Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-10-24

4lI Wye
ENED.
vague, uncertain dread. Surely some
thing was about to happen beneath the
frowning gables of Heatherleigh tonight.
And from superstitious fear they
launched off quite naturally into super
| stitious lore, with all the zest of a true
| Hibernian.
Hour after hour was thus whlled away
until, incredible as it may seem, the little
| group had entirely forgotten their master
Suddenly Peggy, who had been wildly
portraying the fatal warnings and blood
curdling feats Of an ancestral banshee,
started up in genuine alarm. "Whyln she
exclaimed, "an' we've been sittin' hear q
tellin' ov the ghostliest things, an have
| forgotten the master. An it's full mid
| night an he must he schlapin', for he hasn't
I been Arthur wantin' one ov US; an the
! lamps in the haythunish dark hall haven't
| been loighted aythur. Woe be the day!"
| With this energetic prelude she stepped
| cautiously out in the hall for the purpose of
| lighting the neglected lamps. Cropping
| her way to the nearest lamp she was about
| to light it when slight movement on the
| stairs arrested her attention; a slow, shut
| fling movement came to her ear, rather in
! definite, but she was sure some one else
was in the hail besides herself The motion
continued, though seemingly muffied
| She was about ready to scream from
| sheer desperation when something like
| a half-groan and half-sigh smote on her
/ acute ear. In an agony of fear she flew
| back to the library, and with very wild,
| frightened eyes aud white face she rushed
| into the midst of the gossiping servants
AS she did so she gave vent to half.
suppressed scream. They all sprang to
their feet in alarm, asked ia breath;
| "What is it, ClarksonF
"An' shure as I'm born childer,n she
| exclaimed, light breaking in on her fright
ened mind, ''that shure the masthur's COON.
In down the stairway all alone in the dark
| ness ov the night"
They all looked incredulous and seemed
| about to accuse the housekeeper of insan-
| ity, when her husband came forward and
placing his hand on the door-handle, said,
half derisively:
"Histi We, Peggy; an he cudna COON
| doom the stheps alone ma more than St
Pathrick cud sinr'
He opened the door slowly, and they all
| came to listen for any unusual sound IN
| the hall. Breathlessly huddled together in
the dark doorway they listened.
And Peggy was right in her affirmation.
| She had neither gone insane nor heard
spirit trampng about, for Sir Rupert was
coming down the dark staircase unaided
and alone. Step by step, painfully, slowly,
YEARLY, but surely coming.
"BIissid Vargnr ~ groaned Ancll, stagger-
We are, me lass, the masthur is coomin'
| down the sthairs" Then IN a suppressed
undertone he terrified them by saying: "An
phwat eff he shud miss his footing, or make
| the Taste mssthepl'
And instead of going to their master tc
| assist his uncertain steps, or lighting the
| lamps in the dark hall, they stood shudder-
| ing involuntarily. Stricken with a par.
alyzing fright, not one of them thought OF
going to their masters assistance, or even
essaying 10 move. They stood rooted to tho
| floor like so many useless statues listening
| to Sir ltupert's SLOW and painful descent,
aud wanting foe something they could not
define
Down, ,lnwi iIc dragging n.nfIied steps
came. st fng i.t'T"als i. "n'
sometimes !; idb..red breathing. sometimes
sigh.
But suddenly there was frantic clutch
| ing of the polished balustrade, reeling to
and fro smOthered groan, then an un-
earthly, hopeless cry for assistance, and the
master of Heatherleigh fell down the few
remaining steps and lay struggling in o
violent CONFUSION on the floor OF the hall.
His fall seemed to unlock the benumbed
senses of the household, and affrighted and
bewildered they rushed to and fro, some TO
lights.
James brought the lamp from the library
hurriedly, while Peggy made vain endeavors
| to find the hall burners. He shrank back
in abiect terror from the writing form of
his master, and held the lamp high over his
head with wall no one could ever forget.
But Ancil and John, who had in these last
days of the. Hall become faithful and most
willing nurses, lifted Sir Rupert from the
| floor and bore him into the great drawing
room ct the left laying him down gently on
the deep, luxurious sofa by the great double
| windows
Then John ran for the physician, while
! Peggy and her husband did all in their pow
er to restore the dying man to conscious
| ness, interlardng their work with all the
4 extravagant and useless Irish explosives
known. But their efforts were not success
4 lul- OlE INuptlJ never BdluGu tuhsClous-
ness, and expired IN their arms before DIR.
1 Whitelake arrived.
When they all gathered about the wasted,
1 rigid form Of their master at the instance
| of the physician, who solemnly pronounced
| him really dead, the revuson OF feeling
/ was puzzling, if not strange, to witness.
| From the excited, worried experiences OF
| the u GIT the reader doubtless imagines n
! scene of bewailing and inconsolable grief;
| but this was not the case. Their lives had
1 been one of eternal vigilance, one of con-
1 staut worry for years, aud when they
| finally realized that the master Of Heather
l leigh was really gone, and this everlasting
| fret was ended they stood gazing calmly
l down on the still form and whispering
! quietly to one another; ut is well; it is
WELL
DR.. Whitelake expected some enc of the
| great Irish hearts 10 cry out and bewail the
1 fate of Sir Rupert, but every face was de-
| corously calm as a summer sunset, and he
l was disappointed