The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-12-27
CHAPTER VIII.
WHAT DR. ELFENsTEIN SAW.

coming.
CHAPTER Will
WHAT DR. ELFENsTEIN SAW.
The life of physician is certainly q
very unsettled and unsatisfactory one.
No sooner, therefore, had Earle Elfen-
stein retired to his library after his lone
" supper and become deeply interested
in book, while waiting for the hour to
come, than severe thunder shower was
ushered in by muttered thunder and
zig-zag lightning, and rat-tat! tat-tat!
rat-tat-tat came at the door, and call
for services about two miles of.
"Wen," he thought, as he vaulted upon
the back of his faithful horse Sultan, 81
can, perhaps, have view Of his ghost
ship on our way back if we hasten.
"My! what sharp fash that was!"
So saying he touched his horse and
sped off in the darkness.
Before reaching the home Of his pa
tient, the storm was indeed upon him.
He fingered fully an hour, hoping II
would abate, but instead, its fury SEEM
ed to increase with every breath. His
patient had fallen into quiet sleep, and
he was anxious to be off. Donning
his rubber coat, with its protecting hood
well drawn over his hat, he started home
ward.
Pitchy darkness he encountered all the
way, relieved only by vivid flashes OF
lightning that darted hither and thither
over the inky sky, while the wind, eerie.
like, soughed through the tall trees of
the grounds surrounding Glendenning
Hall; then, seeming to gather force with
each lull, broke loose again into fury,
lashing and thrashing the branches in
fearful manner.
The rain also fell in torrents.
Suddenly, a brilliant fash OF light
ming caused his horse to shy to- one side,
while crash of thunder almost appalled,
him.
Raising his eyes instiHctively toward
the sky, they fell by accident (for its
very existence had been forgotten in the
excitement of the moment) upon the
windows of the Haunted Tower.
The words of the boy were fully con-
firmed; the most horrid creature fan.
cy could picture was surely dancing just
within the tower in full, plain view.
A hideous figure, with large, flaming
eyes, and strange, fully defined horns
each side the head, was jumping up and
down, amid a glare Of what seemed sui.
phurous light, while every now and then
it sank down only to .reappear, going
through the same wild motions ant
capers; each one appalling enough te
strike terror to the hearts of the super
stitious beholder. 60.
BuS Dr.. Elfenstcin was not supcrti-.
tious man. Ghosts, COLLINS, Specters, all
were to him mere vagaries Of q crazec
brain. Therefore, while startled anc
horrifed for ono moment by this singu.
lar apparitioa, the next he coolly reined
in his horse, ard thus stood still, calmly
contemplating the scene.
He certainly had not fancied the thing
he saw Hc felt himself, the horse; then
again comprAheIdcd fully the situation:
the pouring rain, the wild thunder and
still wiIdsr lightning, and there ahead OF
him, distinctly visible, the windows OF the
Haunted Tower, with this hideous dancer.
No! He, Earle Elfelstein, NJ. D., was
not dreaming. but, in truth, was living
witness OF something so ineXplicable and
determined that it should be his aim, his
study, nay, his duty, to unravel the
meaning OF this perplexing enigma,
this covert mystery that had fol
years, it seemed, almost paralyzed the
villagers with fear, and now had OBJ
trnded upon the notice of himself, a
stranger, engaged in following out the
duties of his profession in dark emo
stormy night.
While still sitting there upon the back
of his horse, lost in amazement and con-
lecture, the demoniacal hobgobln, ap-
partition, or whatever the evil genius oi
the Haunted Tower might be called
dropped from sight; the strange. lurid
light disappeared; darkness reigned over
the place, except as revealed by the
lightning flashes, and the puzzled and
undaunted physician was free to urge
his horse onward once more towards the
peaceful cottage that he called his home.
Once within the cheerful shelter Of the
library he seated himself beside the ia
BILE, drew nearer the wax candles, and
again took up his book to read another
chapter before retiring for the night.
| But he soon found that reading was
| impossible, for ever before the page fit
TED the impish figure he had seen, with
its horns, its flaming eyes, and hideous
| contortions.
Closing the book then he leaned his
head against the tall back of his chair,
and thought long and deeply.
At the close of his cogitations, as he
laid himself down upon his bed for the
night, one result alone was reached,
namely:
"There had been murder committed
years before within Glendenning Hall,
and the murderer was still unknown and
at large.
"For some unaccountable reason the
tower was made to appear in the posses
sion of evil spirits by some parties, also
unknown"
In his soul DR.. Elfenstein believed the
dreadful apparttioc he had himself wit
messed that night was the work OF some
] wicked person, wrought out. probably,
to keep up the -sNnA-sHitious notoriety