The Forrest City times., 1891-11-06
Dark Darrell's Bride.
CHATTER r.--ooSr1SuEp.

sYou mustn't be fippant, New World, said Rose; "for 1t is all very serious We'll among the Darrell tenants arc the people who have the Weir Mill-you will see it in few minutes. It stands just by the weir that works it, The present oc- cupants are Job Heston and his daughter Zeph. They're of gipsy blood, and they look 1t. The mill was granted te their ancestors in the reign Of Elizabeth, by the then Lord of tue Manor; sir Ingeihard Darrell. The DarreIls were always wild dare-all set; and Sir Ingelhard was like ths rest. Hiram Heston, regular gipsy, Dad saved Sir lngelhard's life, and that was how he got the grant of the mill. Hes ton had a daughter named Zarab, who was said by the people to practise the black art; but that Is said of gipsics al- ways-they say the Heston's are scanuy' now. However" continued Rose, "I think there was more black art in Sir h. glehard than in Zarah. He was very hand some-all the Darrells are--snd he made love to Zarah. Of courseyou may guess what came of it. H. deserted her. Her father discovered her disgrace, but he and her brother did not turn her out. All their rage was directed against Sir Ingel- hard. Zarah however could not endure her shame. Still she lived on mad, some traditions say-till Sir Ingelhard came back from the South, where he had been commanding troops gathered to meet the Spanish invasion. Sir Ingelhard was re- turning in triumph at the head of his band of retainers, when as they neared the weir--it was a moonlight night--zarah appeared suddenly before him and pro nounced terrible curse on him and his descendants for his double sin. No Dar- rell should thenceforth be fortunate in his love; . Darrells love should always bring dire anguish and death. both to it's object and the Darrell. Zarah's curse was em- bodied in these lines which are in modern- ized language but will show them to you cut into the Mill wall
 "'FouIsst stain on knighthood's face,
 Deadly blight on noblest race,
 shame on him who brous sht to shame
 Her who bore . charmed name,
 Shame on base ingratitude,
 Shame on churi with knishtly bloodi
 This the curse call from Heav'n,
 By the power to Zarah giv'n: Ever Darrell's love shall prove, Woe and death to both.' Then, turning to the riyer-which, you must know, lima, rises every year, either in the autumn or winter--Zarah added sList, ye river, rapid flowing,
 To thls curse my hate bsstowing;
 Let the voice of Gipsy's Weir Scream that curse in Darrelgs ear.
 Till the waters, rising, rising.
 Bring the bounden saerlfcing- Life for life for traitors deed; When the Moods are out take hecdi' These last two lines were addressed to Sir Ingelhard--that is, of course, to the House of Darrell; and, having uttered them, Zarab, before any one could prevent her, plunged headlong into the weir, and dis appeared"
 "But,o exclaimed lima, interrupting narrative which she had followed with | keen interest, if with some inward amuse- | ment, awhat can the four lines about Gip- | sy's Weir meanP
 aThat no one has ever been able to make out. They are generally thought to indi- 1 cate that the Darrelis will become extinct. | It is said that the waters of the Coalmere have risen higher every year since that date. I know as q fact that they have risen higher each year within the last for- ty. Mamma, you know, would not follow | . mere tradition"
 aBut how could that be unless the rain- fall or the snowfall was heavier than m the year preceding:"
 ! .That is one of the strangest parts of the whole affair." returned Rose; ..but three years ago, for example, we had a very light autumn rainfall, and yet the river rose nearly two feet above the rise of | the year before, when it rained heavily nearly every day throughout September. 1 meteorologist who was staying here at | the time wrote to the Times about it. The year before last tho river was so high that | the Hestons were afraid that the Mill | might be flooded; and last year, when, cer- l taiulv, the snow came down from the hills | terribly-for we had rapid thaw in No yember-the basement of the Mill was | flooded, and the Hestons had to take refuge 1 in the upper rooms for two or three days" | s.There's lot in the Cumberland Star," ] put in Jamie, "about the extraordinary | phenomenon of the rising of the Coal mere. It is in number of afew years ago. | I will show 1t to you, Ilma."
 "But granted the phenomenon" said 1 lima, "why should the yearly increase in l the rising of the water concern the work. ing out of the curseF
 Oh, you skepticl How should knowi 1 But of the curse working in one way there can be no doubt," said Rose emphatically
 .Stay moment, lima; you can hear the !, weir now"
 They were passing through little wood and, as all stood still, they heard dis
 tinctly the roar of falling water. lima | listened for moment or two, with parted | lips, and eyes into which a far away look had come.
 1 "I was thinking of Niagara" she said softly at last. then added quickly, "Please
 finish your story here, Rose. If we go on,
 we shall meet Roland, and shall not have
 the finish for an age"
 The three girls sat down on fallen tree trunk, and Rose continued 1 "There is no doubt about this, lima, that from Sir Ingelhard's time all the Dar- l rells have been unfortunate in love. Sir lngclhard's wife died quietly; but then he did not love her, he hated her. It would
 take too long to tell you, but, when you go
 through the picture-gallery at the Court, i the old house-keeper will give you his- tory of all the loye-affairs of the Darrells
 since Sir Ingelhard; and there was always .woe and death to both those who love-
 wouldn't marry Darrell, grand as they
 are--not even the present one, who IS the
 handsomest of handsome race." "And dare-all, like the rest Of them,'
 added Jamie.
 elm coming to him." said Rose nodding
 to lima. "The present DarrelPs father,
 Sir Bertram, married a Howard, and they
 were both drowned in yachting, when
 their son Sir Philip was a baby. Sir Ber-
 tram's father was shot in due. over 2 | loye-afiair."
 s.They were bold to fall in love, if they
 believed in the curse,n said lima. | Al xunnose they eouldn't help it.