The Penn's Grove record., 1885-03-14

with homemade straw mats, a chimney
piece adorned with exquisite tresc0es
Importing some battered tin candle
sticks and shining canisters. Rare OLD
pictures were side by side with
Of some sort roughly chalked upon the
wainscOt-heavy gold-embroldered vel
vet hangings on windows h every
other pane was broken, and the orlnce
stuffed with straw. paper, or rags. FER
vadIng 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 dinlng-room.
Our bedrooms were all on the same
floor, and Of a piece in point OF Iurhl-
tuTe.
After inspecting the rooms, we re-
turuedto the hall, and had some supper;
and then, When the children were gone
to bed, Miles Kelly came up and gave
US some particulars of our new nome,
and explained to Arthur a few OF the
difficulties he would have to encounter.
81 only hope you may be able 10 DO
some good, sir, an get the property into
something like order; but I'm afeard
it's no use. You see the place has been
goIn' to rack an ruin this twenty year.
The last agent stayed only tive nays"
"Why?" | asked %curiously.
Miles waved his hands, shook his mead
slowly. and continued speaking to my
husband.
"He hadn't much pluck, sir. You
see Abbeylands belonged time IL OF
mind to the Llynches, an the next prop
erty is BlakevIlle. Old Sir Redmond
| an the Minor-that IS, young MIR.
Llynch's father-had been great COM
| rades in their young days Sir Redmond,
in fact. ruined MI. Lynch, sent Abbey
lands into the Encumbered Estates
Court, an young Sir Redmond bought
it,. But for the last twenty years he's
been able to do nothin' with IL. Inc
people about hate him, an can't bear to
think of his father hayin' been b rum
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 Alb
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 Ab~beylands bein' paid
to a Protestant"
"But Sir Redmond purchased the
PROPERTY" said Arthur, with a good
| deal of wonder in his voice; ''surely he
had a right to the rentsP"
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
Pm Sir Redmond's servant, an take his
wage-yes, an do his work too, sir-I
think there's a 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 nowp''
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 ewmoments; then ne looked
up with a 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'll find all the books in the
office, sir, an In 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,
sir"
GOOD night, Kelly" said Arthur,
with a contemptuous smile about the
firearms. 1.-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 Brighten my WIFE"
''Bedad, sir, if she doesn't learn to
take such thritles aisy, she'll have a
mighty bad time entirely of it at Abbey
lands!'' returned Miles; and then, with
a respectful bow and a rather plying
smile, he left the room.
Our first night wa passed in perfect
peace and security-not even a suspic-
ious noise troubled us-and for a whole
week the people refrained from showing
us any active hostility.
Society there was nj The great
families round about, even if they were
at home, would not condescend to visit
an agents wife. The Doctor was a
Roman Catholic, and a devout believer
in the martyr Lynch, and consequently
scowled at us, and, l verify believe,
would have refused to visit us had we
been i'll. In fact, l was utterly alone
But after the first weekany solitude was
broken in upon in anything but an
agreeable manner.
Whenever | went out, even for a
short walk, | was followed by ONE sui
len. logged 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 OF would not understand me;
and. though | felt certain, from the ex-
pressiOu of their faces, that their words
were either a warning or a threat, | SAID
nothing about it to Arthur, for | could
see that he too was troubled and sorely
perplexed. But his courage showed no
sign of giving way, he was not fright
eued. and neither vas l.. Each day
however made matters more unpleasant.
Every morning a threatening notice of
some sort would be found nailed to the
hall door-sometimes an ill-spelt letter,
sometimes a rude but suggestive draw
ing of a coffin, sometimes a death's-head
and 0 bones, and such cheerful as
s%urances as-"If Misther CORN doesn't
lave Abbeylands, he'll be stint carriage
free to the nextWorld; his ticket is tuck,
an he might rs well lay his measure for
a wooden overcoat;'' or else the warn
ing ran-"Misther CORN, if We have
any sinse ven lave while there's breath
In yer body. We have nothin' agin you;
but the Abbeylands rints1l never go to
= Bake. If We 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 they did
not afford him either much comfort OF
protection; so he resolved to take such
precautions as he could, and trust 10
Providence for the rest. But ii was
very little We could do. when every per
90, rnund us WA An enemy either omen