Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1903-08-29

What terrific spectacle was this that
met his eyes!
The words Of the hoy were fully con.
Grmed; the most horrid creature fancy
could picture wns surely dancing just
within the tower In full. plain view. A
hideous figure was jumping up and down,
amid glare of what seemed sulphurous
light, while every now and then It sank
down only to reappenr. going through
the same wild motions and capers, each
one appalling enough to strike terror to
the hearts of the superstitious beholder.
But DIR. Elfenstein was by no means
a supcrsti,ious man. Ghosts, COLLINS,
specters. all were to him mere vagaries
Of a crazed brain. Therefore, while
startled and Mortified for one moment by
this singular apparition. the next. he
coolly refined In his horse. and thus stood
still, calmly contemplating the scene.
While still, sitting there upon the back
Of his horse. lost In conjecture. the de.
moniacal hObgoblin. apparition, or what.
ever the evil genius Of the HAUNTED
Tower might be called. dropped from
sight; the strange. lurid light disappear.
ed; darkness reigned over the place, ex.
cept "a revealed by the lightning flashes,
and the puzzled but undaunted physician
was free to urge his horse onward once
more towards the peaceful cottage that
he called his home.
Once within the cheerful shelter Of the
library, he seated himself beside the tn.
BILE. drew nearer the wax candles, and
again took up his book to read another
chapter before retiring for the night. But
he soon found that reading was impossi.
BILE, for ever before the page fitted the
impish figure he had seen, with lis horns,
Its Oar " eyes aud hideous contortions.
Closing the book then he leaned his head
against the tall back Of his chair. and
thought long and deeply. At the close
Of his cogitations, as he laid himself
down upon his bed for the night, one re.
suit alone was reached. namely;
"There had been a murder committed
years before within Glendenning Hall.
and the murderer was still unknown and
mt large. For some unaccOuntable rea-
son the tower was made to appear in
the possession Of evil spirits by some par
ties. also unknown"
In his soul Dr. Elfenstein believed the
dreadful apparition he had himself wit
messed that night was the work of some
wicked person. wrought out. probably. to
keep up the superstitious nOtoriety such
a mystery would bring upon place.
Finding sleep impossible. the doctor
again arose and. drawing aside the cur
tain from the window, gazed forth into
the darkness of the night But while the
storm still ragged furiously. and the sky
was shrouded by an lnky pail, no light ap.
peared from the direction OF the hall to
whisper forebodingly Of the specter Of
the tower.
The young physician soon found him
self pursuing another and an entirely diff.
ferent train Of thought. This time the
storm passing before his eyes was trans
ferred to the wildly dashed and foaming
billows of the sea. His peaceful home
had changed to the cabin OF an ocean
steamer, and the goblin of night into the
graceful form Of Ethel Nevergail, his
lovely fellow passenger of few weeks
before.
All, beautiful, lost Ethel! How he
longed to see her, to speak to her, to be
near her, but he knew that for him such
IA pleasure would never again be, so with
weary sigh he dropped the curtain and
turned to his pillow, but not to sleep
zen, but to toss around, and strive in
Din to Danish from his mind thoughts
the girl who had unconsciously sue.
ded In leaving 20 indslible sn impress
upon bis heart.