Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-05-03
THE MEN IN STONE.

1t is not always a desirable thing to
come into possession of a large and bcauti-
full estate. l used to think otherwise, but
when came to learn how, by your Eng
fish laws, landed property could be hob
blCd by mortgage, and second mortgage,
and third mort gage and other mortgages,
then had to change my opinion. An ac-
tive and fatal hereditary curse which |
was forced to take up with the rest of tho
succession also helped in part to warp my
mind to this unorthodoX opinion. My up
bringing had been in the western states of
the American Union, and when | landed
in Liverpool l was as firm n disbcliever
and as eloquent a scOtIcr on the matter of
family curses as any man in the eastern
hemisphere Aftcrward | came to change
my opinion, but that was not until | learn
ed how this band had horribly deprived no
fewer than four of my own progCnitors of
life ana had seen with my own eyes what
was left of their mortal bodies monstrous
ill death.
My inheritance of the estate was thing
of blank surprise to me. | had almost
forgotten its existence, so remote was my
tOllultIdl ltltlllDllSlliJ " lilS itLNl " llNl
But when the lawyers letter came which
announced the succession | gladly gave dp
nothing in Seattle, Wash, and shipp.td to
England, where fanCicd very consider
able something awaited me.
l must confess, however, that after land
ing my spirits were damped from the out
set The rambling Elizabcthan house was
gloomy as a cave. The family man of
business who received me was a glum old
file, whose talent lay in bringing up the
darkest side of everything. l thought at
first that be resented me as practically a
foreigner, looked upon me as an interlo-
per But this was not so. Dismalncss as
regards the affairs Of the Deylin estate
was the mans chronic attribute and when
came to know more about my prCdcces-
sors in the holding began to understand
why this should be so. The lives and the
ends of the men who had been before me
as heads of thati ill starred family were not
conducive to mirth on the part of any one
who was paid to overlook them.
We were dining when Mr. Field, the
lawyer gave me a first brief outline of how
my ancestors had Jared, and account it
that | am stout hearted when | say that
the recital did not take away my appetite
OF nine men who had sat where | sat then,
in the high carved chair at the head of the
black oak dining table, no more than three
had died peacefully in their beds. OF tho
rest, one had been slain in brawl, brought
on by his own savagcry; another had been
done to death by some unknown marauder
who would have dcspoiled him Of his pa
pers, and of the other four, who should
say how fate had dealt with them? They
were here today; tomorrow they were not,
and no man could say whence they had
gone or of what nature was their end.
"Of all of these unfortunate gentlemen,
except one " said Mr. Field in conclusion,
Il only know through the hearsay of his
tory. But of the last victim of this mys
FERROUS ban, Mr. Godefroy Devlin, to whom
you, sir, succeeded, l can tell you little
more l warn you that the little l know
is meager and unsatisfactory, but | think
right that you should hear it. Who can
say but that, joined to other knowledge
which you will acquire from the iron box
of family papers marked Private, it may
help you, in some manner which | myself
cannot discern, to avoid the fate which
has befallen Mr.. Godefroy and SO many of
his forbearsp
You must know then, sir that the es-
tate in Mr.. Godefroy's time was, as it al
ways had been, desperately incumbered.
Mr. Godefroy was thoughtful man, care
full almost to nearness and deeply impress
ed with his responsibility of putting the
family affairs on a more sound financial
basis To this end he lived with the ut
most quietncss and put aside every penny
he could spare, | regret to say without
much visible avail Monetary fortune
seemed always against him He left the
estate as he found II Is years earlier, still
heavily incumborcd as you will discover
when tomorrow you 20 into the accounts
please mark, thea, that it was not till
after Is years of in"'lcctual struggle-or,
to be more precise !; years and 4 months
that he made up lis mind to attempt
another course He did it with a heavy
sense of impending misfortune, and moth
ing but so protractcd Il series of dismal
failures could have ncivcd him TO the es-
say. And believe me We're, sir, that DO
not speak without the book. Mr. Godefroy
told me all this himself, told me also that
he had known of the vrr turc he was now
going to put TO the test t lruughout all his
period Of possession, and nothing short of
despair could have shouldc ed him into it,
l sought to restrain him considering it
my duty to do this He waived my sug-
gestions impatiently aside Mr. Field,
he said, 1 have been a coward now for
10 years and have despiscd myself afrcsh
every morning l woke. Life on these terms
lis no longer endurable. If succeed in re.
storing this estate, why, then, | do sue.
coed If fail l shall have died in IN hon
orable attempt
"'What you tell me, Mr.. Godefroy, said
I, 'is-pardon the comment-vague and
mysterious Surely some practical method
could be found of avoiding the danger you
so feelingly hint at. We live now in the
nineteenth century, and myself value
nothing wordy curse propounded in the
year of our Lord 1890, and l fancy that
most other men are Of my way of think
ing / cannot Of course compel your conf
dence. L am speaking in measure through
the dark, but | cannot help thinking that
If you shared this gloomy secret of yours