Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-03-18

piece adorned with exquisite frescoes
Importing some battered TIN candle
sticks aud shining canisters. Rare old
pictures were side by side with accounts
of some sort roughly chalked upon the
wainseot-heavy gold-embroidered vel
vet hanglngs on windows where every
other pane was broken, and the oritice
stuffed with straw. paper, or rags. Per-
vadlng all was a strange, mouldy, un-
earthly odor. That was supposed to be
! the drawing-room. The great hall we
had entered first was the dining-room.
| Our bedrooms were all on the same
! door, and of a piece in point of furnl-
/ ture.
After inspecting the rooms, we re-
| turned TO the hall, and had some supper;
1 and then, when the children were gone
| 20 bed, Miles Kelly came up and gave
us some particulars of our new home,
1 and explained to Arthur few of the
! difficulties he would have to encounter.
81 only hope you may be able to do
some good, sir, an get the property into
something like order; but I'm afeard
it's no use. You see theplace has been
| gOln' TO rack an ruin this twenty year.
The last agent stayed only two days"
''Why?" | asked curiously.
Miles waved his hands, shook his head
slowly. and continued speaking to my
husband.
'He hadn't much pluck, sir. You
see Abbeylands belonged time out of
mind to the Llynches, an the next prop
erty is Blakevllle. Old Sir Redmond
an the Minor-that Is, young Mr..
Llynch'S father-had been great CON-
rades in their young days Sir Redmond,
in fact, ruined Mr.. Lynch, sent Abbey
| lands into the Encountered Estates
Court. an young Sir Redmond bought
| it. But for the last twenty years he's
been able to do nothin' with it. The
| people about hate him, an can't bear to
think of his father havin' been the ruin
of young Mr. Lynch, an then his buy
! in the place. HIS own tenants love
him no better, for he's a bad landlord
that's the thruth, sir. AS for the Abb
| beylands tenants, 'tiSn't so much that
they can't pay their rent as that they
won't; they can't abear the notion of
Mr. Llynch's money goin' TO a Blake,
an the rents of Abbeylands bein' paid
to a Protestant.
"But Sir Redmond purchased the
property" said Arthur, with good
deal of wonder in his voice; "surely he
had a right to the rents2"
"YeS, sir, he purchased the property
an he might better have left 1t alone.
ANY other master would better become
Abbeylands than the son of the man
that drove it to the hammer. Though
I'm Sir Redmond's servant, an take his
wage-yes, an do his work too, sir-I
think there's dale to be said on the
side of the tenants. Anyhow, their
meanin' is right, an they'd serve the
Minor on their hands an knees"
Where is young Mr.. Lynch now?"
asked Arthur.
An expression of the deepest sorrow
and detection passed over Miles's face.
He bowed his head, waved his hands
with a gesture of despair. and remained
silent for a few moments; then he looked
UP with sort of proud defiance.
Young Mr.. Lynch. sir. is in prison.
Marcus Joyce Lynch of Abbeylands is
a convict. He got five years for bein'
IA Fenianl That's what's become of
him. thanks to the Blakes of Blake
vile. You II find all the books in the
office, sir, an I'll meet you there any
time you like in the mornin'. You
might as well see that the firearms are
all right; an, if you was to lave that
double barrelled gun at the side o. the
bed, it would do no harm. Good night,
Slr''
Good night, Kelly" said Arthur,
with a contemptuOus smile about the
firearms. The people are not going to
murder me before they know what I've
come for. You mustn't talk like that,
or you'll frighten my wife"
"Bedad, sir, if she doesn't learn to
take such thrifles aisy, she'll have
mighty bad time entirely of it at Abbey
landsl'' returned Miles; and then, with
a respectful bow and rather plying
smile, he left the room.
Our FIRST night was passed in perfect
peace and Security-not even SuSpic-
ious noise troubled uS-and for whole
week the peop!e'refrained from showing
us any active hostility.
Society there was none. The great
families round about, even if they were
at home. would not condeScend to visit
an agents wife. The Doctor was
Roman Catholic, and devout believer
in the martyr Lynch, and consequently
scOwled at us, and, L verify believe,
would have refused to visit us had we
been ill. In fact, was utterly alone
But after the first week my solitude was
broken in upon in anything but an
agreeable manner.
Whenever | went out, even for a
short walk, l was followed by some sui
len, dogged person, male or female, who
passed close to me, whispered some ut
terly unintelligible words In my ear,
and then moved on stealthily. | spoke
TO the people in English, in my native
NOrth-country dialect; but they either
could not or would not understand me;
and, though felt certain, from the ex-
preston of their faces, that their words
were either warning or threat, sald
nothing about it to Arthur, for | could
see that he too was troubled aud sorely
perplexed. But his courage showed no
sign of giving way, he was not fright
ened, and neither was L. Each day
however made matters more unpleasant.
Every morning a threatening notice of
some sort would be found nailed 10 the
nall UOOT-SODltlllllco dH iCteOis
sometimes a rude but suggestive draw
ing of coffin, sometimes death's-head
and cross bones, and such cheerful as
surances as-''If Misther CORN doesn't
lave Abbeylands, he'll be sint carriage
free to the next world; his ticket is tuck,
an he might as well lay his measure for
A wooden overcoat;' or else the warn
ing ran-"Misther Gorin', if We have
anv sinse ven lave while there's breath
in yer body. We have nothin' agln you;
but the Abbeylands rlnts'll never go to
!. Bake. If ye have any regard for yer
wife and childer, go afore the bullet
grows cowldl"
Arthur applied to the police and to
the nearest magistrates, but tney did
not afford him either much comfort or
projections; so he resolved to take such
precautions as he could, and trust TO
Providence for the rest. But it was
very little we could do. when every per