaintance with
all else that it contained made her ex-
clusion from participation in this one
secret doubiy trying.
Anything approaching a mystery
gained a strong hold on her vivid i'm.
agination I; and often of an evening she
would tell Rex, t. his great amusement,
the conclusions she had come to re-
gardlng the contents of this box, and
the romances she had woven about it.
Topics of interest were rare at Fendall
Court, which perhaps accounted for the
zest with which Gladys always discussed
the brass-bound chest.
"Young people, began Miss Letitia.
as she, Gladys, and Rex were assembled
that evening about the open fireplace in
the great drawlng-room, tomorrow,
New YEARS. Eve, will find US without
any preparation for merry-making. IL
grieves me beyond words that such is
the case, for lever before. since these
walls have stood, has the old year passed
away without a festival being held
within them. During your day, chill
dren, it is true, the merry-making has
been simple and u~npretending ; but
some difference has always been made.
This has been a hard year for us, as you
know we cannot afford any outlay