The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1888-09-15

for a story"
at might what do you lnow oti,i"
"Oh, not much"
"HOw long have you known tha. tai,
dark-whiskcred uanf
II don't know him az all"
"YOu mean you have no formal acquaint-
ancef"
"No, sir
How long since you first saw himri
"Threc or four years ago"
Had he been here before tha, timer"
~ have heard that he had. He has been
living at the old stone house on the hill, at
short periods, for several years"
IL believe you SAID that u young lady
was once seen within those walls 4"
"Ycs, sir, that was only a few months
ago. have heard that she was seen again
within the last few days. Some one discoy.
cred her sitting on a rustic seat beneath an
old oak, al spring on the hillside, between
the village and the rock house"
"Who is shcin
No one knows. She seems 20 be an ad-
ditional mystery II is generally supposed
that she - the daughter of the dark
whlskcred master Of the stone house"
"Shc has no resemblance 10 him what
ever" intcrposed Allen.
You have seen her then"
From the description have had Of her,
she has no resemblance 20 him"
No; yet parents and children are so0c-
times very dissimilar."
ado you think she has lived there longlr
mo, sir, she can not have been there
more than a few months al most an
swcrcd Miss Hopkins. "Shc was never
seen about the place until recently"
Have you ever heard Of any children
being seen or heard therc"
mo, sir"
" DO you think there arc any,"
There are none. They would find il i'm
possible 10 keep child within those great
walls so quic, and silent that II would not
DO seen or heard ~ some one" answered
the schOO.-tcachcr.
Does that dark whiskcrcl man make
frequent trips away"
Il suppose he docs-it Is seldom, how.
ever, that any one ever sees him 20 away or
come back. For weeks az time he is not
seen, and then we know he Is away from
the old house on tht hill Then all Of sud
den he IS discovered walking about tho
big house, or eve. coming % the village,
but making the acquaintance Of no one.
boue people think that he is the chef Of a
bandlttl and goes away 10 his rendezvous
occasionally. Then there is an old mother
Iiiin who believes ia witchcraft She says,
ne IA a wizard. and that the strange sights
seen and strange voices heard there so
often are the result Of his wild incanta-
tions and invOcations Of the evil spirit. 1
have heard people say that they have heard
screams, shricks and wild, demoniac laugh
ter from within that old house. which al
most frozc the blood IN their veins"
Allen, having witnessed some Of those
strange sights and heard some Of those
mysterious noises, did not think that she
was cxaggcrating them In the least. But
his strong common sense told him that there
was nothing supernatural in all hc had seen
and heard. II could all be- very easily ac-
counted for If properly understood. He was
not so much interested in the house and tho
mysterious sights and sounds omanating
from 1t rs in the beautiful, mysterious
Bertha.
ADO You know any thing Of the young
lady" hc asked.
mo, SIR she answered, curtly, while an
expression fitted over her face which he
could not understand, unless il was tinge
Of jealous fear.
ibid you ever hear any thing about herm
"Only what l have told you," she an
swercd. "Shc has never been seen but
twice.
He could have told much more Of the great
stone house on the hill than any one knew
bad he chose 10 do so, but he determined 10
keep his counsel 10 himself
The conversation began 10 drag, and as II
was growing late, and she considered the
young editor free from any further danger
AT present, Miss Lcethy Hopkins left the
Office. Aliens face was convulscd with
mental anguish, and, striking his desk with
his fiat, he said
"Tiis has gone far enough, BE IL life or
death, misery or happiness Heaven or he'll,
l will probe that mystery will know all
before another sun rises. | will 20 TO the
tall stranger and demand an explanation,
even if re shoots me dead on his doorstep
Death is preferable % another night Of mis-
cry and doubt
With this desperate resolve fresh. - his
lips and cngravcn in his heart he seized
his hat, U-ld leaving Toby 10 close the office,
leftthc village and hurried up the old dsuSed
road 10 the great stOno house on the hill.