Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-02-14
By ETA w. PIERCE.

| MerClIul f1edNeH! t1dNS lIeS OCT
fire to the hall?" cried Mrs. Otway.
Run to the church, some of you, and
ring the bell for help"
Immediately the deep, ominous tones
of the bell doomed through the cold
lmist across the moors and beaches,
startling the islanders from their BEDS
and waking the echoes in Joe Derby's
cottage, where Basil Hawkstone and his
little company of faithful ones had
found shelter Before the island folks
fairly gathered the flames were burst
ing from the old, historic house,
spreading u wild, uncanny glare
through the sky. and lighting for miles
the foggy headlands and lonely expanse
of moor. 1t was an illumination, in
deed-such as Vincent's drunken COM
rades had not thought of. Far out to
sea streamed the ruddy glare. The
sailor might behold it, shining about
his watery way-the watchman in
Whithaven would wonder at the por-
tentous light in the midnight sky. On
it's wooded slope, Tempest Hall stood
up, a huge beacon of destruction, its
great timbers shriveling like willow
wands, it's paneled chambers red with
forked flames. The islanders, flying
half dressed to the scene Of disaster,
found themselves unable to save or to
help, so swiftly had the torches of the
revelers done their work. Some one
| %la nhoC pff fro Htyha
dining room once was, and dragged out
the singed body of Dudley. Most Of his
comrades also had staggered into the
garden, but Vincent was not with them.
I'm the Lords name, where is Mr..
Vincent" cried one of the servants;
"he will surely be burned alive!"
In the front rank of the crowd which
had gathered about the doomed Hall,
stood Peg Patton gazing sternly into
the huge furnace.
Where's the young scoundrel?" she
demanded: lin there?" pointing to the
house.
One of the rioters answered the
brown woman:
He went upstairs to put torch in
the cedar chamber-he hasn't come
down. In Gods name" he continued,
why don't these island Doors go in
and save him? Look! look"
At a window of the cedar chamber,
curtained now with smoke and fire,
human figure suddenly appeared and
stood for a moment in plain view Of the
crowd below. 1t was Vincent Hawk
stone.
His face was deadly pale, and it wore
a dazed. stupefied look. The islanders
shouted to him, wildly:
The porch!-step out on the stone
porch, sir, and We'll save you!"
He did not seem to hear. The hand
some, reckless face with the red brown
curls and the wild blue eyes stared
blankly out through the gray, curling
smoke, then fell back and vanished.
With cry, Peg Patton dashed into
the burning house, followed by man
whom the crowd, in the general confu-
sion, had not yet noticed.
Go back. sir!" implored Peg; don't
you venture here-dont. risk your life
for the migrate that has injured you in
every way possible. No! no! this is
too much! See, the stair is all ablaze
you can't go up"
He has injured me. God knows, but
cannot leave him TO burn, like rat
in hole" answered Basil Hawkstone,
| h,,f
and shot up the stair.
Flames roared about him. Strong
timbers cracked and swayed. Blinded,
half suffocated. he reached the landing
Bursting. like a spectre from the black
smoke shrOud of the staircase, he, at
its top, came suddenly face to face with
his cousin, Vincent Hawkstone.
For one awful, never-to- be- forgotten
moment. the two, wrapped about in
darting, quivering fire, stood and look
ed at each other An appalling fear-a
horror nspeakable-appeared in Vim
cents guilty eyes.
prince Lucifer," he cried, hoarsely.
God above. How came you here? You
are dead.-I saw you buried-I know
you are dead. for I killed you!"
Out came the confession, with wild,
remorseful cry.
You killed me-" echoed Basil Hawk
stone. sternly. "When-how?"
AT Whithaven-that night of Made
mOiselle Zephyr's marriage. The wine
she gave yOu-there was death in it
poison enough to have ended a half
dozen lives! Keep off! keep off! You
have come from the grave to take
vengeance on mel"
Hold. Vincent. Mademoiselle gave
me no wine. There is some mistake.
Did she let you think that you had
murdered me?"
Yes, yes!" he fairly shrieked. "She
swOre that you drank it. and follow
ed you to Whithaven, knowing that you
would die by the time you reached this
door"
Vincent, you are beside yourself!
The crime of my murder has been SPAR
ed you am not dead. but alive. Feel
my hand-I am here to save YOU
But with a yell of fear, that rose
over all the roar of the flames, Vim
cent Hawkstone leaped past the man
he had tried to kill, and flung himself
headlOng down the burning stairs into
the pit of fire below.
Prince Lucifer rushed after him,
seized and dragged him out Of the
house.
a cry Of amaZement burst from the
islanders. as they saw emerging from
the burning Hail. signed with flame
: land blackened with smoke, the master
whom they had just buried in the
lHawkstOne vault. with Vincent sup
ported in his arms.
Even before he laid his kinsman on
; the ground. Prince Lucifer knew that
life was extinct. That mad plunge
down the staircase had broken his neck.
Peg Patton bent over him. and felt
: for the pulse that had ceased to beat.
Hes gone, sir" she said to the is
, land lord. who knelt beside the inert
| body in full view of all the people