Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-04-26

in proof of my determination l turned
the slide of the lantern and flashed the
light through the house.
The effect was ghostly; but while the
fellow at my side breathed hard, he
did not take advantage Of my words
to make his escape, as I half expected
him to. The truth is, was startled
myself but vas able to hide the fact
and to whisper back to him fercely:
Hush
/ had just heard something.
For moment we stood GREATNESS,
but as the sound was not repeated I
concluded that it was the creaking Of
that faraway shutter. Certainly there
was nothing moving near us.
"Shall we go upstairs?" whispered
Hubbard.
Is right down here"
A door stood slightly ajar on our
left.
Pushing It open, we looked In. A
well furnished parlor was before US.
Here's where the wedding took
place." remarked Hubbard, straining
his head over my shoulder.
There were signs Of this wedding on
every side. Walls and ceilings had
been hung with garlands, and these
still chung to the mantelpiece and over
and around the various doorways. The
clock occupying the center Of the man.
telpiece alone gave evidence Of life. 1t
had not yet run down. Its tick-tick
came faint enough, however, through
the darkness, as IL it, too, had lost heart
and would soon lapse into the deadly
quiet of its ghostly surroundings.
Its It's funeral-like," chartered
Hubbard.
He was right; felt as II were
shutting the lid Of coffin when final
~ closed the door.
Our next steps took rs into the rear,
where we found little to detain us, aud
then, with q certain dread fully justi
fed by the event, we made for the
door defined by the two Corinthian
columns.
It was ajar like the rest, and, call me
coward or call me fooEI have called
Hubbard both, you will remember
found that it cost me an effort to lay
my hand on its mahogany panels.
Danger, II danger there was, lurked
here, and while had never known
myself to quail before any ordinary
antagonist, I, like others Of my kind,
have no especial fondness for unseen
and mysterious perils.
Hubbard, who up to this point had
followed me almost too closely, now
accorded me all the room that was nee
essary. 1t was with sense Of enter
ing alone upon the scene that finally
thrust wide the door and crossed the
threshold of this redoubtable room
where, but two short weeks before.
fresh victim had been added to the
list Of those who had by some unheard
OF, unimaginablc means found their
death within its recesses.
My first glance showed me little save
the ponderous outlines of an old set
tie, which jutted from the corner OF
the fireplace half way out into the
room. As it was seemingly from this
seat that the men, who at various
times had been found lying here. had
fallen to their doom, thrill passed
over me as l noted its unwieldy bulk
and the deep shadow it threw on the
ancient and dishonored hearthstone.
To escape the CHASTITY memories it
evoked and also to satisfy myself that |
the room was really as empty as it
seemed took another step forward. I
This caused the light from the lantern
carried to spread beyond the point /
on which 1t had hitherto been so eff
fectively concentrated, but the result
was to emphasize rather than detract
from the extreme desolation of the /
great room. The settle was fixture,
as afterward found, and was almost
the only article Of furniture to be seen
on the wide expanse Of uncarpeted
floor. There was table or two in hid
ing somewhere amid the shadows at
the other end from where stood, and
possibly some kind Of stool or settee,
but the general impression made upon
me was that of completely disman-
tied place given over to moth and rust.
The elegance OF the heavily succeed
ceiling, admitted to be one Of the finest
specimens Of its kind in Washington,
as well as the richness OF the carvings
the mantel Of Italian
marble rising above the accursed
only served to make more
evident the extreme neglect into which
the rest of the room had sunk. Being
anything but anxious to subject myself
further to its unhappy influence and
quite convinced that the place was in
deed as empty as It looked, turned to
leave when my eyes fell upon some
thing so unexpected and so extraordi-
nary. seen as It was under the influ-
encs Of the old tragedies with which
my mind was necessarily full, that
paused, baked in my advance and well
nigh uncertain whether looked upon
l real thing or on some strange and
terrible fantasy of my aroused imagi-
nation.
A form lay before me, Outstretched
IN that portion of the floor which had
hitherto been hidden from me by the
half open door-a woman'S form, ]
which even in that first casual look ]