The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-03-31
THE SKELETON.


saw fit TO make it his habitation.
The last man who had lived there be.
fore Hugh Garrb9lt made it his home
died there alone, nor was he known to be
dead until wanderer, demanding shelter
at its iron bound door and receiving no re-
pig, forced an entrance and behcld hui
man skeleton seated in an oaken chair.
From tie very day that the man told this
tale the Stunned dwelling had been called
the Skeletons Is House. Hugh Garrbolt, with
sneer that had been growing his thin,
hard face for GO years, went alone to the
house Of the skeleton. The burghers wait
ed for two days, and then nodded through
clouds of smoke that Hugh Garrbolt was
fool. But when lie returned on the third
day with bng of coin SO heavy that he
staggered under it the burghers opened
their eyes and whistled that Hugh Carr
bolt was very wise parsonage. Twelve
months rolled on, and still the skeleton of
the dead buccanecr held grim and unmo-
Tested watch over the table, when young
Albert Nandemeer paid it IA visit. Albert
was the only son of n worthy V, idow whose
husband had died when Albert was but 10
years old. One fine day some phlegmatic
youth, who envied Albert for his courage,
baltered him to go and spend a stormy
night in the Skeletons House. Albert de-
horrors of the place that very night.
The Skeletons House was of one story
and n half, square in shape and built in
the midst of n dense wood, here and there
broken by the rugged backs Of huge rocks
that seemed like stony giants forcing thei
way TO TIE upper air.
One iron bound door in front and two
strong oaken shuttercd windows, all as
firmly closed as the entrance of n tomb,
met the youths first glance as lie paused
before it,
lie walked cautiously around it and
found similar entrances III the rear, but
the door yielded to his touch, and cutlass
in hand he entered. At first lie could dis
ecrn uOthing, but when his eyes became
accustomed to the gloom he saw the silent
and tleshless sentinel still grinning in ter
rible mockcry OF mortality over the worm
eaten table.
Looking closely the youth saw that wires
kept its ehastly skull erect and as his
keen eye roved sharply around he noticed
pant Of the cnrthen floor much more beat
Ell down than the remainder, and follow
ing this slight path ~ his sight grew clear
and true he traced it to corner, where he
saw Il row of great iron spikes driven into
the wall and ending at II small trapdoor
above in the oAken ceiling.
To loosen his pistols in his belt and
ascend, with his cutlass ready for any
thing unexpected, was but the work of an
instant. a steady pressure forced up the
trap, and n flood Of light poured in upon
the small apartment above from window
there wide open.
Pcrccivrg a door near, Albert boldly
opened il and found himself in the pres
ence of lovely girl of some 10 or i & years,
whose look Of terror and disgust as he en-
tprpl iblipplin - f.buntrpJ a pf hnna
and surprise.
''Ah, you have come to take me away!n
she exclaimed. but where is hef"
''IIey Whog" said Albert
''1he dwarf! The Red Dwarf, The mon
ster that my uncle has placed over me TO
keep me in this horrible place.
II have seen no such ANIMAL said the
bewildered Albert
a slrill yell, like the cry of some fierce
beast, thrilled upon the ear, and az AL
bert turned the door WAS dashed open, and
the scream of terror that pealed from the
young girls lips told him that the new
, conner was her dreaded ialer.
The Red Dwarf was n horribly deformed
man, with n brutal ysage, as scarlet as
yermilon; with yellow, shaggy hair and
arms 20 long that the huuchhacked mon
ster rcsrmblod huge ape more than n hu-
man being.
nat uTe YOU mere loFF TO away
| She's to be my wife when Hugh comes
| back. Go uwayr'
| "Oh, If you go, take me away with you, "
said the girl. "Aly uncle stole me from
my parents in Virginia. He is keeping me
| to force my father, the husband of Carr
| bolt sister, to sign away all his property
to him. DO not leave met'
With a yell the Red Dwarf was Mt Al
| bert's throat
| The dwarf was giant in strength and
as active as n panther. lie howlod, snap
| pei his sharp teeth and tried TO sink them
| into Albert's throat, who used his strength
alone, disdaining the weapons in his belt
| and having cast aside his cutass
| For half all hour the contest was doubt
| full, but at length Nandeneer, eXertng
| all his prowess, hurled his foe Leadloug
| down the trap just as the head aud face
of Hugh Garrboltwas peering from below.
| The weight and impetus of the van
| quishcd dwarf bore Garrbolt down with
him against one of the iron spikes used
as "A means of ascent and there, hanging
| by the great nail, piercing under his right
ear, Hugh Garrbolt was for moment
suspended until desperate struggle cast
him headlong 10 the floor helow-dead.
| The dwarf, senseless and bleeding, lay
| gasping under the corpse of his father,
for such was the relation borne to him by
Hugh Garrholt.
| When Albert, with some dozen or more
astonished burghers, returned to the Skel-
| eton' s House the next day, they found the
| place smoking ruin, and whether the
! Red Dwarf pershed in the flames or escap-
ed with the body of his father remains a
mystery to this day.
The father of Ella soon reached New
York, and in the following year all the
| burghers within mile of Widow Nandc-
meer's house We're seen one evening slowly
smoking with placid joy at the wedding
Of Albert Eandemeer and Ella Avail
Exchange.