The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-25

servants-harmless lunatics- shall re-
main q"
when you came here TO live ] must
confess. sir that / did not think you
would stay two months. This castle has
been Quilt in such way tpat BY means
OF suoterranean passages you can pass
from any room 10 any other, through Sc
cret trap-doOrs- So much as this ! know
for certain; but 1t Is Violet alone who
IS acquainted with these mysterious com
/ munications."
Violet" 1 said 10 myself. I thought
OF the flower embroidered on that little
! supper How the name seemed TO accord
with my conception Of her.
| 1t Is through one OF these passages,
the Waterman continued, that Violet Will
come every night into the courtyard.
| nave the necessary food IN readiness for
| her. and she takes Il from my hand If
! l were 70 die the steward would look
| after her. During the last few weeks
| have spoken about you TO her very great
| DEAL and instead of being afraid of the
stranger who has come to take posses
| sion Of the castle she seems TO think OF
| you with great tenderness and signs when
] your name is mentioned: and she allowed
| me TO know, by certain signs and gestures,
| that she IS accustomed to watch over you
| at your bedside in your dreams. When 1
indicated to her that YOU were determined
to quit the castle she cried and tore her
hair. and was thrown into a state of de-
spair.
"She had already confessed to me that
| on one occasion she had kissed you as
| you slept, but she entreated me to ask
you not to be angry with her on this ac-
| count, but to forgive her. She told me
that she would never disturb you any
| more, not even with her songs. She'would
remain quietly in the castle, and you
| would never be made aware of her pres
! ence. / entreat you therefore, my mas
unit 1af To- for no frnn
would be as kind to the poor child as you
| are. We are all so much attached to you,
! ana II another person should take pos
session OF the castle. he might be cruel
! TO the unfortunate creatures in this place.
| i had at this moment seized the watch
mans hand in a warm grasp. 1 had al
ready decided to remain at the castle.
Forgive Violet! Good heavens. that love-
| ly creature, for one glimpse of whom
would have given anything. Yes. l would
put up with all the stupidity of the SER
wants and remain.
! 1t seemed however as days and nights
passed by that Violet would henceforth
/ never visit me again, and never even let
/ me hear her voice
| One day it appeared that a band of
! brigands had invaded the district They
1 had plundered many mansions and killed
/ those who opposed them; and one of my
| neighbors warned me to keep a strict
|
| very soon. Preoccupied as l was, how
| ever, with the thought and the image
| of Violet, l paid little attention to- the
| matter.
One cold, snowy night l was awakened
! from my .reveries by cries of alarm, fol-
/ lowed Immediately by the report of
| pistol. | seized a revolver which hung
near my bed, and went into the ante
! chamber attached to my bedroom. There I
/ beheld two masked faces who had forced
/ their way in, and l welcomed them with
| a couple of shots from my revolver. One
/ of the men fired back. but did not hit me.
/ The other 1 had apparently wounded
| They both fired into the corridor, firing
at me as they retreated through the half
| open door.
rushed forward, seized the door handle,
and fired after them in their fight. Stand
| ing thus 1 saw that the further door of
/ my bedroom was being forced open. AL
ready 1t he'd been split open by hatchets.
| The fire was burning somewhat brightly
/ and rushed towards II to extinguish it so
/ that the brigands, when firing at ms, should
miss their aim Ere got to the hearth
the room suddenly got pitch dark 1
| looked with astonishment towards the
! fireplace and saw that it had disappeared,
| with the CRATE and everything; and on the
! spot which il had occupied stood a pale
| faced figure holding in one of her tremb-
! screened with the other. 1t was the real
ization of the picture of my dreamsl 1
| threw lightning glance at this beautiful
! appariton. She rushed towards me,
seized my hand, and pulled me to the
hearth. Then. suddenly, as though de-
scending through a dramatic stage by
| some trap-door, we sank down into a Gu
riously constructed apartment below.
The fireplace meanwhile had been lift
| ed up into the chimney, out of our way.
The chamber mentioned was situated be-
tween the floor of my bedroom and the
one beneath. and it was only just high
| enugh for a man to walk through. This
floor was invisible from the exterior of
the castle. Violet now drew me closer to
| her, and, on her touching a secret spring.
| we were lifted upwards and upwards I'M
| til we reached a room on one of the up
| per stories somewhat resembling mine.
| 1t seemed, indeed, to be like a dream; for
| at one moment l had been in the pres
| ence of death, and now at the next mo-
ment found myself in quiet unapproach-
able apartment with the fairy had longed
| to see standing by my side. Yes, 1t was
| the very same pale-faced creature whom
| / had kissed and embraced in my sleep
the same softly cleaning eyes, the same
delicate, rose coIored lips, the same flow
ing hair.
The alarm bell now began to ring in the
! tower, TO which Violet had also secret
access. This poor child, terrified by the
report of pistol shots and fearing that
| l should be killed, had ventured out of
her retirement in order to take me back
with her to a place of safety. She had
sacrificed her long-kept secret in order
to save me; and it was only now that she
gave the sequel of danger to the in
| habitants.
Just afterward / could hear sounds Of
a struggle in my bedroom, and then the
curses of the brigands as they took to
flight along the corridors-then the shouts
| of victory on the part of the servants.
The brigands, driven away, had taken
| with them the dead body of a comrade,
who had been stabbed to the heart by my
| little huntsman. These marauders had
dared to attack the King of Lapland,
who had come nobly to the defense of
| his superior potentate.
Unhappily. we found that the faithful
watchman lay dead in the court yard,
smothered in blood.
Poor Violet, when she saw him, sobbed
bitterly like some bird which has been
deprived of its mate. She fell to the
ground, and 1 really feared she had
tainted. 1 took her up gently in my arms
and told her that henceforth 1 should