Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-09-09

bteSAN VI tlt OlQ HDuSe.
And Annabel had the property?n
'sTo be sure. Nobody thought of dis
putting her right. you know, and as to
No. 10, it's haunted. see light shine
through the creyices of the shutters once
myself"
Here Mrs. Brown finished her story
and her last swallow of coffee at the
same time, and went about her house,
hold duties
put on my shawl and took a stroll
round the grounds of No 10; but got
no new ideas in regard to it.
One determination, however, arrived
at. Before many DAYS would 90 inside
the grounds; yes, inside the house itself,
II possible. You know | have already
told you that had prying DISPOSE
ton. Forbidden things always possessed
a peculiar charm for me-
1t was about ten o'clock next night
when | left my room and stole softly
out into the street. Everything was
quiet, and in few moments / had
climbed the gate and found myself at
the cellar window. The old bars Weld
ed quickly, and then with one blow of a
stone | burst in the glass, and squeezed
myself through the narrow opening.
lighted the candle / had taken with me
and looked around the place. II was
very damp there; the ceiling was hung
with cobwebs and the air was foul and
mouldy. | soon found the stairs: to my
Joy the door was not fastened. 1t adj
mitted me into a square room which |
Judged had been the kitchen. for the
walls were ornamented with pots and
pans and other kitchen utensils
tried the first door at the left. and
found myself IN q hall with doors lead
ing in every direction, and at the ex-
treme end Il staircase ] assembled the
stairs, which brought me to another
hall, somewhat smaller than the first.
but with quite rs many doors. | tried
the nearest; it was fast; several more
were in the same condition; others al
lowed me TO look into damp, mouldy-
smelling chambers, bare of furniture,
and 50 dismal looking generally that
was glad to close the door again, and
shut myself out from the thousand inn
aginary horrors which seemed ready to
burst ont upon me from those gloomy
apartments.
The last door | opened was at the
back OF the hall towards the center of
the building, and it opened into q
clothes-press or closct-a mere box OF n
place, hung around with some half
worn clothing and a few old maps. A
rubbish hole. very evidently.
Now what made me decide, the mo-
ment | stepped inside it, that there was
the key to all that desired to solve?
| looked for door out of the press
other than the one by which | had en-
tered, and | soon found it, A bundle
of old curtains hung over it, and it was
strongly bolted on the outside With
trembling fingers l slid back the bolt
and entered Il room beyond-an oval
apartment destitute of windows, and
having one door at the upper extrem-
ity. This door, also. was bolted.
| had gone too far to retreat. Do
you ask me if | was not afraid? | do
not remember that | thought anything
about fear.
l drew back this bolt, opened the
door, and passed through; and as | did
SO cold current of air eXtinguished my
candle and left me in total darkness. /
felt strangely, | must confess. A cold
breath seemed freezing the life from my
lips, and Twas permeated with the sense
OF something near me, some intelligence
strong and controlling, yet underlined,
lowering in the shadows which encom-
passed me- l lighted my candle again,
and surveyed the place where | was.
An apartment not very large. circular
in form, the walls covered with green
baize, and at the extremity bed.
With slow sense of apprehension
creeping over me l looked ut that bed,
and saw that the quilt covered some-
thing-the outlines of-was 1t 4 human
form? For moment | stood there
trembling and irresolute, then my cour-
age returned, and | went softly to the
bedside. There | saw the pale, still
face of a young man. He was dressed
in velvet robe dc chun5bre Of deep
purple, which made his pale face
almost CHASTITY in the dim light. AM
ber-brown hair curied loosely away
from his forehead; 9 heavy beard of the
same hue covered the lower part of the
face, and his closed eyelids had look
of sorrow and distress even in sleep.
Even as | gazed he Enclosed his eyes
and flashed Il look into my face. Then
he sprang quickly to his feet and stood
confronting me.
"Well," said he, coolly enough, ''who
are you?n
Just the question | was about to ask
you,' said |, having recovered myself
by this time
''Do you come from Annabel?"
"Not !. | come from Mrs. Browns"
What bright, beautiful light sprang
into his face. 1t made him handsomer
than anyone l ever saw. He grasped
my hand eagerly.
'And are you not in her employ?
You are not one of her tools?"
''Whose-Mrs. Brown's?'
mo, no! Annabel Lampson's?"
Il should think not | am Miss Alison
Burton, Mt your service. And who are
you?"
81 am Duke Frampton. if YOU please"
said he, bowling profoundly.
Good graciousn' cried |, chat can
not be! Duke is in his gravel
q beg your pardon. Some one may
be in Dukes grave, but certainly not
Duke himself"
''Well," said |, ''this is better than a
romance. You are the first dead man |
ever saw come to life after he had been
dead a year. | wonder if it will not
be best to have a mutual explanation l
will set you the example. board at
Mrs Browns opposite. 1 am naturally
Of a very prying disposition. My land
lady told me what she knew of the
history Of this house and its inhabitants,
and ! conceived 4 strong desire to make
visit here The doors being inhos-
pitaby closed | came in through a cell
lar window, and here | am"
The young man laughed
You are strange girl, but do be-
lieyc Heaven sont YOU here. And now
| will tell YOU why am here"
have not space TO give his narrative
so | will briefly state the facts which he
told me,
Annabcl Stanley had tried 10 win his
love. Failing in that she laid another
plan by which the property might be
hers. She enticed Duke to b, where
she was stopping with her husband, and
after that he knew no more until he
found himself in this prison chamber.
lie had been druggcd, and brought
there in the night. Annabel confessed
it all to him; in fact, she rather took
pride in her adroitness. She told him
the canard OF his death and burial. of
the coffin which had contained sawdust
and bits of lead, of the costly monu-
ment erected in his honor in his ances-
tral burying-ground.
This chamber had been used years