Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-01-21
wildly. "Murderedl Was that what

ed! A guest OF Blackcastle murdered!
On. 1t cannot bel" in sudden, fierce in
credulity. ut Is impossiblei"
And still the others stood as motion
less as men and women cut from
stone.
Cynthia's beautiful, naughty, dark
browed face was awfully set ant
rigid. Even Baby-bright, laughing
winsome Baby-had grown pale anC
grave, and frightened.
A crowd of scared servants clustered
| together at the further end OF the
great hall. One of them. a small
elderly wodman, with a keen. resolute
face, all wrinkled and scanned like
coarse, brown leather, rushed across
the floor and flung herself on her knees
at Lady ~Carrington's feet.
"Oh, my lady. my lady!" she moan
ed. "The curse Of Darlington has
come upon us! My lady, my lady!"'
For answer the mistress of Black
castle cank back In her chair and bur-
led her face in her hands, with a quick,
heartbroken sob.
The strange words of the woman
seemed to break the spell that bound
them. They began speaking to each
other in breathless whispers.
"Who Is she?" Baby questioned,
pointing to the bent figure still kneel-
ing before my lady, and swaying SLOW
ly backward and forward.
"She is the Oldest servant here"
Cynthia turned to say, in low reply.
one is of the same ace as Lady Car
rington-an Italian. When my lady
came a bride to Blackcastle, thirty
four years ago, she brought her with
her, and here she has remained ever
since"
Cyril Darlington had gone forward
to where the domestics were huddled
around the footman, who had found
the body, listening with a sort of NOR
bid fascination to the CHASTITY details
o. the discovery.
Come with me-" he said. shortly, to
the man. 81 can't believe it."
They went up stairs together, but
in a moment came hurrying down. One
glance was enough to dispel the hopes
Of the most sanguine, or convince the
most %credulous.
The others looked up at him as he
came rapidly forward, In helpless APP
peal. Instinctively they turned to
him.
ut is true!" he cried-'it is too
true! Make haste, men! There is no
time to be lost! We have already let
precious moments slip away! You,
Andrew, take the sorrel and ride into
town. Bring a doctor, inform the cor
oner and rouse the ~populace. Wait a
second!"
He pulled out his note book and
hastily scrubbed q line.
Foul murder at Blackcastle. Have
trains watched. Send out all your
force. Darlington"
He tore out the leaf and handed it
to the man.
"Give that to the chief. Ride like
lightnlng!"
A brief space, and then they heard,
past the angle of the house, down the
avenue, the mad clatter Of a horses
speeding feet.
My lady still sat, with her arms
folded upon a carver ledge of the
chair, her white head bowed upon
them.
At her feet, as before a shrine, the
b%lack-clad, wrinkled dame still rocked
and swayed, and muttered unintelli-
gibly.
Miss Lenhox went across the hall,
and leaning over the quaint chair put
one strong, kindly arm around its
trembling occupant.
But before she could speak a word,
the crouching old creature on the floor
broke out In grooming lamentations:
and now that she spoke so plainly, 1t
was easy to discern her strong foreign
accent.
Fire." she said--"fre first and then
murder! AS IL one was not enough
without the other! All. my lady, it is
the curse-the curse come upon Black
c~astle!"
What do you meant" her mistress
said. what cursor"
The others pressed q little forward
to listen.
Don't you remember?" she said,
and rose to her feet, a witch-like, black
eyed. b~rown-visaged figure. ] remem
ber-ah, yes, l never forgeti re-
member 1t so well. for I heard the mas
ter tell it to you. It was a lovely
evening in June, and you were sitting
out on the veranda. I remember the
very dress you wore." she went on,
with the garrulity of age-"a white
dress, white as snow. And you had
crimson roses in your breast and hair.
How handsome-how handsome you
were then!"
~Involuntarily they glanced at my
lady. Handsome, indeed. she must
have been, to Judge by what she was.
The woman stood silent a moment,
like a small, weird sibyl. lost in a
trance OF mystic thought.
She reused herself from her dreamy
retrospection:
"And you did not see the master
when he came up the avenue-did not
perceive him at all-because you had
Baby Give in -FOUR arms. and were