The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-11-05

THE SIGHT OF SIX YOUNG DAMSELs.
panes, the softest of mattresses and the
downiest of pillows. / tried one OF
them, like little Silver Hair in the house
of the three bears; then, seeing how 1
had disarranged it, felt exceedingly
guilty, and with haste and as silently
as possible Withdrew to my own part
Of the chateau.
Again descending the tower stair
case to the bottom and turning to the
left. instead of to the right, passed
through n spacious, vaulted passage,
and coming to great pair OF oaken
doors. opened one Of them without
much trouble and found myself upon o
carved stone porch, which led down into
courtyard. In this open space
walked about and surveyed at my ease
the castle and it's surroundings. 1t
would be a difficult matter to describe
the building, or collection of buildings,
as more properly it might be called. 1t
was q conglomeration Of feudal Gothic
and Moorish architecture; towers
round and square, great battlemented
walls, turrets and donjon keeps and all
that sort of thing. And what made it
seem more incongruous was that con-
siderable portion of 1t had been re-
modelled and made habitable in a COM
paratively modern way. A great part
of it, crumbling and discolored with
time and almost covered with ivy,
looked as though it we're o thousand
years old, while other parts seemed new
and comfortable and showed the marks
Of present occupancy.
Outside the castle and the court there
rose a stone wall about eight feet in
height, continuous save opposite the
castle porch, where there was break
or gap, some fifteen feet in width, or
wider. This gap had originally been
filed by two huge gates Of wrought
and twisted iron, which, now rusted
from their hinges, lay back on either
side against the wall. Through this
open space could see the black swirl
ing flood of the Schreckenstrohm GO
sweeping by; and beyond the water n
wagon road that wound up the hill
through the forest.
Advancing to this aperture in the
masonry. found some stone steps
leading down into the water, and look
ing up the stream i noticed something
else, which struck me as remarkably
odd. namely, a rope of iron wire, which,
coming from the highest easement in
n tall tower, which rose some fifty feet
from where j stood, stretched across
the river and disappeared in the tree
tops of the woods on the opposite side.
j climbed TO the top of the outer wall.
without much trouble. and walking
upon il for several hundred feet passed
around the upper end OF the castle and
OF the island. and now was able 20 get a
much better idea OF both, and of the
plunging river or torrent, which swept
down. about sixty feet in width, on
either side. now looked in vain for
any means OF communication between
the castle and the main land. The
flood was so deep and the current so
furious. as IL pounded against the rocky
banks. that crossing in a boat was ut
terly impossible. and the question of
how was TO get away became more
and more Of an enigma. The island
seemed 20 be about two hundred feet
IN width and some five or six hundred
in length. II was completely encirclcd
az It's outer edge BY the wall upon which
wnikcd. excepting for the open space
have mentioned. The castle stood al
the lower end OF the inclosure. by low
er end. I mean. OF course. the part dowr
stream. And the whole Of the remain
ing ground. for Eve hundred feet pr
hsps above The buildings wse COVERED