The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-15
IL

MY feelings as left Mr., TrOhm and
entered the darker portions OF the road
were confused and varied. I was not
afraid. nor was I exactly easy. though
carried a pistol, half-cocked, In my
side pocket. I expected to encounter
some one or something out of the ordin-
ary, and moved hurriedly on, though
with great circumspection.
1t was q bright day, as have said,
and in another mood,I would have en-
joyed the scenery. Now, however,
was on the lookout for the Knollys
mansion and took no time to observe
the wild beauties about me. Finally
without premonition or adventure of
any kind I came upon 1t, a great,
gaunt. neglected building of colonial
time, whose first appearance awoke a
tremor. and from which on closer in
spection no suggestion came save that
which breathed Of decay and death.
Yet 1t was a home, as more than one
indication showed, and once had been
a courtly one, with possibilities Of aris-
tocratic splendor. .a
A grove of half-decayed trees separ-
ated 1t from the road, and the effect
produced from these may have partial
ly accounted for the special aspect
have mentioned. At least I was willing
to think so, and was about to seek a
way through THE tangled underbrush
which everywhere hindered my steps,
when I heard q sharp whistle, and,
looking up, saw young man emerge
from the open doorway. He was calling
to some dogs, who immediately ap-
rnp q nd hnn To nj hi
and as he did not see me, though the
dogs did, I had ample opportunity to
study his face.
1t was a good-natured but wholly
commonplace one, and from the fact
that he did not note the distraction ap-
parent in his dogs I drew the conclu-
sion that he was not overburdened
with acuteness. Had the sisters, then,
all the brains of the family? was de-
termined to find out as soon as should
encounter any one more willing to talk
about them than Mr.. Trohm.
Meantime the young man had re-
mained impassive and the dogs merely
restive; and, strange as it may appear,
1 experienced a vague disappointment
at being allowed to pass the gate of
far behind me without any adventure
to warrant the apprehension displayed
by my host and my late entertainer,
Mr.. Trohm.
On my return to the tavern I made
Mr.. Simmons my confidant and was as
tonished at the effect which was pro-
duced upon him by the name Of Knoll
lys. Though he tried to hide it, there
was evidently some reason in his own
mind for not being startled by this as
sociation of their name with the posi-
BILE crimes 1 was investigating; and
when I urged him to be frank he al
lowed with an impulsive burst of feel
ing, that there had always been some
thing wrong with the Knollys; and,
urged still further, brought out letter
he had received some few months since
from his daughter, who was hospital
nurse in Denver and laid it before me.
There" said he. Sophia won't like
1t, but such facts as you will find writ
ten there ought not be kept secret.
l thought so at the time and think so
all the more now that these disappear
ances have accumulated in our town
till we are afraid to move through our
own woods after dark"
Astonished to be offered clue in a
letter written from Denver, I did not
the folded sheets before me and to read
the following remarkable lines:
Dear Father-I have just heard a per-
fectly uneXplainable thing about the
Knollys. The person who told me was
a Miss Grant, who visited them about
Christmas time. She is a patient Of
mine, and when she heard I was from
Gushing was so startled, and showed so
much agitation, that I insisted upon
knowing why, when she related the
following story:
Her father and the Knollys' father
had teen lifelong friends, and though
the young people had never met there
had always been an understanding be-
tween them that Miss Grant should
sometime make a visit to Cushing.
This was brought about last December,
and Miss Grant, with the full knowl-
edge of the Knollys girls, arrived in
town early one Wednesday afternoon
and was driven directly to their door.
She expected cordial welcome, but
she noticed before she was half way up
the steps that something was amiss.
One sister only was in the hall to greet
her. and that sister was abstracted and
pale, and looked oftener behind her
and Up the stairs than at her newly ar
rived guest. Miss Grant was not even
asked to take off her wraps, till over
come by the heat of the sitting-room
into which they had stepped, she her.
self loosened her furs, at which Lu-
cetta-I think it was Lucetta who re-
ceived her-seemed to recover her wits
and tried to play the hospitable hostess,
but with such i'll success that Miss
Grant was almost tempted to resume
her furs and return to birmingham
Staten. Something, however, in her
yourg hostess eye restrained her, and
endeavoring not to notice the others