The Red Cloud chief., 1889-09-13

such . pity,"l said 70 Pe9Ry, shat these
must be doomed 70 desolate decay"
"Ys," she answered, - Iran my hand
over the narrow gold-stziped and gray sat
in OF the upholstered furniture, and found
1t full Of ruinous breaks. 'Ohl yis, but
who's . goin' todust this foine furniture for
n0thin', ma'am, but only 70 . the n
quoisite ~pathesns"
Ibid not reply to her negative question,
for I knew she was right, and I could but
have said, mo one" 1t best.
''There was taste here" I said, looking
about me, and making . note Of the refine
ment In detail languaged forth In the fault
less appointment Of each statelylooking,
but silent apartment.
"Ahi yes; an the misthress had illigant
taste to be shure, ms'sm, an the loikes
o her was not to be found in many . days
roide."
After ascending two flights Of stairs We
came TO Sir Rupert's apartments
away OF up here. tobe out o the way ov
the rsbble,' he said" prefaced Clarkson As
she put her hand on the door handle.
This suite Of rooms overlooked the park
and . once beautiful lawn. And I caught
glmpses Of IN artificial lake In the distance
stretching its shining length beyond the
lawn and around the park like . silver
crescent
"Au ov these were perfectly flligant In
their delightful and palmy days." Peggy
said with . sigh, q she shook the dust from
~kn nr~Hnsu, 0nA fntApNNnfnG nv flP.0wAV
gazo.
Iparted the crimson silk hangings - I
stood In the deep double window, with it
narrow panes catching the afternoon glow,
and looked long and silently away over the
deserted park, where the brown leaves
vent scurrying hither and thither in the
autumn wind. Then my eyes rested once
more on the artificial lake, and . sweet,
sad memory came back to me; the memory
of . row on its clear surface once, with
Lady Percival, in fairer days, and the
brightness of that care-free and happy
hour came back like . wave Of light, only
to render the desolate Transformation Of the
present almost unbearable. l shuddered
and glanced ut Garrison As I clutched the
silken folds Of fading crimson and turned
away.
'.An' do yes MONDE ov the illigant days
gone by, ma'am!" questioned she, divining
the cause of my il~l-concesled emotion.
"Yes, Garrison, / mind" I answered,
dropping the folds of the curtain, which
seemed to burn into my hand, and coming
down the dreary years to Sir Rupert's last
lonely days.
Doubtless he stood here, gazing out, per-
haps, and breathing maledictiOns on the
srabble' below; or did he unbosom his ven
geance on the head of luckless guestsw I
said, inquiringly, to Peggy. who had left
the window and had gone over to . curious
ly-inlaid cabinet on the opposite side Of the
room.
But she ~vouchsafed nc reply, simply max
ing the sign of the cross and looking super
~stitiOusly around the room. Then, Is il to
avoid my gaze, she dropped her eyes to the
tesselated rug at her feet
After spending the greater part Of the
day on the upper floors, Specializing and
dreaming in the long-silent rooms and
hollow-echoihg corridors, we came to the
main staircase, leading down to the central
hall below. We had gone upstairs from
the first floor BY . sort Of winding stairs,
opening out Of the cheery-lOoking breakfast
room. This room, the only really pleasant
apartment to my mind in the Hall. had IT.
share Of tragical memories also, after all its
softened air.
But to return to the main staircase, with
its heavy shining bslustrade Of polished
oak, to which we had come. The moment
we set foot ON the first step, in descending.
Clar kson made the sign Of the cross, and,
turning to me. whispered half-audibly:
This is the identical loight Of stheps the
master DESCENDED just afore he fell and
died q strugglin' In the halll"
"Indeedw I circulated, feeling - IL I
were close IN the promised mystery - I
followed on down the ''idintical floight."
Once in the spacious central hall, Peggy
moved tragically aside, and pointing to .
door At the left. continued in her stage
whisper to make further developments by
saying: AN shure, ma'am, b masthur
was trying to rache that same door when
he fell right here" pointing to . particular
place on the mosaic work Of the floor,
IAN he died. puir man, 'thout yer knowin'
ov any ov u.s."
She ended with . deep sigh and most
doleful shake Of her white c~sp-rufles; and
had my little stock of courage given out, she,
doubtless, would have frightened the life
ont of me with her strange witch-like move
ments and mysterious airs.
ASG m0 20 IN t0crc, i S81Os Pt0SS0tlys
pointing to the door at the left which the
hands Of the expiring SIR Rupert failed to
reach.
Il hardly behave ye know what ye are
askin' ov me, me- Leddy. Faith, ma'sm, an
that's the dhrawin'-room, where the dead
masthur lay"
mo matter" I answered. calmly enough,
'she isn't there now"
''Oime not 80 shure ov il, ma'am; the
spirit ov i'm, ye know" She looked ut me
q moment and then continued: ''Oime will
in to show you the dhrawing-room, ma'am,
but it's getting to be tay-toime, an, at this
tonne " day. ye must reminder, it's
moighty gloomy in there"
WELL" said ], beginning to Grow uneasy
myself, ''to, morrow will do IS we'll"
Eyes" she assented, seemingly much re-
lieved, ''an thin ye'd have to SEQ the gal
lery, too, ms'am, with its foine paintings,
shure; every wan sees the gallery, ms'am."
This settled it, and We soon passed from
the deep shadows Of the central hall out
through Al open court, and back once more
into the coy servants quarters. Here We
found old Ancil Garrison sitting BY the fire
with a mug Of beer for company, and wait
ing for the prospective 'tay" Peggy had in
view.
The next day Garrison took . largo brass
key from . ring in the wall, and unlocking