Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-17
The Haunted Picture.

] sufficiently Interested the room to wish to
remain there, Luoch Noyco seemed however. to hg
strangely attracted 10y the picture Dc went near to- IT, and
actually touched it, The voice of Sir owen broke sharp
Don't touch that ptcture' he cried strtdns a step
towards
sba'nt hurt it" said voyce. ID little sulktly. and
came away.
Od simon carefully let us out of that wing and locked
the outer noticed, however, other doors
were not locked in all probability because should
Doe returning to that tower within short time. And
n the afternoon he took back again. only
ctsion Sir owen did not put in appearance.
There something peculiar about the plate [ found
when came to develop it. For long time could
make out what ii was Then. to astoushmeut dis
covered that by extraordinary freak of the
the picture there at all midst OF my work
] was Joined by Enoch who looked over my shoulder
without speaking. When last hc it
was with note Of deep satisfaction in his voice
So there was something behind that picture after
ALL" he said
much occupied with the plate to- notice him
For the picture wall had the Photograph en-
urely disappeared leaving square cut aperture And
In that aperture with broad band of light falling right
across IT, stood figure peering into the figure
so wild and awful and unearthly that / shuddored
looked it.
was the figure of a man, with wild. ragged white
hair falling about his rags-a STOPPING
horrible decrepit thing, like large monkey. looked
round at Enoch Noyce and his face Bending
the plate together looked while Euoch spoke
" This is the unraveling of secret that has huns
about this place like unhoy cloud years" he
at last " have heard word here and word there.
put the little bits together until only needed this
complete puzzle. "a explain
what figure
l watched the old in silence. / saw by his com
pressed lips and the hard glitter eyes that
tale of wrong, tragedy the common.
" Eighteen twenty years ago this Sir owen Fish
lock young of some 30 years Of age, and he
pretty bad lot This place but little of him;
it in London that he had his haunts And among
his companions i'm London was "a certain young mana
boy-Lieut Arthur Dorgan lie wild he
weak, and he completely under the Of the
elder man. Yet the note Of tragedy was only struck when
the inevitable woman came into their lives. and both
loved her"
was stin at loss to understand what this had to do
with the extraordinary figure photographs but 1
waited in patience. Grimly enough Enoch Noyce CON
tinued:
boy. apparently accepted his dismissal calmly
enough; in secret it he broodcd IT, There
than quarrel between the men; but those
quarrels patched up again Then at last 1t came
about that a brawl in gaming house killed
and the boy half dazed with drink found alone with
the body. And that the last ever seen of him.
&" What became of him. ! asked.
No knows. He Struggled ont of the way,
chiefly through the insrumentaty Sir owen Tshlocl
There "a hue ana cry after him. hut he never
II believed that ne had succeeded i'm getting
away England and was living under another name
the other side of the world Sir owen had the coast
clear regarded girl only discover his chag
rim foolishy faithful to her lover and
fused steadily anything to do with his friend
Her history with her deathof broken heart
pie saidsome two years after the disappearance of the
boy"
In his excitement Enoch voyce was pacing about
began speaking again.
The dlsused wing of the house was shut up at the
time young Dorgan Disappeared it has been kept
up since Two people only have ever entered
it-Sir and the old servant Simon. For eighteen
twenty years else has been allowed to enter II
ourselves and wild crcs-mark Rattenbury, wild
cries the old tapped on the breast to empha-
words" have been heard proceeding from it
NV Cod" ] cried You don't mean to suggest --'
While we in that l distinctly heard the
light patter heads. When stood near
picture heard family through the thickness of the
wall a sound like breathing the signing Of some
animal
And look at that"
He pointed as ne spoke dimly outlined ragged
figure place where the picture should have been
l felt my hair rise.
When the picture today, he went on, in a
tone found that jewel painted on the hand Of
the woman the apparent stonework Of
the wall. pressed felt the thing move slightly
When was away by Sir owen LETT it in that con-
dton"
whoever behind the picture able to
open it stin further" whispered
Exactly" he replied The light in the was
dim this poor prisoner thrust open the door
for time of accord all those years
he stood moment fun sunlight streaming from
place outside in which he lives; that binding light
photograph. Then, terrified he must have
closed the again, and crept away"
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