Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-10-06


to comfortable smoking room, where
found everything needful provided for US.
Branksome did not appear. had already
learned, however, that he was no smol or,
and I vas not therefore surprised at his
absence. Mauleverer himself smoked little,
and long before bad finished my cigar his
cigarette had been consumed With an
apol ,gy on the score Of his delicate health be
by and by left me to myself.
CHAPTER VII.
THE HAUNTED ROOM
am afraid I sat longer than I should
have done in the luxurious little smoking
room. It was not the admirable quality OF
Mauleverer's cigars that chained me to the
spot My mind was full Of all the incidents
Of the day. and slowly pondered on them
as the fragrant clouds Of tobacco smoke
rose above my head. My predominant
fealfnRwas one Of almost extravagant de-
light. ;. "She loves mel She loves meP was
the thought that most frequently came
uppermo.l in my mind But ever and anon
there shot across the broad current Of my
Joy sinister sense Of doubt and apprehen-
sion. remembered the inscription on the
lack Of Daisy's portrait, @Daisy Stanclife,
alias -.n I recalled, not now with the
scornful indifference that l had felt In
the tran, the wild words Of Gregson, "There
Is murder going to be done at the place to
which you are going, and you know it" II
that were true then, at least, thought
did know by whom the murder would be
wrought. It would be the man Flinter,
whom Dizzy had just described to me as
dangerous Aye. and once or twice re-
memberei how Gregson had involved all OF
us, myself and Branksome, and even Daisy
herself, in a common condemnation with
this ruffian. Iknew how guiltless l myself
was OF all criminal plots against any human
being. But was not more certain Of my
own innocence than was Of Daisys. Let
me write that here with emphasis, SO that,
blamable as may have been In many mat
ters, ! shall at least bs free from blame In
this.
But from all these wild and wandering
fancies my mind ever returned to the same
delightful thought Of Daisy's love. That
sooner or later she should be mine, was re-
solved. As for Mauleverers millions, let
them perish with him, if they were to stand
between ua
was aroused from long, deep reverie by
the silvery tone Of clock which stood on the
mantelpiece Of the room. looked up. and
to my surprise saw that It was one o'clock.
had spent more than an hour by myself
after Mau.everer had left me.
There was all through the house that dead
and lemn silence which Is never so COM
plete as in large country house at that hour
of the night could feel, as 1t were, all
around me the great empty rooms, and the
long corridors with their myiterious wind
ings, and the worm-eaten staircases, up and
down which those who had been dust now
for hundreds Of years had once passed in the
flush Of life and health.
There was not sound, say, to break tho
silence; and yet as I listened that very
silence seemed to become vocal, and all tho
air was filled with one rythmic cry that
struck upon my tingling nerves with q
distinctness which spoken words could never
have attained. There Is murder to be done
here; murder, murder, murder" That was
what the awful silence Of the great house
seemed to say to me. knew that 1t was
nothing more than the effect Of the imagina-
ton due to the excitement OF the past day.
Yet started up in nervous terror and
lighted my candle, hardly daring to look
behind me as I turned from the room to
seek my chamber
Where or how got wrong hardly knew.
I found presently, however, that I had
missed the corridor through which I had to
pass on my way to the staircase leading to
my room. / turned into another passage,
thinking it might lead me in the right direc-
tion. As was passing door in this cor
ridor, distinctly heard voice raised as In
anger. 1t was Flinter who was speaking.
@Curse him! what has brought him here to
meddle with everythingl You may believe
me or not, as you like. but If that Internal
boy is not put out Of the way, and quickly,
too, we may as we'll give up the gap:e."
heard no more There was a faint
murmur as though some one responded to
Flinter, but I could catch no intelligib!e
sound, so passed on, hardly thinking for
the moment that what had heard could
have any reference to myself The next
turn brought me in some inexplicable
fashion to the head Of the great staircase,
from which spot it was an easy matter for
me to find my way to my bedroom.
closed the outer door opening upon the
lonely stair that gave access to my apart
ment and looked around me. I was in the
delightful little sitting room beyond which
the bedroom was dimly visible through an
open door, A fire had been lighted in both
rooms, but In neither case was it now burn
inc. The black ashes contrasted drearily
with the sumptuous furnishing Of the two
apartments. I did not linger in the outer
room. crossed the threshold Of the haunted
chamber, and closing the door, began at
once to prepare for bed.
And now, in the very dead Of the night.
and cut off by long galleries and lonely stair
cases from any other human being, with
nerves shaken, too, by all the exciting Incl
dents of the day, first realized the fact that
to sleep in this room with all its memories
and traditions was by no means so pleasant
an adventure as it had seemed few hours
earlier What was the ghost which was said
to haunt the placei l sat down and tried to
recall the legend as l had heard it after din
ner. A woman, false and cruel, who had
once been the mistress Of the hall, kept the
young heir a captive in this very room for
many years in order that she might substi-
tute her own child for him. In this lonely
chamber-so the story ran-the captive boy
had only one visitor; it was his half brother,
the child for whose sake his own life was
doomed to misery. And the two had learned
to love each other, so that day by day
the young favorite would creep up
the dark staircase and find admis-
sion to tts chamber where the true heir wds
imprisoned. One day the younger child
was playing as usual in the room when
something attracted him to the window. 1t
was open, for it was in the summer time.
He peeped out and saw his mother standing
below him With cry Of joy he leaned
out Of the window c!apping his hands, and
In a moment he had overbalanced himself
and had fallen a crushed and lifeless mass at
the feet Of the cruel woman who had sinned
for him in vain. A few hours later. when tho
particulars which the shock Of so terrible
tragedy had produced had died away, the
lady climbed the dusty oaken staircase and
entered the room where the heir lay, over
whelmed with grief and horror at the fate
of his little playmate. Dark vengeance was
on her face-the vengeance Of woman who
has lost all that made life worth living and
who burns with desire to make every
other woman childless. There was the sud-
den glitter Of knife, a sharp cry Of terror
from the captive and then silence In the
morning the little prisoner was found lying
dead, stabbed to the heart, while beside him
crouched his stepmother, gibbering
maniac.
This was the tragedy Of my room 1t was
the ghost Of the lady that was said to haunt
1t, though there were legends which told
how the cry OF a child, long, low wall Of