The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1904-01-21
wildly. Murdered. Was that what

| ed! A guest or BlackcaSJle murdered!
Oh, 1t cannot bel" in sudden, fierce in.
| credulty. ut Is impossible!"
And still the others stood as motion.
less as men and women cut from
| stone.
Cynthia's beautiful, naughty. dark
proved face was awfully set and
rigid. Even Baby-bright, laughing,
winsome Baby---had grown pale and
| grave, and frightened.
A crowd of scared servants clustered
| together at the further end OF the
great hall One of them. small,
| elderly wodman, with 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.
ooh, my lady, my LADY," she moan
ed. 1.-THE curse Of Darlington has
come upon us! My lady, my lady!"
For answer the mistress OF Black
castle sank back In her chair end bur
led her face in her hands, with quick,
heartbroken sob.
ne SlItuES WOlu5 vi NhV "Oludh
seemed to break the spell that bound
them. They began speaking &c 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.
sne is of the same race 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 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 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.
at 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
second"
He pulled out his note book and
hastily scrubbed 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
| lightning!"
A brief space, and then they heard,
past the angle Of the house, down the
avenue, the mad clatter Of horses
speeding feet.
My lady still sat, with her arms
folded upon a carven ledge of the
chair, her white head bowed upon
them.
At her feet, as before a shrine, the
black-clad, wrinkled dame still rocked
and swayed, and muttered unintelli-
gibly. ....t
Miss Lennox went across the hall,
and leaning over the quaint chair put
one strong, kindly arm around it's
trembling occupant.
But before she could speak a word,
the crouching old creature on the floor
broke out In grooming lamentation:
and now that she spoke so plainly, it
was easy to discern her strong foreign
accent.
Fire." she said-"flre 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
castle!"
what do you mean2" her mistress
| said. what curse"
| The others pressed little forward
| TO listen.
Don't you remember" she said,
and rose to her feet, a witch-like, black
eyed, brown-visaged figure. | remem-
| ber-ah, yes, l never forget! | re-
member it so well, for heard the mas
ter tell It to you 1t was lovely
evening IN June, and you were sitting
out on the veranda. / 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 your arms, and were
laughing and talking To him,