The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1885-02-14
Better be with the dead,
Whom we. 10 gain our pla'
n0ula


Better be with the dead,
Whom we TO gain our place, have sent to
peace,
Than on the torture Of the mind TO lie
In restless ecstasy.
If lavish profusiOn, recklessness of
cost, and carefully planned amusements
could make any social entertainment
great success, this second Christmas
Day at Silverton Castle must certainly
have put all other events of the kind
completely in the shade.
The servants and tenantry were not
10 well cared for as in the past, IL is
true, for Grace had given orders that
they should put off their merry-making
till after she was married, when they
could eat and drink, dance and sing, to
their hearts content.
All the guest-chambers in the castle
were full, and the eight bridesmaids
who were to attend the bride on the
coming day were here with their moth
ers or sisters or chaperons, each one of
the eight looking forward to the time
when she herself should take the lead
ing part i'll similar ceremony.
Grace Lilburne had not been very
judicious in the selection of her brides
maids.
The pretty desire to triumph over her
friends and to create envy and jealousy
prompted her to invite Miriam Hind
man, ~ brilliant brunette. who rumor
whispered had won Victor Gay
herds heart. and he was only saved
from marrying her by her father losing
the greater part of his fortune.
Mr.. Lilburne had objected TO Miriam
being invited, and had suggested a
cousin of his own in her stead; but
Grace was obstinate. she had made up
her mind 10 invite Miriam, and Vic
tor could only hope that the invitation
would not be accepted.
But here again he was disappointed,
and Miriam came, looking seductive
and brilliant as humming-bird, gorg-
eous with jewels and costly dresses, and
giving confirmation to the report that
her father had retrived his fortune, and
was now richer man than ever.
am afraid that Grace regretted her
obstinacy when she saw how fascina-
tingly beautiful Miriam was, and GER
tainly she was genuinely jealous when
she observed how Nictor's eyes follow
ed the girl who had still the power TO
make him forget everybody else when
she was present.
Miriam knew that Grace had not in
vited her out of affection, and that she
had no nobler aim than desire to
mortify and humiliate her, and she de-
termined that the pain should not be all
on one side.
On her arrival at the castle. Miriam
persistently attached herself to Mr.. Lii
burne. She gave him her sympathy
with such witching tenderness. she con-
doled with him ut being about to lose
his second daughter, and then she be-
gan to talk of dear Kate, who had been
her most intimate friend.
e am quite sure that Kate is alive"
she said, suddenly raising her voice so
that all the others in the small tea-room
could hear her.
Grace frowned. But Miriam paid no
heed to the frown as she continued:
"Yes, am quite sure she is alive. l
dreamed of her last night, and my
| dreams always come true. We shall see
her soon, | have no doubt of it,"
'If you have nothing more substan-
tial than dream to found your asHer-
ton upon, | think ii il pity you should
make 1t, ~ said Grace with cold severity.
II don't see why; my dreams have u
strange faculty for being fulfilled. But,
by the way. isn't there some mysterious
passage or chamber in the old part of
the castle, or was 1t destroyed when
most of the place was rehuilt?n
She looked at Grace as she spoke, but
it was Mr.. Lilburne who replied:
81 never heard of anything of the
kind. Silyerton is singularly free from
romance. We have not even the dis
tinction of possessing a family ghost"
There is, OF there was, some myster-
ious means of getting in and out of tn,
CASTLE" said Miriam, shaking her pref
ty head like wise bird laying dow
the law to its feathered friends. -
found out something about it from al
old manuscript that papa has in hi
library. ! wish had brought it witt
me, but III send for it. Did you neve
hear of the secret, GraceYn
NO" was the curt reply.
But Grace Lilburne's face becam
deadly white, her head swan, and Il
was only by the most supreme effor
that she could keep herself from faint
ing.
As soon as she could do 50 without
being observed, the guilty woman es
capped To her own room. Here sh'
threw of all restraint, and gave wa!
to the terrible agony of fear and re
morse that consumed her.
The secret of the turret floor il
KNOWN she muttered despairingll
land that creature will discover wher
IL is; ! saw the threat in her eyes whe
she looked at me.
II will open the floor tonight an
her eyes looked cold and cruel as th
words Missed between her teeth. "Iwil
lower a lamp into the shaft and Sc
what lies there. | have been afrai
hitherto, but | would rather meet Kate
sightless eyes and look upon her dea
face than endure the grin of that mock
ing witch whom | was mad enough t
invite here
Having made this resolution, sh
managed before nightfall to procure
covered lantern and long cord, and I
/ hide them in the room the floor of whic
hid such CHASTITY secret.
This had been easy enough, becaus
, the great hall was in the same part @
! the building, and several times durin
the day she had considered 1t necessai
r TO go and personally inspect and super
4 intend the decorations of holly, mistl
toe, and hot-house flowers.
She made pretence of criticising III
arrangement Of the tables, and the o
e der in which the guests were TO
d placed, and she stood over the servant
while everything was altered and r
arranged according to her order s.
i "a sIl. nttoofQ m In