Year: 1865

ed house. several miles from any other, save
a tenant house. | had thus far seen moth
ing of whict. | could inquire =


''Be thou a spirit of earth or goblin damned,


Bring with thee airs from heaven blasts from hell


Be thy intents wicked or charitable 2"


though | had heard noises for which |
could not account. Night however was just
ahead | must wait for the revelations of
midnight Resigning myself to Sleep to
wait for adventure, i stretched myself at
full length on the lounge. | know not how
! long | slept, but | was awakened by the
sighing sound, still louder than at the for
mer times. Opening my yes and cough
| ing (tor had taken cold from lying toe
near the damp wall) saw a figure glide
lightly past me and pass into the parlor


The candle was going down in the socket,
several flicker shalt lit the room and then
all was dark and gloomy as Erebus
stated up, trembling from head to foot, and
again heard the mysterious sounds as
! fastened away into the hall The hal-door
stood ajar, and outside, upon the portico,
saw the same figure that had fed from me-
| watched it a moment expecting to see it
vanish into the air" Now wide awake
and remembering my errand, l stretched
out my arm and pointing at the figure with
my finger, exclaimed z. .-..--


Angels and ministers of grace defend
US I" - ... ....... . ..-t..e,. . as. cd


"Will you be kind enough to tell me if
Mr.. NJ. is at home 7" inquired a voice which
| Immediately identified as that of the young
widow who had ridden with me in the
stage-coach. Apologising, I took her hand
and informed the lady who I was. The sur
/ prise was mutual .f3Hr3 ,~IaH ii .t--


,, +" This is where nay father and sister live"
said Mrs Bane, 81 did not know the former
was still alive until to-day, as my mother
never referred to him. After resting; at the
hotel until this afternoon" continued she,
| "I ascertained the facts and set out in "a
hired carriage for this place The driver
missed the road after going several miles
out of the way we have Just arrived. Nam
ME is in the carriage at the gate, knock
ed at the door and nobody appearing fol-
lowed the course Of the light which | saw
shining from the window Finding the
room vacant, and seeing a person lying in
the adjoining one, | went III, supposing it
might be my father. When you arose /
saw must be mistaken, SO quickly with
drew"


/ stood in blank astonishment during this
recital of Mrs Bane, not once recurring to
the fact of her little daughter being with
| stranger at the gate. | now invited the
widow to walk into the house Of which L
seemed to have taken possession, and said
| would go for Mamie. She. objected to
this and accompanied me to the carriage
where the child lay as she had been left,
asleep on the cushion | bore Mamie to
the house IN my arms and lay her upon a
sofa. began to realize my pecuiarposit
ion with a lady in large dark house with
which was unacquainted | CROPPED my
way to the dining room and knocked loud
| ly upon the table, but without succeeding
i'll bringing any one to the spot. l made
circuit of the room but could find no door
except the one had entered. | returned
| to the hall with the intention of going out
and examining the exterior doors in the
rear of the house, when to my joy | saw
Moses at the top Of flight of steps, and
carrying candle. He said he should have
been down before to show me to bed, but
his master had been very sick and he could
not leave him. He now came to say that
| Mr. NJ desired to see him in his own room.
| informed the steward that lady was in
the parlor, and cutting the candle into two
pieces with my pocket knife, carried half to
the caddelabrum, and excusing myself to
Mrs Bane followed Moses to Mr. Ms cham
Der


The old man lay prone upon his bed, but
turned his face toward me when his daugh-
ter whispered that | was present. He mo-
toned me to bring a chair near him, and
his daughter to leave us alone. The door
had scarcely closed when he began to tell
me the story of his wicked life, in incoher-
ent sentences. He acknowledged the abuse
of his first wife and the murder of the sec
ond. During the past decade he had part
| ly lost both sight and hearing, and suffered
| intensely from an internal disease of long
standing Remorse seized him, he resolved
at least to find and do Justice to his wife
if she were living. Supernatural strength
seemed given for the effort, but it had prov
ed useless. With his return hope died and
he sank beneath the overwhelming thought.


He felt that the sin Of avarice could not be
layed to his charge he had always salts
factorily renumerated those who labored
for him. He requested me to open small
box that stood on stand by his bedside
and appropriate hundred dollars to my
self for caring for him at Browntown hill,
and presereing the life of that child on the
night of our ride in the thunder shower
Wishing not to disturb him, turned to the
box, raising and shutting the lid without
taking the money. .


l did not once interrupt the old man dur
ing his confession, but now impaired to
him the knowledge of his wife's recent
DEATH and informed him Of whom obtain
ed the information of his own daughter
who had been passenger in the coach with
him, and who was waiting in the room be-
low to see him The intelligence did not
excite him as I apprehended. He only re-
piled, 4" Not to night, not to night: To-mor-
row will see her, and the child which has
has her grandmother's face. '' You will see
her portrait in the library y -.'. .''- +'''


| did not see the meeting of the long
separated sisters nor that of the father and
daughter. 1t was a place of family sacred
ness which | felt that had no right to in
wade My stay in the house of Mr.. NJ. was
necessarily limited to two days, duri ng
which time he was obliged to keep his
/ bed. g.. .,gt s- - i.' '3--.


. | spent part of the last day in unravel-
ing the mystery OF the library. had the
windows thrown open wide and Che carpet
removed The floor had become uneven and