Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-02-25

ucou, ouu 30 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
neir and Sir Herbert's uncle-came to
i've 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 agol
Maurice Fendall died, and left a
son-Mr. Rex--as fine a young gentle
man as you III 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 s
the time he has not five-pound note in
hls 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
two servants, where In old times there
were twenty. She has little bit of
money of her own and it is well she
has, for times are hard with them.
There Is beautiful young lady living
with her-Miss Gladys Luttrell-maybe
you'll remember. sir, 1 told you she
looked like Lady Irmentrude's picture?
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 a 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 good-looking-enoug
young woman, but so high and mighty
IN 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 corner,
and quite mad entirely. They knew
that she had gone TO Sir Herbert s room
with 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 rightsr She Is very quiet
| so they let her stay at the Court, in stead
of sending her TO the madhouse Just
| over at BOynton. But sure the Fendalls
| al -. ha
M Ow, your honor. that is all can
tell you about Fendall Court; and yon-
der is the end of the road. Go on,
GIpsyl By the powers, L believe the
beast is fast asleepG'
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
adorn red woollen jacket for the old
JeweSs Rachel, which was to be pre-
sented to her on New Years Eve; the
poor creature had 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 fiOor-all save one-a heavily
made chest covered with mildewed
leather, with corners, hinges, and bands
of curiously- wrought brass.
Il have looked over these rags and
scraps thousand times already" muir
INJURED Gladys lmpatiently, land 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, dust-coy-
cred, solid and invulnerable, stood IN
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 time, when a
little girl. had she sat upon that old
chest, swinging her shabby heels against
Its substantial sides, and wondering
with all 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
Fendsll had strictly forbidden its being
opened. Whether it was 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 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 doubly trying.
Anything approaching mystery
gained strong hold on her vivid i'm
agination and often of an evening she
would tell Rex, tt his great amusement,
the conclusions she had come to re-
garding 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 never before, since these
walls have stood, has the old year passed
away without festival being held
within them. During your day, chill
dren, it is true, the making has
been simple and unpretending but
some difference has always been made.
This has been hard year for us, as you
know; We cannot afford any outlay
now, and without money it is difficult
to provide feast. The thought of the
holidays passing like any other sad DAYS
Of the year has made me very unhappy;
and so, for tomorrow night, have de-
cided upon something which will at