Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-04-15

which 1 may have-which l shall have,
mind you-though everybody treats me
bad here"
Thomas Eastbell consumed his lunch
with difficulty. He had no appetite, hut
it was necessary to keep himself up, the
captain had said, and all his life he had
believed in Captain Peterson. He fell
asleep after his meal, and when he woke
up he stared vacantly round, and fought
hard to recolIect where he was, and how
long he had sat huddled in the armchair,
an angular distortion in his comfortless
slumber.
1t was night, and the huge room was
full of darkness, which had crept upon
Sedge Hill before its time, or he had slept
long and late, and all in that unsettled
house had forgotten his existence, were
his first ideas when he began to remem-
Der that he was in the picture gallery
which Simon Culwick had built. What
heavy sleep his must have been, to be
sure! He stood up, and tried to pierce
through the darkness, and a sudden chill
seized upon his veins. and turned him sick
as he fancied that he might have woke
up blind like his grandmother! Why not?
it was i'll the family-and all before
him was awfully black and thick and inn
penetrable. 1t was raining outside, too
that accounted for the kissing in lis
ears which he had awakened with, and
which he had thought was his brain.
Finally he groped his way toward the
door, keeping his hand on the wall, or on
the vanished surfaces of the paintings
with which the wall was hung. He had
made UP his mind, he would seek Grand
mother Eastbell, and tell her the truth,
and more than the truth if it were requi-
site. He was being imposed upon. Peo-
pie of no principle had taken advantage
of his slumbers, and were setting his near
est and dearest relation against him. Reu-
ben Culwick was at the head of affairs,
and poisoning the public mind. Even the
servants had turned upon him, and
brought him no dinner, and left him in the
dark. He came to full stop, and fell
against the pictures, scratching them
with his trembling hands, in his alarm;
for the door behind him in the distance
the side door leading away from the
corridor-had opened suddenly and
sharply, and was shut again as he glanc-
ed towards a fitful gleam of light which
narrowed and then passed away. In that
feeting moment he had seen enough to
scare a stronger nerve than his-for a
white figure had glided into the chamber,
and was advancing toward him, he was
sure! He remained silent and trembling
till the rustling of garments assured him
that something was approaching him
with noiseless steps, that reminded him
of the ghost in the "Castle Specter,"
which he had seen once from the gallery
Of theater. He made q swift plunge for
the door in his horror.
1t was his sisters spirit, he was sure
she had been murdered by those from
whose clutches he had made no effort to
save her-and she had come for him! His
last hour had arrived, and it was all over
with his dreams of glory.
''Tom Eastbell," said a sharp voice in
his ears, "are you here? Why don't you
speak to me?"
GRANDMOTHER" he calculated, 'tis it
you then?'
"Come here and sit down-we can talk
hest in the dark, and want to talk to
you"
I'D rather have a light. thank you,"
said Tom, who still had his suspicious
that all was not right. He found his way
to the principal door, and opened it, let
ting in a stream of light from the corri-
dor without. He looked back at his
grandmother, who was standing by the
chair which he had quilted, a strange
phantom enough in her white night dress,
and with counterpane wrapped round
her toga-fashion, and trailing on the
ground behind her.
'What's the matter?" said Tom irres-
olutely; "ain't you well? What have you
come downstairs for, such a night as
this?''
81 can't rest. There's something
wrong, Tom. I'm unhappy. They're all
you with the rest of 'em-keeping
something from me. Where's Sarah?-
oh! where's my Sally ?-tell me.'
"Wait a moment-I'll tell you every
thing"
An idea had seized him at last. The
opportunity which he thought that he
missed had come to him in this manner
There was no time to lose.
"Sally's run away" he said.
"Eh-what?" shrieked Mrs. Eastb ell;
run away-from me?'
'Yes-that's itv' asseverated Tom, be-
coming bolder in his statement as his
grandmother put implicit faith in every
word he uttered
Run away-forever, do you mean?"
exclaimed Mrs. Eastbell, in her highest
key;
"Ahi don't say any more" said the old
Tom. l don't want to live an hour long
er. l was always so fond of Sally, Tom
"Yes-so was l." he exclaimed: ''but if
she don't deserve our love, what's the
odds? I've been cut up all day, but I'm
getting more composed like. Don't die
that's what she wants-what she expects,
p'raps-can't you see it all?''
The hands that We're muff1ed in the
counterpane were brought down with
their covering from the face, which SEEM
ed harder and sterner now, and looked SO
like her brother Simon's that any one
acquainted with the late owner might
have thought that he had come back in
the flesh.
''Ah, yes; I'm beginning to find out
what a wicked and ungrateful world it
is, Tom," she said.
That's right. Cheer up. and look
about you"
"She and that Reuben planned this,
then? They have gone away together