The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-06-15
lOST~MAN'S Lane.
ny ANNA KAruERiSe GREEN.
l0pwilih iSoiI

! carried n pistol, half.cockoj. In my
sido pocket expected to encounter
some u or something out Of tho orii.
nary, aud moved hnrridodly on, though
with great clrcumspcciion.
II was II bright day. rs | have said,
and In another mood ] wonli havc On.
ioyed tho scenery. Now, however, |
was OH tho lookout for tho Knolly's
mansion and took no ,imc to observe
tho wild beauties about Inc. Finally
without nrononiiion or adventure OF
any kind | camo upon 1t, II great, gaunt,
nsglOctcd building Of colonial time,
whose frat ]appcGrancn aw0kr II ,rcnlor,
and from which M cloIer inspection no
suggestion cama save that which
breathod Of decay aud death. Iut IL
was n home, ns moro Khan oGo intica.
ton showed. aud onCu had been n
,coursly one, with possibilities Of aris.
tocraiic splcndor.
4 grove OF haltdccayoa trees sepnf.
uted IL from tho road, and tho effect
produced from these may have partially
accounted for tho special aspect | have
mentioned. At least l va, willing to
think so. and was uhOu. to seek n way
through tho tangled underbtush which
everywhere hindorcd my stcpl. when !.
heard n sharp whistle, and. looking up.
saw Il young man cinorse from tho opGn
doorway. ilo was calling TO some dogs,
who Immediately Appeared and began
10 leap about HIM. and MS he did not
tee me, though tho dogs did, | hal an.
pie opportunity to study his face.
1t wa 4 C%ood.naturcd but wholly
commonplace one, and from tho fact
that hN did no, aOtD tho distraction up.
parent in his dog, | drew tho conclu.
sion that he was not oycrburdenod with
acpteness. Had tho sisters. then. all
the brains OF tho family? | was deter.
mined to find out rs soon, rs should
encounter anyone more willing 10 talk
about them than Mr.. lrOhm.
Meantime tho young mar had re.
manned impGsslve and the dog, merely
FESTIVE; and. strange as it may appear,
! experienced n vague disappointment
II being allowed 20 na'S the gate OF ihis
house, aud eventually to lcave ii far
behind mo without any adventure to
warrant tho apprehension displayed by
my host aud my late entertainer, Mr..
Irnhm.
On my return to the tavern | made
Mr.. Simmsns my contldant and was as
tonishcd a. thu elect which vas pro.
drced upon him by the name OF kno..
lrs. Though he tried n hide 1t. ,here
WAS eridcntly some reason IN his own
Inindfor not being startled by this a,.
,pntN 49,, 81 ,hntr - % ,,ttI ia, 49,,
sible crimes | was investigating, aud
when | urged him to be frank he al.
lowed. with an impulsivo burst OF feel
ing, that there had always been some
thing wrong with the knollys; and,
urc ed still further, brought out II letter
he had received GONE few months since
from his daughter. who was II hospital
nurse in Denver. and laid it before me.
There" said he, Sophia won't ike
it, but SUCH facts rs you will find writ
ten there ought not to he kept secret.
l thought so NJ the time and | think SO
all the more now, that these Disappear
ances lave accumulated in our town till
we are afraid to move through our own
woods after dark"
Astonished to DO offered n clue in 4
letter written from Denver, | did not
reply to this burst. but fastened TO
open the folded sheets before me and to
read the following remarkable lines:
DEAR FATuEp-l have jus: heard n
perfectly une&pla.nablc thing about the
knoIlys. The person who told me was
n Misc Grant, who visited them abou:
Christmas time. She il 4 patient OF
p,i,o aud uhan sbn ba,rI va. Ero,,
Cushing was SO startled. and showed so
much agitation, that | insisted upon
knowing why. when she related the
following story:
Her father and the Knollys'.father
had been lifelong friends, and though
tie young people had never met there
had always been an understanding be.
tween them thct Miss Grant should
sometimes makes 4 visit 10 Cushing.
THIS was brought about last December,
and Miss Grant. with the full knowledge
OF the knolleys girls. arrived in town
early one Wednesday afternoon aud
was driven directly to their door. She
expected n cordial welcome. but she
noticed before she was half wav up The
steps that something was amiss. One
sister only was IN the hall 10 greet her,
and that sister was abstractod and pale,
sud looked ~oitener behind her and up
the stairs than at he. newly arrived
guest. Miss Grant WA not oven asked
TO take oil. her wraps. Till overcome by
the heat OF the Sitting-room into which
they mad stepped. she herself
loOsened her furs. Ut which La.
cettn-l think it was Lucctta who re.
CeirGG hcE-socmei to recover her wits
end tried to play the hosp!!ablc hostess,
but with such i'll succass tina. Miss
Grant was almost tempted to resume
her !uTs and return 10 Fulmingham
Station. Something. however, in her
y0un. hostess eye restrained her, and
cndcavorln2 not 10 notice the others
preoceupatlOn slio talked rapidly on
every available topic I'LL tho OtIirr sis.
ter came III. Miss knol!yI, rs you
know, IA a grave person. but very plcas-
IN" aud attractive. She won upon Miss
Grant nj once, but for all tina: her pres.
ence did not greatly relieve tho sItua.
ton, Tor hcr first glance Eas directed
toward her sister. who instantly bound.
Ell up and lelt tho room, aud 10, TIL
I"cf "cAc a'o"e uIu silc scclll 10 NOtICb
her guest, whom she then crcctci
warmly, but with that same air OF ab.
strHctinn and Constralnt which had been
10 painfully observnblc in Luce,tu.
Miss Grant had expected that she
would o DO taken to her room, brt on
tho contrary Miss knollva aat down. and
with mn apologize mir informed hGr OF
how sorry ahe felt that she Coull not
show her the precise attentions she
wished. Circumstances, che said, over
which they had no control had made it
impossible Tor them to oiIcr her the
guest chamber, but il HIle would DO 50