Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-06-15

visited Albany. Tho pretty little Marie
said nothing; but as he gave her q fare
well kiss, her dimpled cheek turned palo
and tear stood in her eye. Dolph sprang
lightly on hoard Of the vessel,
They hoisted sail: the wind was fair;
they soon lost sight of Albany aud its
green hills and embowcred islands. They
were waited gayly past tho Kaatskill
mountains, whose fairy heights were
bright and clcudless. They passed pros.
perously through the highlands without
any n,olcstntion from the Dunderherg
goblin and his crew; they swept on
across Haverstraw bay and by Croton
Point and through tho Tappaan Zec and
under the Pnlisadocs, until in the after
noon Of the third day they saw the
promontory Of Hobokcn, hanging like a
cloud In tho air, and, shortly after, the
roofs Of the Manhattocs rising out Of tho
water.
Dolph's first care was to repair to his
mothers house, for no was continually
goadcd by tho Idea Of tho uneasincss she
must experience on his account. lie was
puzzling his brains as he went along to
think how no should account for his nt,-
sencc without betraying tho secrets Of
tho haunted house. In the midst of these
cogitations no entered the street In which
his mothers house was situated, when
he was thunderstruck at beholding Il a
heap of ruins.
There had evidently been great fire,
which had destroyed several large houses
and the humble dwelling of poor Dame
Heyliger had been involved In the con-
Migration. Tho walls were not so COM
pletcly destroyed but that Dolph could
distinguish some traces of the scene of
his childhood. The fireplace, about
which hc had often played, still remained
ornamented with Dutch tiles, illustrate
ing passages In Biblc history, ON which
he had many time gazed with admira-
ton. Among the rubbish lay the wreck of
the good danes elbow chair, from which
she had given him SO many whole
some precept, and hard by Il was the
family Bible with brass clasps--now,
alas! reduced almost to a cinder.
For a moment Dolph was overcome by
this dismal sight, for he was seized with
tho fear that IBIS mother had perishcd in
the flames. He was relieved, however,
from this horrible apprehension by one
Of the neighbors who happened to come
by, and who informed him that his
mother was yet alive.
The good woman had, indeed, lost
everything by this unlocked for calamity;
for the populace had been 80 intent upon
saving the fine furniture Of her rich
neighbors, that the littlo tenement, and
the little oil Of poor Dame Heyliger, had
been suffered to consume without inter.
liant assistance of her old crony, Peter do
Groodt, the worthy dame and her cat
might have shared the fate Of their habi-
tation.
As II was she had been overcome with
fright and affliction, and lay Ill In body
and sick at heart. The public, however,
had showed her its wonted kindness.
The furniture Of her rich neighbors being,
as far as possible, rescued from the
flames, themselves duly and ceremoni-
ously visited and condoled with on the
injury. OF their property, and their ladies
commiserated on the agitation Of their
nerves; the public, at length, began to
recollect something about poor Dame
Heyliger. She forthwith became again
q subject Of universal sympathy; every
body pitied moro than ever, and II pity
could but have been coined into cash
good Lordl how rich she would have been!
1t was now determined, in good earn
est, that something ought to be done for
her without delay. The dominic, there
fore, put up prayers for her on Sunday,
In which all tho congregation Joined
most heartily. Even Cobus Groesbcck,
the alderman, and Mynheer Milledollar,
the great DUE merchant. stood up in
their pews, and did not spare their voices
on the occasion; and it was thought tho
prayers of such great men could not but
havo their duo weight. DR.. Knipper-
hauscn, too, visited her professionally,
and gave her abundance of advice
gratis, and was universally lauded for
his charity. As to her old friend, Peter
do Groodt, he was poor man, whose
but little avail, SO he gave her all that
was in his power-he gave her shelter.
To the humble dwelling Of Peter do
Groodt, then, did Dolph turn his stcps.
On his way thither, ho recalled all tho
tenderness and kindness of his simple
hearted parent, her indulgence Of his cr-
rors, her blindness to his faults; and then
he bcthought himself Of his own idle,
harum-scarum life. "'vc been a sad
gcnpcgrace," said Dolph, shaking his
head sorrowfully. "Ive been complete
sink pocket, that's the truth of it!-But,"
added he briskly, and clasping his hands,
'only let her live-only let her liye-apd
I'll show myself indeed q sonl'
AS Dolph approached tho house, no
met Peter do Groodt coming out OF II.
The old man started back aghast, doubt
Ing whether 1t was not ghost that stood
before him. 1t being bright daylight,
however, Peter soon plucked up heart,
eatisfied that no ghost dare show his faco
In such clear sunshine. Dolph now
learned from the worthy sexton the con-
sternation and rumor to which his mys-
terious disappearance had given rise. 1t
had been universally believed that he
had been spirited away by those hobgob-
house; and old Abraham Vandozer, who
lived by the great buttonwood trees, at
the three mile stone, affirmed, that he
had heard terrible noise i'm the air, as
he was going home late at night, which
seemed just rs il fight OF wild geese
were overhead, passing off towards the
northward. The haunted house was, in
consequence, looked upon with ten times
more awe than ever; nobody would ven.
ture to pass IA night In 1t for the world,
and even the doctor had ceased TO make
his expeditions to it i'm the daytime.
1t required some preparation before
Dolph's return could be made known 10
his mother, the poor soul having be-
walled him as lost; and her spirits hav-
ing been sorely broken down by num-
Der Of comforters, who daily checred her
with stories Of ghosts, and Of people car.
ried away by the devil. He found her
confined to her bed, with the other men,
ber of the Hcyligcr family, tho good
danes cat, purring beside her, but sadly
singed, and utterly despoiled of those
whiskers which were tho glory Of her
Pbysiognomy. The poor woman threw
her arms about Dolph's neck. my boy!
my boy! art thou still aliveY' For time
she seemed TO have forgotten all her
losses and troubles, in her Joy at his re-
turn. Even the sage grimalkin showed
indubitable signs Of joy at the return Of
the youngstcr. She saw, perhaps, that
they were a forlorn and undono family,
and felt touch of that kindliness which