Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-11-03

which his hatred was about 10 Optf-
ate. At the moment when he learned
their mutual attachment. probably
through a domestic, the lady was on
her way to meet her lover as he re-
turned from the days sport. The ap-
pointed place was on the edge of a
deep, rocky ravine, down in whose
dark bosom brawled ana foamed lit
tie mountain torrent. You know the
place, Duncan. my dear, 1 dare say"
Here she gave me minute descrip-
ton of the spot, with directions how
TO find it,
Whether anyone saw what l am
about to relate, or whether it was put
together afterward, l cannot tell. The
story is like an old tree-so old that
il has lost the marks of its growth.
But this is how my grandmother told
it to me. An evil chance led him in
the right direction. The lovers, start
led by the sound of the approaching
horse. parted in opposite directions,
along a narrow mountain path, on the
edge of the ravine. Into this path he
struck at a point near where the low
ers had met, but to opposite sides Of
which they had now receaed; so that
he was between them on the path.
Turning his horse up the course of
the stream, he soon came IN sight of
his brother on the ledge before him.
With n suppressed scream of rage he
rode headlong at him, and ere he had
time to make the least defence, hurled
him over the precipice. The helpless
ness of the strong man was uttered in
one single despairing cry as he shot
into the abyss. Then all was still.
The sound of his fall could not reach
the edge of the gulf. Divining in Il mo-
ment that the lady, whose name was
Elsie, must have fed in the opposite
direction. he reined his steed on his
launches. He could touch the preci.
pice with his bride hand half out
stretched; his sword hand half out
stretched. would have dropped stone
TO the bottom of the ravine There
was no room to wheel One desperate
practicability alone remained. Turn
ing his horses head toward the edge,
he compelled him, by means of the
powerful bit, to rear till ne stood al
most erect; and so, his body swaying
over the gulf, with quivering and
straining muscles. to turn on his hind
legs. Having completed the half cir.
Gle, he let him drop ana urged him
furiously in the opposite direction. 1t
must have been by the devils own
care that he was able to continue his
gallop along that ledge Of rock.
"He soon caught sight of the mai.
den. She was leaning, half falnting,
against the precipice. She had heard
her lovers last cry, and although 1t
had conveyed no suggestion of his
voice to her ear, she trembled from
head to foot and her limbs would bear
her no further He checked his speed,
rode gently up TO her, lifted ner, un-
resisting, laid her across the shoulders
of his horse, and, riding carefully till
he reached n more open path dashed
again wildly along the mountain side.
The ladys long hair was shaken loose,
and dropped trailing on the ground.
The horse trampled upon 1t and stun
bled, half dragging her from the sad
die bow. He caught her, lifted her
up and looked at her face. She was
dead. / suppose he went mad. H.
laid her again across the saddle before
him, and rode thcr.
Horse and man ana maiden were
found the next day lying at tho foot
OF a cliff dashed to pieces. 1t was
observeG that a hind shoe Of tn, 'orse
was bose and broken. W.etner this
had been the cause Of his fall, could
not lie told; but ever when he races,
as race he will till the day of doom,
along that mountain side, his gallop is
mingled with the clank OF the loose
and broken shoe. For, like the sin, the
punishment Is awful: he shall carry
about for ages the phantom body OF
the girl. knowing that her soul Is
away, sitting with the soul of his
brother, down In the deep ravine, or
scaling with him the topmost crags OF
the towering mountain peaks. There
are some who, from time to time. see
the doomed man carcering along the
face OF the mountain, with the lady
hanging across the steeu; and they
say Il always bctokcns storm, such
as this which Is now raging around
u.s."
/ had not noticed, till now, so nb-
sorbcd had been In her tale that
the storm had risen TO n very ecstasy
Of fury.
"They say. likewise, that the ladys
hair is still growing; for, every time
they see her, II Is longer than before;
and that now, such Is It's length. and
the hcadlong speed Of the norse, that
IL floats and streams out behind ike
one Of those curved clouds, like
comets tail, fir Up In the sky; only
the cloud is white. and the hair dark
as night. And they say II will 20 on
growing till the last day, when the
horse VIII falter and hcr hair Will
gather In; ana the horse viii fall, and
the hair viii twist and twlnc. and
wrcathc Itself Ike mist Of threads
about him. and blind him to every
thing but her. Then the body Will
rise up within IL, face to face with
him, animated by fcnd. who, twin
Ing her arms around him, VIII drag
him down to the bottomlcss pit"
| may mention something which
now occurred, and which had
strange effect upon my old nurse. It
illustrates the assertion that we see
around us only what Is within us.
marvellous things enough viii show
themselves 10 the marvellous mood
During short lull I'm the storm. just
ms she had finished her story. we
heard the sound of iron-shod hoofs
approaching the cottage. There was
no bride way into the glen. A knock
came TO the door, and, on opening II,
we saw an old man seated on horse,
with II long, slcndcrly ililcd sack lying
across the saddle before him lie e.
said he had lost the path In the storm,
and. seeing the light. had scrambled
down to inquire his way. | perceived
at once. from the scared aud mystic.
rious look OF the old womnn'a eyes
that the was persuaded that this APP
penrnncc had more than little to do
with the awful rider. the terrific
storm. and myself. who had heard the
sound OF the phantom hoofs. A ne
nsccndcd the hill she looked after him,
with wide and pale, but unshrinklng
eyes; then turning In shut aud locked
the door behind her. M If by natu-
rnl instinct. After two or three OF
ncr significant mods. accompanied by
the compression OF her lips. she said: