Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-01-16
A STRANGE CASE.


the cracks and crannics of Europe for
fossils; and there were not wanting
those among the friends OF Monsieur
Aucdssin who shook their heads sig.
niticantly whenever his name was
mentioned and pointed significant
finger Ia their fUrchcadS. Ii is not,
however, .n uncommon thing 10 con
slider people the victims of mental
alteration when they stray from the
path in which we have decided il to
be wise aud proper for them TO make
their earthly pilgrimage, aud it is not
unlikely that Monsieur Aucassin
abroad was quite a. much in his right
mind as those who lamented his ilio.
syncrasles ~ home. BE that as il
may, he died suddenly. one day, and
il was found that no provision had
been made for the support of his
daughter Al;uc'. except such money
as she might derive from the sale of
the. motley collection of specimens
which he had with patient zeal accu.
mulated, and which, he firmly be.
lieved would be Of immense value to
the scientific world.
These HOES were not realized. \
sum barely sufficient for her mainte.
nance wa, received, and Aimee came
under the guardianship of Mr.. Nal.
lock, a friend who had believed in
Monsieur AucaSsin and his vagaries
when the rest of that gentleman's lit
tie world had held him in light esteem.
To his nome. therefore, Mr. Mallock
went and fetched Aimee as soon as he
had learned that She was left alone in
the world.
twas strange, rambling old place
that she found TO be her new home.
The house, which had been built in
the old barUuial times, was a grim
enough specimen Of architecture at
best, and seen in the twilight when
Aimee arrived from her journey. tired
and holnesicS, 1t looked ghostly.
The house was curiousl Y built. with
numerous smaller buildings connected
by Struggling passagcways to the
main structure. On her later eXplo-
rations about the place she noticed
that the door leading to the tower was
always locked aud its windows were
strongly barred. The manor had the
reputation, as such half.tcnanted old
places will. of being haunted. Strange
sounds had been heard by paSsersby
and lights seen through the barred
windows of the tower The son of
the house, il was said. had disappeared
suddenly, and vague rumors clustered
around the fact. The eerIe tales that
were told gained easy cpdcnce among
the superstitious villagers, and there
was not one OF them who would not
rather go five miles out Of his way
than be found after dark in the neigh
borhood Of Mallock's tower
After the first week of Aimee's STAY,
Mr.. Mallock. who had at first made
some effort for the entertainment of
his young guest, rclapsed into his pre-
vious studioUs and abstractcd habits,
and Aimee was left 10 her own de-
vices. She had not, indeed, been long
in the house before she had discovered
that there was mystery connected
with It's owner There is somewhat
about mystery that cannot success
fully be concealed.
Only once had she seen the interior
of Mr.. Mallock's study. He had sent
for her one dayby an old servant, who
alone seemed 10 have access to all
parts of the house, and, as Mr.. Nal
lock raised his eyes from the volume
over which he was poring, she was
struck by the haggard, baiiled look in
his face. The volume before him was
"Spurzheims Diseases Of the Mind"
aud Aimee observed with surprise that
the books, which were crowded into
the shelves nearest him, and piled in
confusion upon the table, were medical
works. comprising, for the most part,
treatises upon insanity.
Has Mr.. Mallock lived here always
in this lonely placer she asked one
day of the old servant.
1T was different before the young
master went away aud the mistress
died. lac answered sadly, then there
was gay company all the time coming
and going Those were grand times,
he continued, warming with the recol.
lection. but suddenly checked himself
as if he had been betrayed into chat
tering Of forbidden things,
when did Mrs. Mallock der
asked Aimee timidly.
THE year after young master went
away" said the old man, whisking a
tear from his wrinkled cheek with the
cuff of his coat sleeve. She was
that lonely without him that she just
pined off and died"
But where did your young master
gor questioned Aimee.
The old man shook his head and
walked away without answering. NUT
tering TO himself and signing deeply.
Aimee questioned the housekeeper
without better success. On all other
subjects she was loquaciou, TO fault,
but about the young master she main
tanned the silence Of sphinx.
"At any rate ii is not for me TO pry
into the family affairs Of my guard
ian, she Siid to herself, and, being a
young woman little given TO curiosity
or 10 morbid imagination, she soon
nearly forgot the subject, and in her
bright, cherry way had made friends
with every child and pining old wom-
an, and with every horse and dog in
the stables,