The Penn's Grove record., 1885-02-21
to the lmaslnary Lady hnen.

pointing to the imaginary Lady linen
trude.
GLADYS, my dear child, leave the
ROOM"
Gladys, white and trembling, stole
out of SIGHT behind a portiere whence
she could hear unseen.
Where is Sir Herbert ?" repeated
Rex, clutching the back of a chair to
steady himself.
"Yonder, in the well, under the sun
dial. I saw him fall in, and then every
thing was dark to me, and to him too.
Ha, ha |"
Miss Fendall started violently. and
exchanged chances with Rex.
Go on-explain further. Where
were you when you saw him fail into
the welIY" said the young man, fixing
his eyes on the crazy woman's.
at was night there was a little
moon which made light and shadows
outside. My lady had written a note
to Sir Herbert, saying that she returned
his love. She told me nearly all her
thoughts, and what she did not tell [
read on the sly 10 their letters. My lady
had alsp at that time another lover at
Fendall whom she detested. That night
New Years Eve-she gave me two
letters to deliver-one to her hearts
lover, telling that she belonged to him;
the other a firm refusal of the suit Of
the man who, against her will, had made
love to her. There was no name mem
toned in this last letter, and my lady
did not seal the notes-she did not
think | was sharp enough to read them.
i W S in a rage with Sir Herbert that
day, because / had heard him say some
thing soothing of the Jews, my people.
TO punish him, | put my lady's refusal
in the envelope addIesscl to him, and
destroyed the fond loving message in
tended for him. l meant to say the next
day that | had made a mistake, and so
right everything. In the meantime he
would have had his punishment. Sir
Herbert read the letter-the n refus-
ing forever another man and his face
grew white and set. He ran down the
private stairway leading from his rooms
into the shrubbery. l called after HIM /;
but he did not hear me. He started
towards the lake swiftly and blindly, |
watching him, frightened Suddenly
he disappeared; there was no tree or
rock to hide him. and the moon shone
clearly on the lawn. l knew what had
happened /; but my tongue was dead.
The railing had been taken away from
the Old well-that dreadful well, so
black and deep that they said the Evil
One used 1t as a passage-way from be-
lowl A stone cover lad been made for
the well {; but 1t was set ia place too
T,te - 1890 Co., TTnrfaVv Tho navf
morning, before the news Of his diSap-
p~earance was spread abroad, the work.
men covered The well with the heavy
block of stone; and no one ever thought
TO lift it since. The last master of Fen
dali has only a sun-dial to mark his
grave-odd, isn't it?"
Here the woman burst into @ wild
d~iscordant peal of laughter, and then
sank swooning upon the floor.
For the three witnesses of this scene
there was very little sleep that night, so
intent were. they upon what the next
few days would bring forth. If old
Racliel's story was true-and during her
narration she seemed quite sane-a brill
liant future lay before them-for Rex a
recognition Of his rights and the reali-
zation for himself and Gladys of all
their fondest hopes, and for Miss Fen
dali a tranquil old age, happy In the JOY
of her beloved ones.
AS quickly as possible Rex had the
broken sun-dial removed which con-
cealed the forgotten we'll. A mar
dashed to a long rope, with lantern and
pick-axe. was slowly lowered through
the aperture. 1t seemed to Rex an in
terminable time till he s;gnalled that
he had gone deep enough, and it was as
If years elapsed before he pulled the
rope to be drawn up.
AT last the workman's rough shock
of hair was seen again at the mouth of
the well, and he scrambled out as If
glad to feel the grass beneath his feet
once more
There are bones down there, your
honor-human bones, for had the skull
in my hand. There was no water, and
| picked up these bits Of things lying
in the clay"
Rex took from the mans work-stained
hands what seemed the tarnlshed clasp
of a. purse, and some shreds of leather
that might have been a pocket-book, to
which a discolored silver shield still
hung. Rex examined the bit of silver,
and then involuntarily barred his head.
The crest of the Fendalls, with the in
itials III. F." beneath, was still plainly
discerpible; almost beyond a doubt he
stood over the grave of his long-lost
kinsman, strange restlng-place though
it a
Other relics going to prove the fate
of Sir Herbert were found in the well,
and the various courts Of law admitted
that at last the mystery was solved.
The dust of the missing Baronet was
laid with his ancestors in the old village
church, the funeral procession being
followed by the older peasantry, who
had waited thirty years to show this
last honor to their masters memory.
During the following January the
church was opened for a very different
ceremony-the marriage of Sir Rex
Fendall to Miss Gladys Luttrell.
''Only think, Rex" Gladys would
often exclaim-''we have to thank the
brass-bound chest for all our happlnessI
| always believed there was magic in
ii, and | was not mistaken