The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-03-16
Selert gtOrg.
THE SECRET OF MADDON.
All the Year Round.
CHATTER I.

Every one who saw it for the first time sai'
that it was a lovely place; and even those Il
I whom It was familiar landmark in the seen,
own that a more charming eouatry sea, thar
Z Madden Court could hardly be found amons
: the southern counties Of England.
1t was no, so much the house as its sisua
ton; in fact, take away from i, its wooded
background and surroundings of magnificent
trees. or lis position on the green slopinl
hillside. and yoa had nothing ba; long, low,
irregular. white building, With many chimney.
pots. in which successive generations bad
addcd a window here, thrown out wisE
there, and committed the crowuing incOugru-
isy Of erecting an Italian poFsico in froa, Of
the old Tudor mansion.
In the foreground green HnaulA,ins glade,
marked here and there by few scattered
giants Of oak aud elm, left The view of the
house open to the roadway, which. oa leaving
is gates. woaad on for another half m.le or
SO until is reached the village Of Maddoa,
which derived is name from the cosr; and ia
whose ancisn, church Of Saint Mary the fogad.
cfs OF The family, the kHsEhis and danes oi
the hoass ef Halliwell. lay in scalp,ursd state
For ,he Hallwelis bad been lords Of Mad4oa
for centuries. and to the bseote mind the
possibility Of there ever being a time wheu
there shoald cease 10 BE HAlIiwcll at the
court vas one Of those ihisxs vhsch it vas
isnpossible 70 conceive.
I, was reported by those ~bo pretended TO
familiarity with The family archives ,ha, oaee
the family possessions bad been IN immiussi
danger Of passius away from Ihe@ altogether
ia the time os Sir lou4s-
Fer the Hallf&slls aere one of those sno
Old families vho had been al things To al
men They had been 10 the Csussies ia The
earlier portion Of their history; bad been
burned at Smith6eld a. heretses, later on IN
der Mary ;hc Saoguiscoas. had melted their
plalc 10 she lAsf nussaFd pos for King Aad
country daring the civil ~ar. and had Eafnblsd
rcsklossiy wi,h shat remained of their prop
srsy snler shs Restoration.
SIR Jonas Haliiwell bad bess one q the
wiIdes, aud wioksdcsi spirits ol the Second
chAriss's CoaFs--a boos companion Of Ria-
chester and De Grarsnat-aad J, vas said that,
hayisg lost ali bis available possessions ss The
gaming table. be had been shoas to stake bis
inheritance on the fortunes Of the dice box,
shea. As be raised his hand 10 make she eass,
be vas stricken by she plasse in its aoss
malignant furu, aud died hideoesly ia less
than swo hoars, iorsakea BY all, alternately
earsius his lack and gs;erag horrible bias.
phsmies among the rains of overturned card
tables aud broken Wjnc TASKS, wish the sGoky
light Of Eatssring iaflow candies to illumiae
bis death agony.
His picture, painted by Sir Peter Isely,
hangs amOag ihe rest of the family postraits
in the picture gallery OF MAadon Court, and
shows dark, handsome, bat sinister looking
indisidaal Of elesaa, 6gare, arrayed with al
the costly Glagni6csnec Of the time, ia sasl
OF eara&sion- -eolored velvet, With cloak Of
the sane embroidered in gold and lined With
whise satin hanging from one shoulder, rufies
Of ihe finest Meehlia, aud 4 plamed hat,
looped With an emerald clasp, upon bis head.
This portrait, which vas completed bat
short time before his death, and bears the
date "lG55, represents him as wearing an
evil looking smile on bis eountenanee, and
standing in aegligent AttiIadr, with one
hand on bis silver hilted sword, aud it IS
reported that il Was thus a,iiTed 10 this idea-
tieal costume that be met his death, aud was
ogeriaken by his awful end.
There IS no tomb or tablet TO his memory
in the church at Maddon, for his body. de-
auded Of rich trappings, was cast into the
great pit al Finsbury Fields. The ruthless
and inhuman robbers, who were one of the
most terrible pests Of that dreadful time, had
not feared TO strip the scarcely cold corpse Of
It's bravery Of apparel; bat, being disturbed in
their impious task by the watch, they fed,
leaving their booty behind them. What be
came of the gold embroidered suit of carna.
tion-coIored velvet, the satin lined lace cloak,
and the jewel clasped iea,hered bat was not
known-whether it was taken possession of
by the myrmidons of the law, or became the
properly of the dead mans servant; but there
was a certain heavily carved, iron bound chest
in a dusty, disused upper chamber in the
Oldest portion of Madden Court, the secret of
whose spring was unknown, and which had
never been opened since it had been brought
there by Sir Reginald Halliwell, brother aud
successor Of Sir Jonas.
What it contained no one knew; perhaps
the evidences of some hidden crime-some
horrible, grisly tokens of cruel murder
something which, had it been known, would
have blasted the fair fame of Maddon, and
psrhaps-for there we're many surmises-
nothing at all; but on the lid was carved, in
old English characters, the following distich:
"who opens this cheste,
Shall curse hys queste."
The door of the chamber was always locked,
and the heavy, rusty old key bore parch-
ment label on which was inscribed ''The
Closed Room Strange to say, no Halliwell
had ever been found sufficiently curious to
brave the curse and raise the lid. One reason
was that they we're a superstitious race and
guarded jealously all their family traditions
another that, hidden away in an otherwise
empty cobweb hung and seldom entered
chamber, it proved the truth of the old adage,
"Out of sight is out of mind, and probably,
from one years end to another, its mysterious
presence was scarcely remembered; but, no
doubt, its chief safeguard lay in the secret ofits
lock, which was sufficient of itself, without the
aid of superstition, to battle all would-b be
sacriligious hands, the boldest of which would
have shrunken from the employment of force