Omaha daily bee., 1896-04-12

CHAPTER II.--Contnued.
II was this pride Of Boy Jim's which led
20 an adventure which makes me shiver now
when think of II.
It happened in the August Of go, or II
may have been in the early days Of Septem-
Der, but I remember that we heard the
cuckoo in Patcham wood. and that Jim said
that perhaps II was the last Of him. l was
still at school, but Jim had left, he being
nigh 16 and 10. 1t was my Saturday half
holiday, and we spent 1t, as we often did.
out upon the downs. Our favorite place was
e beyond Wolstonbury, where we could stretch
ourselves upon the soft, springy chalk grass
among the plump little southdown sheep,
chatting with the shepherds as they leaned
upon their queer old Pyecombe crooks, made
In the days when Sussex turned out more
iron than all the countries OF England.
1t was there that we lay upon that glorious
afternoon. II we chose to roll upon our right
side the whole weald would lay In front of
us, with the north downs curvng away In
olive green folds, with here and there the
snow white rift Of chalk pit II we turned
upon our left we overlooked the huge blue
stretch OF the channel. convoy, as can
well remember, coming up 1t that day,
the timd flock Of merchantmen in front, the
frigate, like well-tralned dogs, upon the
skirts, and two burly drover line-of-hattle
ships rolling along behind them. My fancy
was soaring out to my father upon the
waters, when a word from Jim brought it
back onto the grass like a broken-winged
gull
"Roddy," said he, "have you heard that
Clffe Royal is haunted?'
Had heard It? OF course I had heard 1t.
Who was there in all the Down country who
had not heard of the Walker of Cliffe Royal?"
"Do you know the story of it, Roddy?"
why" said l, with some pride, II ought
20 know 1t, seeing that my mothers brother,
Sir Charles Tregellis, was the nearest friend
Of Lord Avcn, and was down at this card
party when the thing happened. heard the
vicar and my mother talking about 1t last
week. and 1t was all so clear to me that
might have been there when the murder was
done.'
at is a strange story" said Jim, thought
fully, but when asked my aunt about 1t
she would give me no answer, and, as to my
uncle he cut me short at the very mention
OF It."
There is good reason for that" said l,
''for Lord Avon was, as have heard, your
uncles best frlend, and 1t is but natural that
he would not wish to speak of his disgrace
Tell me the story, Roddy."
"It is an old one now-fourteen years old
and yet they have not got to the end of 1t.
There were four of them who had come down
from London to spend few days In Lord
Avon's old house. One was his own young
brother, Captain harrington. Another was
his cousin, Sir Lothian Hume. Sir Charles
Tregellis, my uncle, was the third, and Lord
Avon the fourth. They were fond of playing
cards for money these great people, and they
played and played for two days and night.
Lord Avon lost and Sir Lothian lost, and my
uncle lost, and Captain Bs .ington won Until
he could win no more. He won their money,
but above all he won the papers from his
elder brother, which meant a great deal to
him. 1t was late on Monday night that
they stopped playing. On the Tuesday morn
ing Captain Darlington was found dead be-
side his bed with his throat cut"
"And Lord Avon did it?"
'His papers were found burned in the
crate. His wristband clutched in the
dead mans hand, and his knife lay beside
the body"
''Dld they hang him then?"
"They were too slow in laying hands upon
him. They waited until he saw that they had
brought 1t home to him. and then he fed.
He has never been seen since, but 1t is said
that he reached America"
"And the ghost walks?"
"There are hundred who have seen It,"
"Why Is the house still empty?"
because 1t is In the keeping of the law.
Lord Avon had no children, and Sir Lothian
Hume, the same who was at the card party, |
Is his nephew and heir. But he can touch
nothing until he can prove Lord Avon to be
dead"
Jim lay silent for a Bit pluckng at the |
short grass with his fingers.
"Roddy," said he at last. will you come
with me tonight and look for the ghosts?" |
1t took me aback, the very thought OF It, |
my mother would not let me-"
"Slip out when she's abed. I'll wait for |
you at the smithy."
"Cliffe Royal is locked"
'Ill open a window easy enough"
"Im afraid, JIM"
"But you are not afraid II you are with me- !
Roddy. I'll promise you that no ghost shall |
hurt you."
So gave him my word that would come,
and then all the rest Of the day / went about,
the most sad-faced lad in Sussex. 1t was all |
very well for Boy Jim! 1t was that pride of |
his which was taking him there. He would go
because there was no one else on the coun-
try-side that would dare. But had no