Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1889-08-02

no tuOuHuJ VI ~ hlli
Ibelioved had good reasons.
You see, Uncle Tim had gone of to Mcxi.
co for his health ~ and Aunt Amabel, be.
coming weary of her isolation at Ballynook
Hall, dismissed tho servants and went to
Boston, the homo Of her childhood, for an
extended visit.
After her departure the sunshine left
Ballynook for me, and gloom settled down
over the quaint rooms and pleasant halls OF
the oldfashioncd villa. SO Iremained shut
up in the city with my books and clients, re.
membcHng my country homo as apleasant
thing of the past
But to night had come back TO the dear,
familiar house on an errand that made my
heart sick, and shivered as stood on the
gray stone steps and turned the key In the
long-unused lock.
1t was the oft.repeated story OF mans In.
constancy and woman s hcart-break, com.
plication dreaded to meddle with But cir.
cumstanccs dragging me into it this timo, ]
was determined to see it TO the bitter end II
necessary.
How Aunt Amabel found out Uncle Tins
perfidious doings in the land of strange i'm.
pulses was never made plain to mo. How.
ever, that was her part of the tragedy, not
mine. Mine was to visit Ballynook, pro
cure her marriage certificate, together with
other important papers there, and hold
them until she came home. 1t was enough
for me TO know that she was in trouble;
would have undertaken hard tasks for her
Pushing open the door1 crossed tho dusty,
silent threshold, with premonition taking
hold OF me. Something terrible was about
to manifest itself, was sure.
Iwent directly to the sitting-room on the
ground floor and kindled fire in the CRATE,
fa,- ,srr1,N 4 !.
were already gathering in the lonely rooms
Haying brought q lunch with me, sat
down on the hearth to eat bite in the light
of the cheerful blaze. ...-
But the strange precursor OF evil fol
lowed me, in fact felt cold horror set
Ting around me and pervading the apart
ment.-
Little by little the namelcss dread took
shape until 1 became conscious that another
besides myself was in the house, and that
an awful revelation was at hand.
Thetire burned low, tho shadows length
ened along the wainscoting and curtained
the corners where still stood the queer lit
tie piano and curiously wrought armchair
respectively; both having come from over
the sea from ancient Ballynook1 near Lon.
donderry, and from which Ballynook Hall
took its name.
Iglanced at my watch as l finished my
lunch and found it seven o'clock. Starting
up could not shake off the curious depres
sion nor the feeling that something was
lamentably wrong in the Hall.
Having expected to reach Ballynoolx by
daylight had not provided myself with the
means of u light with the exception of few
lucifers. Could l grope my way upstairs
with this horrible dread dogging my stepsi
Why noti l was at home, completely al
home in the house. And l must be at the
Office early in the morning to attend to the
wants of n client.
crept stealthily upstairs peering about
in the shadows for glimpse of something
knew not what, until l reached the corridor
above. The moonlight came family in, max
ing bar of silvery light across to my aunt's
apartments. 1t was but step now and ]
put my hand on the door. As Ibid so q chill
crept over me until / shivered. For mo
ment my heart failed me; should so in OIL
flee from few qualms, possblyl And Il
Malone!
That settled it. Iopened the door and
went in, trying to make myself feel that
this was my old home; that these were the
rooms where / had SO often laughed and
chltted with Aunt Amabel, or leaned over
thu window lodges to gather blossoms from
the creepegs outside the easement.
AhL those dear old days were long agone
And, tonight, this was the chamber of hor.
rorsl
l found the cabinet without tho least
trouble, and, running my fingers along the
edge, found the tiny knob at the extreme