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

""Aeoa anu lretteu down the raV1ne
below II castle, the building was a
landmark n the district for miles
round. The scenery in the neighbor-
mood was stern and forbidding. Rock
and moor, heath and wood, scaur
n Cliff were in evidence every
where. Yet escape from tho glen
and Immediately one was amid idyl.
lie pictares IF pastoral neace and
agricultural fertility.
For centuries the Admissions of Lo-
dore had been the hereditary lords
OF the district on all sides Of the
castle. About the middle of last cen
fury the head of the family had been
one Stephen ArnistOn, who lived to
~patriarchal old age, both loved and
respected and at length died. leav-
ing n child, the beautiful Jean.
The estate, being entailed, passed to
the nephew Of good old Stephen, q
young man of considerable promise,
but whose estimable traits of ami
ability and generosity were sadly
discounted by a certain headstrong-
noss and Obstinacy Of temperament
which: united t O nm cxtravaennt love
of fiattery, rendered him an easy
prey to any ad%venturer. TO the gen
tie Jean he had been betrothed at an
early age. Though during a lengthy
residence with his regiment i'll the
low countries he was reported to
have contracted vices of the most
degrading type, it al hoped that
the %infiunce of his gracious AND no.
BILE minded tiancee would wean him
from such habits.
Great had been the rojoicings at
the castle over the arrival of Laird
Henry TO enter into his new posses
sions. Attended by several friends,
among others Jasper Keith, he had
reached Lodore and had been warm
ly welcomed by Dame Helen ARMS
ton and her beautiful daughter Jean.
But more than n sharp eye noted
that Jeans welcome was rather
from tho lip than the heart. Hand
some and debOnair though Henry
was, there was al undercurrcnt Of
insincerity in his manner that caused
her to recoil from him and i'll secret
to weep bitterly that he to whun1
her heart was already given. her
other kinsman, Archie Rubislaw,
the only hope of a poor but noble
family in the district, had not been
chosen as her husband.
The short afternoon of q NOvem-
Der day was drawing to its close.
The weather was dull, lowering and
stormy. Heavy clouds were banking
themselves up on the southwestern
horizon, while the wind, with an
angry, sibilant shrek, was causing
the boughs of the firAnd Pine trees
that clothed the sides of the ravino
to toss their long, gaunt arms to the
sky as though in piteous protest. A
tempest of no ordinary magnitude
seemed brewing.
Apparently Jasper Keith's pro-
posal to spend the afternoon at the
| gambling table had not been re-
ceived with favor. The party had
| gone outside. but seemingly the
bleak prospect without was driving
them homeward. AS they came
along the approach leading to the
main entrance Henry was asked
some question regarding certain
rooms in the castle. He had been
unable to give a satisfactory answer,
SO when they met the old butler st
the door the laird said, "Watty,
didn't you tell me I had seen all the
rooms in the castle3"
"Dee6, aye, laird, and SO We have"
"Not every room, I think" re-
| piled Keith Dramatically.
"What have ! not seen, Kettle"
"You have never entered those
rooms on the second floor of the
west wing whose window blinds are
always keptdrawn," retorted Keith,
with his grewsome, Mephistophelian
laugh.
An exclamation of horror burst
from the old butler. He could scarce
ly find words to dissuade Henry
from ever thinking of entering the
rooms.
"Ye mamma gang in there, Lo-
dore. It's as muckle as yer life's
worth. The rooms haze been sealed
up for mair than a hummer years. 1
Gamma tell ye what for, but some
thing awful happened there, and
Laird Godfrey CARED seal them up"
Rats and mice again, l suppose.
These rodents have much to answer
| for, Henry" speered Keith.
81 shall enter these rooms tonight
or de-" cried the young laird, thor
oughly piqued by Keith's animad-
versions.
Lord sake. Lodore, dinna dae ony
sic thing I tell ye the dell himsel's
in there. I've heard the maist awful
cries an the olankin O. chains ilka
Hallowmass nioht''-
"Hallowmass-why, that's to-
night Will we hear it7" cried one
Of the younger members of the