Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-09-12
MIRIAM.
The Romance Of HGatlGPlGigh Hall
By MANDA L. CROKER.
orYRIGHr, 1889.
CHAPTER ~.

CHAPTER IN.
The next morning, however, my latent
courage came forward, and in the smile OF
day laughed at my trepidation of the pre-
v.ous night. OF course | prcyaricated ID
some extent to Peggy, BY replying in Tho
affirmative when she asked me II / rested
well.
After our late breakfast she conducted
me through the silent, shadowy Railways
up the dark, lonely stair-cases, through the
hollow-echoing corridors, and into the
most important apartments of the hall.
The rooms were just as Sir Rupert left
them, the housekeeper said, with the excep
ton, Of course, of growing old from neglect
and the accumulation of dust, which was
running the silken curtains, damask hang
ings and once bright-hued carpets. at is
such a pity,"l said to Peggy, sthat these
must be doomed to desolate decay"
'tYis," she answered, as ran my hand
over the narrow gold-striped and gray sat
in of the upholstered furniture, and found
it full of ruinous breaks. ''Ohl yis, but
who's goin' TO dust this foine furniture for
nothin', ma'am, but only TO see tine ex-
quoisitc pathernsgn
did not reply to her negative question,
for l knew she was right, and could but
have said, ''no one,n at best.
There was taste here" | said, looking
about me, and making note of the refine
ment in detail languaged forth in the fault
less appointment of each stately-looking,
but silent apartment.
'Ahi yes; an the misthress had illigant
taste to be shure, ma'afh, an the lolkes
o. her was not to be found in many days
roiden
After ascending two flights of stairs we
came to Sir Rupcrt's apartments
s'Away off up here. to be out o the way ov
the rabble,' 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 | caught
glimpses OF an artificial lake in the distance
stretching its shining length beyond the
lawn and around the park like a silver
crescent.
IAN ov these were perfectly illigant in
their delightful and palmy days. Peggy
said with a sigh, as she shook the dust from
the curtains and interpreted my far away
gaze.
parted the crimson silk hangings as
stood in the deep double window, with its
narrow panes catching the afternoon glow,
and looked long and silently away over the
deserted park, where the brown leaves
went scurrying hither and thither in the
autumn wind. Then my eyes rested once
more on the artificial lake, and a sweet,
sad memory came back to me; the memory
of a row on its clear surface once, with
Lady Percval, 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 unbearabe. / shuddered
"a a-la, anl a4 7 Ill Al.
silken folds of fading crimson and turned
away.
San do yes moinde ov the illigant days
gone by, ma'amfn questioned she, diyinng
the cause of my ill-concealed emotion
eyes, Clarkson, l mind" / answered,
dropping the folds of the curtain, which
down the dreary years to Sir Rupert's last
lonely days.
'Doubtless he stood here, gazing out, per
haps, and breathing maledictions on the
'rabble' below; or did he unbosom his ven
geance on the head of luckless guests?" /
said, inqurngly, to Peggy who had left
the window and had gone over to a curious.
ly-inlaid cabinet on the opposite side OF the
room.
But she vouchsafed no reply, simply max
ing the sign of the cross and looking super
stitiously around the room. Then, as if 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 echoing 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 CHEEKY looking breakfast
room. This room, the only really pleasant
apartment to my mind in the Hall, had its
share of tragical memories also, after all its
softened air.
But TO return to the main staircase, with
its heavy shining balustrade of polished
oak, to which we had come. The moment
we set foot on tho first step, in descending.
Clar kson made the sign of the cross, and,
turning TO me. whispered half-audibly:
This is the identical fioight Of stheps the
master descended Just afore he fell and
died a struggling ia the hallln
''Indcedr l calculated, feeling as if
were close on the promised mystery as l
followed on down the ''idintical fioight."
Once in the spacious central hall, Peggy
moved tragicaly aside, and pointing TO a
door at the left, continued in her stage
whisper to make further developments by
saying; AN shure, ma'am, the masthur
was trying to rache that same door when
he fell right here, = pointing to a particular
place on the mosaic work of the floor.
IAN he died, puir man, 'thout liver knowin
oy any ov US"
She ended with a deep sigh and most
doleful shake OF her white cap.rufiles; and
had my little stock OF courage given out. she,
doubtless, would have frightened the life
out Of me with her strange witch like move
ments and mysterious airs.
Let me go in there, said, presently,
pointing 10 the door at the left which the
hands Of the expiring Sir Rupert failed to
reach.
II hardly behave We know what We are
askin' oy me, me Leddy. Faith ma'am an
that's the dhrawin room, where the dead
masthur lay!n
mo matter" answered, calmly enough.
"he isn't there now
.'Oime not so shure ov it, ma'am; the
spirit ov i'm, ye know She looked at me
a moment and then continued: "Olme will
in to show you the dhrawing- room, ma am,
but it's getting to be tay-toime, an, at this
tonne oy day, We must reminder, it's
moighty gloomy in there
" SAAs SA&N ~ DS5 ginning ~ EfuW uneasy
myself, "to morrow viii do as we'll"
"Yes," she assented, seemingly much re
lieyed, ''an' thin ye'd have to see the gal
iery, too, ma'am, with its foine paintings,
shure; every wan sees the gallery, ,Aa'am. -
This settled 1t, and we soon passed from
the deep shadows Of the ceatral hall out
Through a. cPen court, ana back oncs more