Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-01-30
A sToRY or AN ORGAN.

at is haunted with an evil thing,
believe me, sir. Never till the
plowshare has passed over the place
will men dwell there in peace"
The gray-haired speaker turned
away, and left me alone to gaze on
the mansion he had thus banned.
| had heard the same when l was q
child; the nurse had been chidden
for talking of it in my presence,
and my own questions on the subject
had always been evaded. Strange
that now, after thirty years So journ-
ing in = isr-off land, l should come
back to hear the same mystery al
luded to, the same destiny foretold! !!
The impressions were more than
half effaced; but now, like the col
ors of a picture brought to life af-
ter long obscurity, they returned
vividly to my mind. l gazed on
the mansion; it was the only thing
in the village Of my birth that l
found greatly changed; but in look
ing at this once stately Tudor hall
| was reminded painfully how long
l had been absent. When l last
saw it, the sunshine had glowed
upon the gables and mullions of a
goodly mansion; the clear starlight
now only showed a moss-grown
ruin. The balustrades and urns
were cracked and thrown down;
there were NO peaC0UHS -. s-.~-,~r
ing lawn, and its once trim grass
was overgrown with nettles and
coltsfoot. The quaint-patterned
beds of the garden, too, had lost the
shapes of diamonds and stars, and,
no longer glittering with flowers.
were scarcely to be distinguished
from the walls save by more luxu-
RANT crops OF weeds. The roof Of
the private chapel had recently fall
len in, and little remained of the
building but an exquisitely-sculpt-
ured window, amidst the tracery of
which the wall-flower and the ivy
had long taken the place of the her
AIDS blazon. The shadow of all
this ruined beauty was on my spir-
it; so being just in the humor for
ghostiy legend, determined, on my
return, to ask my friend L., with
whom | was spending few days,
for an explanation of the mystery.
Thus much was rapidly told. Briar-
hurst had been suffered to fall into
decay ever since old Sir Lambert's
death; another branch of the fami-
ly had become the possessors; and
as no tenant staid there, the pres
ent owner intended very shortly to
have it pulled down.
"Well, but what is the difficulty
of living there ?" said l. at is
quite possible, with the aid Of a
yearly run up to town in the season,
and plenty of books, to exist even
in that lonesome lodge without
hanging ones self. Do any lords
spiritual interfere with ones re.
pose ?"
"Ring for Edward and Hetty,
my dear" said L. to his wife. Then,
turning to me, "Please don't allude
to that subject before the children,
or we shall have them both afraid
to stir after dark"
My curiosity was baked again;
so, after a more constrained even
ing than we had yet passed, wished
the family good night. My friend
followed me out of the room.
"Look at that picture for five
minutes, while l fetch something,
said he, pointing to portrait, evi.
IDENTIFY just rescued from damp and
destruction, that leant against the
wall.
/ obeyed. 1t represented lady
in white morning dress of tn,
fashion of a century ago. She wa
young and beautiful, with brigh
hair, and blue eyes ofinfinite deptl
and lustre. In her bosom she wor,
a curiousiy-shaped ruby brooch; ;
bracelet, set with the same stones
clasped reund the white arm tha