The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-23

Gle of guests, and as he raised the
wine cup over his head he cried: /
have one more toast to propose. We
have drunk the health of the Laird
of Lodore. Let us drink-drink
prosperity to the Luck of Lodore.
and let the laird honor the toast by
drinking to it from the Luck Of Lo
dore' itself. -
From the lips of Dame Helen, her
daughter and old Watty expressions
of horror fell.
"Stop, Henry! Do not agree to it
the honor of the house may pay
for it." cried the beautiful Jean
pleadingly.
81 must see it! Watty, bring the
Luck of Lodore. -
For an instant the old butler hest
tated; then, seeing his master was
in earnest, he slowly left the room.
After some delay he returned, bear
ing with him a curiously shaped
box. This he unlocked, and then,
after stripping off several coverings,
he exhibited to the gaze of the COM
pany an antique crystal goblet, curl
ously cut and with certain strange
hieroglyphics inscribed around it,
"That is the Luck O. Lodore, ;
Master Henry, said to have been
glen to ane O. your ancestors by
the great wizard, Michael Scott. So
lang as it is keepit safe, SO lang sail
there oe ane O. the name o Arniston
alive to heir the estates. For five
hummer years it has been preserved. ;"
'sIndeed!'' sneered Keith. "And
the stability of the great house of
Lodore rests on so feeble founda-
ton as piece of brittle glass! Stuff
and nonsense!"
"Fill it with wine, Watty, and
then pass it round, that each guest
may say he or she has taken a draft
from the Luck of Lodore. y
The old butler did SO with trem-
bling hands and then returned the
goblet to Henry, who drained the
contents that remained.
"what piece of degrading super
stition! Can it be possible that any
one believes that the present family
would be either the letter OF the
worse of that goblet being brollen:;
was jasper Keith sremarlS as Henry
stood holding it in his hands. The
fumes of the wine were mounting
into the young mans head, and the
spirit Of bravado got the better OF
him.
"You ara right, Keith!" he cried.
"We'll see whether the Luck of
Lodore' is true or false prophet.
With these words he dashed the
crystal goblet on to the floor. A
shrek broke from all present. Dame
Helen covered her face with her
hands. Jean darted forward toward
Henry, while poor old Watty, with
cry of anguish, rushed to the spot
where the goblet had fallen. Atthat
moment tremendous peal of thun-
der literally shook the castle, as
though in horror of the laird's ac-
ton. A mighty rushing wind also
seemed to pass through its galleries
and corridors, and borne en- its wings
like the wall of lost spirit came the
words, Doomed, doomed doomed!"
Yet through it all, with his cold,
supercilious smile on his lips, sat
Jasper Keith. lone superstition the
less" was his sole remark.
All was confusion now Watty had
found the goblet, and, singularly
I enough, almost intact. The slender
stem alone was broken, but SO that
it admitted of repair. Yet no sooner
had Jean perceived this than she
said in a low voice to her mother:
''It is the stem that has snapped.
Henry is doomed. +"
! But the old butler, without further
remark, replaced the Luck of Lo-
dore" in its casket and bore it away.
The old man S face was ashen pale,
and as he tottered rather than
walked to the plate chest in the
strongrcom adjoining his pantry he
muttered, ITS a up wi the young
laird noo"
When old Watty returned to the
dining room, he found that, despite
Dame Helens remonstrances and
Jeans entreaties and tears, Henry
was determined to penetrate into the
long closed suit of apartments in the
west wing. In vain the butler used
all bis powers of persuasion, in vain
he asked the young laird to wait un-
til morning light.
"No: / wish to go now, to see
what there is that has frightened
you all and to recover the part Of
my house that has been lost to US so
long. Get the keys.
Old Watty was perfectly stuTefed
with terror, but nevertheless he had
to obey. Jean, seeing her betrothed