Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-19

ing out through the roof now in several
places.
1T will not be long before the roof falls
through" MT. Armstrong said. Come away.
Mary. Will not let you stay here any longer"
Putting his arms round his daughter, he led her
away She had not gone ten steps where there
was tremendous crash. She looked back; the
roof was gone and volcano of flame and
sparks was rising from the shell of the house;
Against these the figure of the madman stood
out black and clear. Then sudden puff Of
wind whirled the flames round him. He stag
gered, made half step backward and fell.
while cry went up from the crowd.
Its all over, dear" Mr.. Armstrong said re-
leasing his hold of his daughter; and then with
Jacob Carey and three or four other men, he
ran forward to the house, lifted the body of
Reginald Carne up and carried it beyond dan.
ger of falling wall.
DR.. Arrowsmith and the clergyman and sew
eral of tee neighDors at once hurried to the
spot
HE is not dead" Jacob Carey said, as they
came up; she groaned when we lifted him; he
fell on to one of the little flower beds between
the windows"
mo, his heart is beating" the doctor said. as
he knelt beside him and felt his pulse" but
fear that he must have sustained fatal injuries /"
He took out flask that he had. thinking that
a cordial might be required, slipped into his
pocket just before starting for the scene of the
fire, and poured few drops of spirit between
Reginald Carne's lips
There was FAINT groan, and a minute later
he opened his eyes, He looked round in a be-
wildered way, but when his eye fell on the burn
ing house look Of satisfaction passed over his
face.
~ have done it." he said. ~ have broken the
Curse of Carne's Hold"
The doctor stood up for moment and said
to one of the grooms standing close by, Get
stable door off its hinges and bring it here; We
will carry him into the gardeners cottage.n
As soon as Reginald Carne was taken away
Mr.. Armstrong and his daughter returned to
the village. A few of the villagers followed
their example; but for the most of them the
fascination of watching the flames that were
leaping far above the shell of the house was too
great to be resisted, and it was not until the
day dawned and the flames smoldered to a
deep quiet glow that the crowd began to dis
perse
''lt has been terrible scene" Mary said, as
they walked down the hill.
"A terrible scene, child, and it would have
been just as well if you had stayed at home and
slept comfortable. If had thought that you
were going to be SO foolish l would not have
gone myself"
lyon know very WELL father you could not
have helped yourself. You could not have sat
quietly in our cottage with the flames dancing
up above the tree tops there, if you had tried
ever SO much. Well, somehow am glad that
the Hold is destroyed; but of course am sorry
for Mr.. Carne's death, for suppose he will
die"
y, ",
better to die eveu like thar than to live till old
age within the walls of madhouse"
Yes; but 1t was not the death, it was the
horror of it."
There was no horror in his case. my dear.
He felt nothing but wild Joy in the mischief
he had done. | do not suppose that he had a
shadow of fear of death. He exu.ted both in
the destruction of his house and in our
that he is to be pitied, although it was terrible
sight to see him. No doubt he was carrying
out long-cherIshed idea. A thing of this sort
does not develop all at once. He may for years
have been bro6ding over this unhappy taint of
insanity in his blood, and have persuaded him
self that with the destruction of the house
what the people here fOolIshly call the Curse of
the Carnes would be at an end"
'But surely you don't believe ANYTHING about
the Curse, father?'
Not much, Mary; The Curse was not upon
the house. but in the insanity that the Spanish
of the Carnes introduced into the
family Still, don't know, although you may
think me weak-minded, that could assert con-
that do not believe that there is
anything in the Curse itself. One has heard of
such things, and certainly the history of the
Carnes would almost seem to justify the belief
Ronald and his two sisters are, it seems, the |
last of those who have the Carne's blood in |
their veins, and anyhow Miss Carne's murder
and RoDald's mistortunes do not seem to have |
insanity. At any rate, dear, l, like you, am |
glad that the Hold is destroyed. / must |
own that l should not have liked |
the thought of your ev, becoming its mistress. |
and indeed have more than once thought that |
before handed you over to Ronald, Whenever |
that event might take place, should insist on |
his making me promise that should he sur |
vive his cousin and come into the Carnes' |
estates he would never take you to live there. |
Well, this will be new incident for you to |
write to him about. You ought to feel thank |
full for that; for you would otherwise have |
found it very difficult to fill your letters till you
hear from him what course he isgoing to adopt |
regarding this business of Ruth Powlett and |
Forester"
Mary smiled quietly to herself under cover Of |
the darkness for indeed she found by no means
the difficulty her father supposed In filling her
letters. ut is nearly 4 O'clock !" she said, as
she entered the house and struck light. 1T |
is hardly worth while going to bed father"
"All right my dear, you can please yourself
Now it is all over acknowledge / feel both
cold and sleepy, and you will see nothing more
If me until between 10 and IL o'clock in the
"Oh. If you GO to bed of course l shall not
top up by myself" Mary said; ''but am con-
Tinced that shall not close an eye"
And am equally convinced, Mary that in
little over half an hour you will be sound
Isleep," and in the morning Mary acknowi-
;dged that his anticipation had been verified.
To be concluded.)