Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1890-08-07

be formed, and as l leaned forward
with breatlless interest, | saw the pal.
lid hand write with perfect distinct
ness:
"Search for the box in the old well.'
Then the strange light grew dim, the
hand gradually faded away, and the
moon. emerging from the clouds, threw
a shaft Of light into the room.
The spell that had bound me wa:
broken, and in moment I had found
match and taper, and light i'm hand,
was bending over the table.
The card was blank-not word
upon it-and asked myself if l had
been dreaming; but hard as l tried to
convince myself that such was the case,
| could not it had all been too real.
A strange experience it was surely,
but after pondering over it awhile
decided to dismiss it from my mind and
retire.
In the morning the affair seemed
more inexp1icable than ever, and l
found myself constantly thinking Of the
words I had seen traced by the myste-
rious hand. They were meaningless
to me. "Search for the box in the old
well.' I knew Of no box that had been
lost and certainly knew of no old we'll.
The affair had flavor of "Lady Aud
ley's Secret about it, and 1t was not
hard to picture grass grown we'll
concealing in its depths some ghostly
secret.
II 1 could have laughed the matter
off as dream l should have RECALLED
Tom and Constance with the story at
breakfast, but | could not bring myself
to speak of 1T.
"By the way, Lester,' SAID Tom,
Eve are expecting another guest today
Miss Mabel Saunders. Charming
girl, TOO"
"And the Oranges rightful mistress,
said Constance.
looked up in surprise.
Il thought you bought the place,
Tom, so who could be the r,ghtful mis-
tress but Constance
"Only leased it, old fellow. The
owner, Lee Harcourt, would not sell,
though he is ash amed to show his face
about here. 1t is my opinion he hopes
to come back and marry Mabel when
the feeling against him has died away
Tell me the story, Tom,' asked,
for that there is story Is evident
"Easily told, Lester. Mabel Saunders
is the daughter Of an old army comradc
Of Col. Denison, the late owner Of the
Grange, and when her parents died, IN
her infancy, Colonel Dcn'son and his
wife took the child to their home. She
was not legally adopted, but us they
had no children Of their own, Mable
was looked upon as their hcircss, and
the colonels attorney AYERS that he
drew up will four years ago, leaving
the property to her. Two years ago
Colonel Denison was brought home
dead from the hunting field, and his
wife, who had been for years an Invalid,
survived the shock less than month.
When the coloncl's papers were exam
med no will was found, and Lee Har-
court, the next of kin, came into pos
session. Many of the Colonel's friends
were not slow to express their belief
that Harcourt had destroyed the will,
as he had been visiting at the Grange
at the time OF the Colonel S death, but
there was no proof. He wanted to
marry Mabel, probably to end the gos-
sip, but she refused his hand, and for
more than year now has been
governess for Mrs. Stanton's three
unruly boys. Now, those precocious
youngsters are to have a vacation, so
Mabel comes to us. Indeed, we would
I gladly give her home, but she is too
proud to accept it. There's the story,
and now for our drive. Here are the
horses"
A glorious gallop it was in the brac-
ing autumnal air, and IL visit to the
stables followed, SO that did not see
Constance again till | CAME down to
lunch. Meeting Tom in the hall, we
entered the room together, to find Con-
stance awaiting us, and by her side a
tall straight girl with the sweetest face
| had ever seen.
Tom greeted her warmly, and then
Miss Saunders WAS introduced to me,
extending her hand with some pleasant
remark.
What she said do not know. for on
the hand that was laid IN mine glisten-
ed ruby-l ruby held between two
golden serpents heads.
| must have seemed strangely EN-
hlrrassed for a moment. But | saw