Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-09-24


day with bag Of coin so heavy that ha
staggered under 1t, the burghers opened
their eyes and whistled that Hugh Carr
bolt was a very wise parsonage. Twelve
months rolled on, and still the skeleton Of
the dead buccaneer held grim and unmo'
Tested watch over the table, when young
Albert Vandemeer paid 1t visit Albert
was the only son of a worthy widow whose
husband had died when Albert was but ~
years old. One fine day some phlegmatie
youth, who envied Albert for his courage,
bantered him to go and spend stormy
night in the Skeletons House. Albert de.
clared that he would dare the unknown
horrors Of the place that very night.
The Skeletons House was of one story
and half, square in shape and built In
the midst of dense wood, here and there
broken by the rugged backs of huge rocks
that seemed like stony giants forcing theil
way to the upper air.
One iron bound door in front and two
strong oaken shattered windows, all al
firmly closed as the entrance of tomb,
met the youths first glance as he paused
before it.
He walked cautiously around 1t and
found similar entrances in the rear, but
the door yielded to his touch, and, cutlass
in hand he entered. At first he could dis
Germ nothing, but when his eyes became
accustomed to the gloom he saw the silent
and feshless sentinel still grinning in ter
rible mockery of mortality over the worm
eaten table.
Looking closely, the youth saw that
wires kept its CHASTITY skull erect, and al
his keen eye roved sharply around he no
ticed part of the earthen floor much more
beaten down than the remainder, and fol
lowing this slight path as his sight grew
clear and true he traced 1t to corner
where he saw a row Of great iron spikes
driven into the wall and ending at small
trapdoor above in the oaken ceiling.
To loosen his pistols in his belt and as
cend, with his cutlass ready for anything
unexpected, was but the work of an in
stant A steady pressure forced up thu
trap, and a flood Of light poured In upon
the small apartment above from a window
there wide open.
Perceiving door near, Albert boldly
opened 1T and found himself In the pres
ence of lovely girl of some IL or 16 years
whose look Of terror and disgust as he en-
tered Immediately changed to one Of hopt
and surprise.
"Ah, you have come to take me awayp
she exclaimed. "But where Is heP"
"Hep Who?' said Albert
"The dwarf! The Red Dwarf! The mon
ster that my uncle has placed over me tx
keep me in this horrible place"
II have seen no such ANIMAL" said thu
bewildered Albert.
A shrill yell, like the cry Of some flerct
beast, thrilled upon the ear, and as Albert
turned the door was dashed open, and thu
scream of terror that pealed from thu
young girls lips told him that the new
conner was her dreaded jailer.
The Red Dwarf was horribly deformei
man, with q brutal visage, as scarlet al
vermilion; with yellow, shaggy hair ant
arms SO long that the hunchbacked mon
ster resembled huge ape more than q hui
man being
"What are you here for9 Goawayl She's
to be my wife when Hugh comes backl Gt
awayp'
n 'Oh, If you go, take me away will
you," said the girl. "My uncle stole mi
from my parents in Virginia He is keep
ing me to force my father, the husband o
Garrbolt's sister, to sign away all his prop
erty to him. Do not leave me!'
With a yell, the Red Dwarf was at AL
bert's throat
The dwarf was giant in strength ant
as active as o panther. He howled, snap
ped his teeth and tried to sink them int,
Albert's throat, who used his strength
alone, disdaining the weapons in his bel
and having cast aside his cutlass.
For half an hour the contest was doubt
full, but at length Vandemeer, exerting al
his prowess, hurled his foe headlong dow
the trap just as the head and face Of Hug
Garrbolt was peering from below.
The weight and impetus Of the vanquish
ed dwarf bore Garrbolt down with hin
against one Of the iron spikes used as
means Of ascent, and there, hanging b.
the great nail, piercing under his RICH
ear, Hugh Garrbolt was for mOmen
suspended until a desperate struggle cas-
him headlong to the floor below-dead.
The dwarf, senseless and bleeding, la
gasping under the corpse Of his father-fo
such was the relation borne to him b
Hugh Garrbolt.
When Albert, with some dozen or NOR
astonished burghers, returned to the Skel
eton's House the next day, they found tn
place a smoking ruin, and whether tn
Red Dwarf persisted in the flames or es
capped with the body Of his father remain
mystery to this day.
The father Of Ella soon reached Ney
York, and in the following year oil tn
burghers within mile Of Widow vande
meer's house were seen one evening slow
| " smoking with placid Joy ut the weddin
Of Albert Yandemeer and Ella Avail
| Mvohovoo faf