The Washington herald., 1912-02-04


hedges had grown to a hideous size,
and the once beautiful garden was in
a sad state Of neglect. A noble hos
telry had fallen to utter decay.
My father remembered something of
its earlier history, for a family by the
name OF Salisbury, who we're a SOM
Der lot and were seldom seen at the
gatherings Of gentlefolk in the neigh
borhood. had resided there when he
first settled in the village. There were
father, a mother, two daughters, and
a son-the latter a harum-scarum lad
who had been in all kinds of village
pranks. He had been arrested for un-
seemly conduct, had finally disappeared,
and il was said that his father had
secured for him place in the mounted
police of Canada.
The daughters were cheerless girls,
and all seemed to shun the society of
other people, so that they were little
known in the countryside. The mother
was an invalid, and the father a red
checked, iron gray haired old gentleman
with an irascible temper and love of
pheasant rearing that amounted to a
passion. Every year he would give a
shooting party to a number of his
friends, and this was the only time that
any particular life seemed to be infused
into the inhabitants of Essex Manor.
"One day, during the shooting sea
son, an accident OF strange nature oc-
Cured. The owner of the house was
wounded by the accidental discharge of
a gun, fingered for several days between
life and death, and, although the best
medical aid was summoned, he died
The rest of the family did not remain
long in the house After a month or
two devoted to the packing up of their
effects, they disappeared-no one knew
where-and the mansion was deserted
for all time.
Left in charge of the manor and
park was an old retainer by the name
of Timmons, whose size was remark
able and whose bodily strength was
equal TO that Of two ordinary men. He
lived in small cottage, or keepers
lodge, at the entrance of the estate, and
with him was his wife-a shy, retiring
woman-two dirty children, and pair
of brindled wolf hounds. A number Of
ferrets completed the household, for the
man was poacher in spite Of his posi-
ton.
1T was only natural that Essex Ma
nor had fallen to decay, for apparently
in any portion of the grounds beyond
that in the immediate neighborhood of
his own little cot. The fower-beds
showed absolute neglect and lack of at
tention, and the lawn was as ragged as
his own offspring.
"A large iron fence surrounded the
keepers cottage and also the larger
house, which was constructed in such
a manner that it would have been inn
possible for any one to get through it
or to climb over the pointed spikes.
There were two gates-one near the
keepers lodge and the other in the
rear of the house and fully three hun
dred yards from il. The latter was
tightly barred and fastened with an iron
paddock, a detail my father often no
tced, for he frequently had occasion
to drive by the house, where the road
ran close to the fence, and the gloomy,
forbidding mansion looked forth upon
the dreary landscape with sinister bar
renness. My father said that he always
telt distinct depression of spirits when
he drove or rode by this place, and he
remarked that il affected his nervous
system in the same way that a sepulcher
does. A chill emanated from the very
marrow of Essex Manor.
One evening my father had retired,
as usual, at an early hour Ii was
March, and the night was a wild one.
A gusty wind was moaning through the
elm trees without, while the shutters
creaked and the windows ratified in the
sashes.
1T must have been well past mid
night when he was awakened by LOUD
pounding on the front door. He rose
the window.
Hello, there below he called.
What do you wantl"
The night-as l have intimated-
was a dark one, and he could not see
who was without. He was answered
by gruff voice.
Let me in came from the dark
rA's. i want to speak to you about i'm
portant business-and at once
Who are your asked my father.
Never mind who am, came the
answer i am most anxious to see you
II ~