Nebraska Newspapers

    I' 8
II
By , B * "
UPK.
I I ° 'l"vo J , ° PC,1 n J Buffered In cheer and woe.
' 1 3 ; ° ! 'avo VU8tm1' Iwtrnycd und grieved ,
I if f ° , m , vt'doubted tho things you beat might
, * 1 know
K 1 . Thin is io havo lived.
t i * ° ] > & finned , , repented nnd been forgiven ,
I - ' 1 ° , mvo ,0t , wmt , was onro received ,
I o''ttvcfullnngnnfronil1i0Kutt'Hohcavcn ' ! !
| if ' * This is to hnvo lived.
I 11 ° , , mre ,0VC1' , and tn8l 1 tlio Dead Seafruit :
K § , \mvo , P'c ' ' o li to Imvo been believed ,
| | -tobavoBeenlovowitherfrombrmichtoroot
S I This is to have lived.
13 I To have stood in the strength ofvirilomight.
I JWIion baffled , hrtifiyed , dwived ;
li I , • rohttvegroHndyourfrpthintliorngeofflght-
H I j Thin in to have lived.
I ] | j To hoyo trodden tho wineprt-stf , weak , alone ,
f g Ofyour hfo'H fuir fruit bet caved ;
I j -fo bavo slain your foiiow without amoan-
K 1 , This ia to Imvo ived.
i 1' ' To have given tlio helm to n filrongcr hand ,
' | To havolistened , to Imvo be'ioved ;
' 1 j To havo yielded lifo to a high command
This is to have lived.
' David A. CurtiB. in Onco a Week.
/ jnini n iQ.iiw
I LAST WEDDING FEE.
j Some years ago , when marriage
W | licenses had to be paid for , tho
i ' Marylanders and Virginians rode
If across the narrow frontier in tho
If * valley and married for nothing in
I ; Pennsylvania. Of course they gave
| -something to tho preacher for his
I trouble. Tho conquence was that
Br I ill the preachers on tho Maryland
R i * ide of the line became as lean as
H 1 -geese and the preachers across the
K I line in Pennsylvania grew as fat as
I I turkey gobblers. But there was one
I : 1 preacher near Waynesboro who did
Be ij mot grow fat. Garrick Howton , who
B 'did the largest business , became
K M 3eaner and leaner the faster he mar
ls M T1C V ople ' He was too mean , the
If | peopled said , to enjoy life like a good
111 Methodist initorant or a rubicund
111 priest. No chicken coops were agi-
IH "tated at his approach. No little
| Jf pigs squealed and got under their
M -anxititis mannnas when Garrick
H leaned over tho sty and * surveyed
H | ihem.
IH Nobody knew what sect or church
III < 3arrick belonged to there , where
BIB everybody wa3 his own theologian.
HB He called his church the Zionskites
II and was the only one of it the Bis-
B 1 3iop indeed except his son. Weasley
1 Howton , whom he called "tho dea-
M con. "
1 Tho church building did not exist ,
if though branches of the Zionskite
Be fcody were said to be "furder Avest"
B &y both the bishop and the deacon.
Wr Inquisitive people hinted that there
B xever would have been as many as
two Zionskites except for the fat
Wi marriage fees which were to be had
mm along Mason and Dixon's line and
Mm that Bishop Garrick Howton only
i | ordained his son Weasley into the
IJ priesthood reluctantly that hemight
fl occasionally take some recreation
B liimself and not miss any runaway
B -couples which should arrive between
Hi anidnight and morning.
Hfj • All the people far or near under-
Hj tood that the Howtons would marry
B anybody , the delivery of tho certifi
es cate being conditional on the pay-
H | * xnent of the fee ; and pains were taken
B ] to impress strangers that the Zion-
Bj kites' desipline the certificate was a
Bj part of the ceremony itself.
Bj A story was started and grew that
H old Howton married children for the
B | cake of his fees.
Kn V This story came up from sorrowing
If -and broken-hearted parents in Yir-
B ? . iaia and from the rich manors and
B | ihamlets of Frederick iii'Maniand.
H 'The Pennsylvaniaus never verified
B | these reports because it was none of
B their business.
B That was the golden age , when the
B „ , - people of every State didtothtpeo-
B r ' pie * of every other State just what
If they pleased , and the boundary line
B made outrage justice or simplicity
B eriminal.
B As time advanced Bishop Howton
B "became a widower , and his mind was
B set on marrying again.
B It may have been the example of
B marrying children under age , torn
B -from their parents by their own dis-
H obedient impulses or the powerful
sinister influence of man , or it may
B Lave been the childish beauty of .
B. Eunice Howton , his distant relative ,
B rhich doomed her to become the '
B Bishop's wife when she should be old
B -enough to receive his orders and not '
bring the laws of Pennsylvania down
B upon his head. The Bishop bided '
B his time. -
Eunice was hardly fifteen , a slender , :
B gray eyed blonde , whose feet , touch
the ground as they would , turned in1 1
B to lines of grace and music seemed to ]
be playing as 6hc walked or moved ,
to such liarmonies did she bend ; . '
while in the action of her head upon i
her delicate neck and even in the :
motion of her lips there appeared to '
i be violin music whistled by her spirit
| as the upland zephyrs played upon
: it and her heart desired to dance.
; The country people said that this ' .
was because her mother had been an :
actress and a dancer.
Somewhere back in theundiscerned i
past vagueness ofalarge world it was :
said that Bishop Howton had been a
show manager and that his orphan '
cousin had married a French dancer
who was in his strolling company.
This cousinhad been leffcto Garrick ,
who had kept him down and nearly i
starvedshira , repressing his spirit by
' aifavarice and superstition which lay ;
k acros&each other , and finally retired ' .
; GaiTick from the show business a j
r complete failure , while his ward , set :
L _ , free by matrimony , mado a nice 1
§ Uittle fortune keening a dancing '
k' academy with his wife ,
' When the parents died something ' ;
jBut- - of the husband's inherited tenets <
-
Wtrcaused him to repent , though ho had ]
Mar jiever done anything bad , and in the
*
Bs ' -weakness of dying lie gave his child 1
- to his relative to bo her trustee and :
Ip/ the trustee of a respectable little fori i
Krf1 . .tune.
Wf * - * ' The poor dancing teacher thought j
m r "the word "Bishop" covered a regen- ]
mf * rate heart. <
*
Tho bishop was merely a capitalist
in marriage Jees.
This is considered reasonable hu
mility.
Some of the schoolboys called him
Old Yoko-finoki , becauso ho yoked so
many couples.
What education ho had picked up
avarice and illiterate associations
had chased out of his headliko ; an
old country Dutchman , ho could spell
joists for his barn joyco and talk
about tho breechman on his horse
when he meant breeching.
As time advanced Garrick grew
deeply in lovo with Eunice , and for
got to give spiritual restraint to his
son.
son."At seventeen sharp , " old Garrick
Howton often repeated to himself ,
looking at Eunice with tho threefold
passions of love , avarice and super
stition.
Often when an old man falls in love
it seems to him like holiness when ifc
is only foolishness.
In that way Garrick threw himself
back into his natural state before he
became an avaricious scoundrel or a
self-frightened hypocrite. He got to
believing in the religion he practiced
upon. He feared night solitude and
ghosts. Ho believed that his mon
strous passion was a sacrifice on his
part for tho sake of securing Eunice's
soul.
"I should be the devil's prize with
out her , " mused Garrick . Howton.
"The children I have tied in wedlocks
of despair , the unformed souls I havo
manacled to selfish fiends , the head
strong schoolgirls I have made the
legal slaves of hideous skinflints , and
who havo in a few months awaked to
everlasting repentance and horror ,
would troop into my lonely home
among these mountains and drive
me crazy with their curses. I should
go mad ! But Eunice , Eunice , she
will guard my door and warm my
heart and bring other angels like her
from heaven to my relief and com
fort. "
It was plain that the hypocritical
old gentleman was becoming slightly
hysterical.
Weasley Howton had been notified
by his father that he must go West
and establish his own congregation
of the peculiar Zionskites.
He was sent to tho garret to study
discipline and thoroughly contem
plate the Scriptures.
One day Eunice stole up into the
garret , while the Bishop was marry
ing a one-eyed man of sixty to a
maid of eighteen , and she met a dif
ferent scene there from the penance
and prayer she had expected.
AVeasley was rigged out in a suit of
theatricalclothestakenfrom Eunice's
parents' trunks , and was executing
a wild and fantastic jig.
The Bishop had told Eunice that in
the said trunks was the devil's ward
robe. The young people locked the
Joor and examined the wardrobe
bhoroughly.
What places are garrets for rain
and love ! How it drops upon the
roof ! How it goes pit-a-pat in the
iieart ! How the heart is raining sud-
ienly through the eyes and the roof
is beating with the palpitations of
fte wind !
Old men seldom go to garrets. Bad
aid men like Garrick Howton never
lo.
"
Next week Weasley Howton was to
start for Indiana and be an apostle
vo. the Wabash.
His trunk was packed and his
acket for the stage was to be paid
or over the great National road from-
Elagerstown to the far West.
"Fifty dollars fare ! " exclaimed the
Bishop , as he walked the upper
3orch ; "what a sum of money ! But
; he next week it shall be made up
) ut of Eunice's fortune , which will
; hen be mine , with her fadeless
jeauty , till death do us part. The
• ascal ! "
As he looked there came a cloud of
lust up the Leistersburg road from
; he south , where somebody was driv-
ng hard somebody " in " a , desperate
lurry. „ • *
"It looks like a runaway
ouple , " exclaimed Garrick How-
on , reaching for his eyeglasses. But
he shade of the North Mountains ,
vhere the sun was going down , put a
) elt of blackness upon the landscape ,
ike the moon's total eclipse. When
he sound of the wheels came to the
loor and Garrick heard the knock ,
te descended and found a strange
aan in the parlor , which had no
ights.
"Sare , " the stranger said , " I have
e honaire to say zat I am in loave.
Jut ze lady is too leetle ; she have not
e grand age. It will be all ze same ;
.ecause . she loaves me andherfathair
iave so much shame he nevair will
ay no thing. I giveyou fifty dollaire
o make me her husband at once ,
are ! "
"Fifty dollars ! " the Bishop's avari-
"It is Weas-
ious heart responded"It -
y's whole fare. The good demon
lust have sent this man here. "
Then the business piety returning
he Bishop spoke aloud and most
nctuously :
"What are the names of the parties ?
farriage. my brother , the apostle
ays , is honorable in all Hebrews
iii , 4. I see not that it may not be
onorable in thee. "
"Ze names are on certificates we
iave filed. Ze fee I pay you is extra-
irdinare , monsieur. For ze fifty dol-
lire we make two demands Au pre-
liero zat yon marry ze brido veiled !
lu second zat you sign two certifi-
ates for us , to protect ze lady and
aoi memo. "
"The age of the bride ? " asked
rarrick Howton.
"What mnttairzat ? You have
nade ze wife at fourtean many a
ime. My bride is sixteen , saire.
'ome ' , ze money ! Here is ze money. "
He felt the bank bill in his hand ,
nd it di'ied up his compunctions of
eart ; he felt a quill put in his fingers ,
nd the stranger , with something like
; fusee , made a flame-that contained
rimstone and seemed yellow and
lue.
"Eternally bo mine , as zis papair
ou sigD , " the strange man exclaim-
d. "I mean ze lady child , ze lady ,
arbleu. "
Tho voice had a deep , sepulcher
one in it , and by the foreboding
a me Garrick saw a person whose
Dreliead wrs all in patches , with
'rench moustaches under his nose
nd blackened eyebrows drawn near-
f through the temples to the edge
fa colorless , inky wig.
IMHKM HHIBBlBiiflBJ
"You must give me some iinmc , "
spoke the Bishop as he signed , "al :
though 1 cannot read bv such a
light , "
"I am ze Marquis Bollsbub. * '
"Bring in the lady ! "
Low laughter seemed to be circling
around tho apartment as the uniting
words were said by tho bishop's fal
tering and fatigued tongue. Loud
laughter broke from tho curringe
windows as tiie scoundrel drove
away.
"Here , Weasley 1 Eunice ! Lights !
Lights ! " exclaimed < * Id GarrickHow
ton. " 1 have got my last marriage
fee. "
' No voice replied ; the dark moun
tains through tho windows showed
bridal wreaths of stars upon their
forbidding brows , like the awful pres- ,
once of the Marquis who had but now
departed with childhood's purity in
his false black eyes and wig.
The Bishop took fire and lighted a
candle. He saw a paper lying upon
the floor with his signature on it. Ho
read with horror that he acknowl
edged the sale of his soul to Beelze
bub for a thousand years.
"Ha ! ha ! " he cried , Satan has
dropped the contract he entrapped
me to sign. To tho fire to tho fire
with it ! "
A voice seemed to sound from the
garret on the wailing of the windt
"You signed two such certificates.
You havo married Eunice to tho dev
il. "
"Father , " cried Weasley Howton
next morning , Eunice is not to be
found. Will you forgive mo it she
has married if she has married me ? "
Bishop Howton lay on the floor
dead. George Alfred Townsend in
Baltimore Home Journal.
To Polish a Stained Floor.
It seems to bo cocededthat stained
floor should not be wet with much
water if they are to preserve their
polish. Beeswax and turpentine ,
melted together carefully , not over a
fire , but in the steam of a teakettle
top , with all the lids on the range or
stove , and tho front up , lest the in
flammable turpentine take fire , can
be applied to the floor bja good in
vention. Fix a board , about 12 in
ches by 8 , to a broom handle , the end
of which should be cut in a slant , so
that when you hold the implement
at arm's length or stand it alone ,
( tho board will rest on the floor ;
nail a few pieces of felt under tho
board by the way of padding , and
then tie a soft cloth firmly over it
all. Smear the paste on to this cloth
very thinly , and work this rubber to
and fro ( not from side to side ) with
a light , even , swinging motion , be ,
ginning with one-half of tho room ,
and working the space you can con
veniently cover while standing still ,
till the floor is done. This is the
simplest way of having a polished
floor. After a time , especially if the
boards were originally very smooth-
or have been planed before the stain
ing , it will look like an old parquet.
The rubber used abroad consists of
short , stiff brush , the size of the board
above mentioned , and is weighted
with a flat'stone plaque , through
which the haddle is fixed. It is quite
sufficient to polish once a month , ex
cept where the boards are much trod
den on. A floor treated thus should
bo dusted every day with a soft , dry
cloth , and not be washed. Spots , of
course , are simply remedied with a
little borax and polish. Philadelphia
Ledger.
. .
iS.-0-.Ca
Mrs. Cleveland as a Reformer.
Chicago Herald : Mrs. Cleveland
abominates cigarettes. The smoke
from one ofthesepowerfullittlestink-
ers made its way from the smoking
car in , which she waa returning from
Philadelphia to Washington the oth
er day and annoyed her to such a de
gree that she mentioned the matter
to the conductor. The latter had a
moment's interview with the man
with the cigarette and the result was
that he was so strongly affected on
[ earning the name of the fair com
plainant that he threw tho rest of
his cigarettes out of tho window and
declared he would never smoke an-
ather. Mrs. Cleveland's opposition
to the bustle , her discarding of bangs
ind her reformation of a cigarette
rnioker enable her to leave to her
country an imperishable record as a
reformer.
Feminine Wood Carving.
Wood carving is one of the newest
eminine fads. The passion for carved
mil and dining room furniture and for
vood over mantels has something to
lo with the craze. The tools are
lasily handed and require little mus
clar strength , but a quick eye , an
irtistic feeling and a steady hand.
Che designs are confined only to the
: ests of the fair modeler , and may in-
ilude anything which her imagina-
; ion conjures. Small pieces of work
ire the rule , however , such as panels
ind tiles for the side of of tho mantel ,
md the like , but carved desks , side
wards and large decorative pieces
ire not beyond the ambition of the
nore aspiring. If tho taste for wood
arving continues to increase it will
upplyan occupation in which women
rho go into it for something more
han ' amusement will find , if they are
irtists , one more welcome resource.
i i - 0Qiw
A Spade a Spade. y
Prom the Nebraska State Journal.
Fred Nye , in explaining his candi-
lacy for the councilsays : "lam not
• jeling very well this afternoon , ow-
ng to my head. Certain reckless en-
mies had beenchargingthatiflv ere
lected 1 would favor closing the sa-
oons ; last evening , during the hours
rom 9 to 4,1 demonstrated the con-
rary to be true. I consider the sa-
oon a palladium of our liberties ,
md I wish to say right here that ar-y
( ills which I have contracted in pur-
uit of pleasure will be paid by the
ity treasurer before I get through
rith him. "
Vi fiiiMin Mrnwf' ina Mir' Mli MBSffifyy BMW
l LYIIIC
If any ono can tell yon
How my nong in wrought
And my melodies are caught
I will { jive , not sell you ,
Tho f-ecrot , If therehe ono
iFor I could never neo ono ) ,
low my songs uro wrought.
Like tho blowing of the wind ,
Or tho flowinc ; of tho stream ,
Is tho tmifiiee of my mind ,
And tho voice in my dream
Where many thingH appear ,
The dimple , the tear ,
And tho pageant of tho year ,
But nothing that is clear ,
At oven and morn ,
Where sadness is gladness
And sorrow unforlorn ,
For there song is born.
Richard Henry Stoddard.
AFRAIDOFTHE DARK.
My name is Edward Houghton ; I
old am un
am twenty-eight years ,
married , enjoy the best of health and
spirits , hold a government inspec
torship with a good salary , entailing
plenty of travelling , and have only-
one care in the world lam afraid of
the dark. Indeed , it is somethirg
more than fear it is a terror which
has haunted mo from my childhood
to the present day.
Only three people in tho world be
sides myself have ray secret ; my
mother , Sir George Gillingham of
Gillingham Towers , with whom I
lived for five years as private tutor
to his sons , and who got me nry ap
pointment , and Mr. Pallatti.
When I left the Towers a twelve
mouth ago my nervous dread of the
nights I should have to pass in
strange inns , when traveling on in
spection duty , became so acute and
overwhelming that I determined to
consult a leading physician about my
self.
self.Sir
Sir Alfred Smith listened to my
story attentively , asked me a multi
tude of questions about my health
and habits , and especially whether
anything ever occurred in very early
childhood to give me a shock , al
though I might have been too young
at the time to remember itnow. M3 *
catechism over , he said :
"Mr. Houghton , I must tell you
frankly that I can do nothing for
you. The symptoms you have de
scribed are distressing , but I cannot
tell you as a physician how they orig
inate or suggest ; any way of alleviat
ing them. I have a friend , however'
who is a profound believer in animal
magnetism , and although I am very
skeptical about manjr of his theories ,
he is one of the cleverest and most
agreeable men to know. It can do
no harm for you to see him , and I
am quite certain he will sympathize
with you , if he can do nothing else.
His name is Pallatti , and I have
written down his address for you.
Call upon him at three o'clock to
morrow , and I will write and tell him
that he may except you. "
I found Mr. Pallatti the next after
noon lounging over a book in a
large , luxuriously furnished room
crowded with pictures , curious and
pretty things a handsome young
gentleman , perfectly dressed , with a
pair of eyes which , if they could not
see through a milestone , looked as if
they could pierce a human being
through and through.
After a little indifferent conversa
tion I began to tell him my tale , but
I was so nervous that I bungled
wofully and interspersed my narra
tive with idiotic giggles.
"Wait a bit , Mr. Houghton ; there's
no hurry , " said Mr. Pallatti , bring
ing me a glass of wine from a side
table ; you are my patient , you know ,
and you must drink this before be
ginning a long story. "
I expect he must have put some
thing into my draught , for in a few
minutes I found myself talking as
calmly and impassively as if I were
speaking of some other person.
I told him how , if 1 left my bed in
the dark and took two steps away
from it , I was utterly lost , how my
outstretched hands would touch a
window where I expected to find a
door , and all the furniture seemed to
play puss in the corner as I moved
above until at last I would sink to
the ground utterly unnerved and
trembling to wait through long hours
for daylight.
I told him ( and as I went on v.
Pallatti's face grew eagerly attentive )
how , when I was a boy of sixteen ,
my mother had described to me the
circumstances of my eldest brother's
death by drowning when I was an
infant ; how the same night my light
went out and I saw through a lumin
ous haze a room with ladies and a
gentleman in it , a servant coming in
at the door followed by a boatman
earring a boy in his arras with a
dead face and water dripping from
his long hair ; how , when I told my
mother what I had seen , she said
that I had described to the minutest
detail the pattern of the wall paper ,
the flowers on the chimneypiece the
identical scene as it occurred on that
terrible morning at Brighton.
"Any other experience like that ? "
asked Mr. Pallatti. "I can't tell you
how deeply you have interested me ,
Mr. Houghton. "
"Only one other , " I replied , "and
that occurred at Gillingham Towers ,
where I lived for five years as private
tutor to Sir George Gillingham's
sons. He had been telling me one
evening a curious story of a tragedy
that occurred in his family more than
a century ago , and had pointed out
to me the portraits hanging in the
great drawing room ' of the three
principal actors. Some papers of the
utmost importance were abstracted
in the confusion at the time , and Sir
George said that his inability to pro
duce them if ever called upon to do
so might be most disastrous. The
danger , of course , inecreased as the
years rolled by , but tho sword still
hung over the house ol Gillingham ,
though the hair by which it was or
iginally suspended might have
thickened to a cord.
"That night a great storm of wind
and rain broke over the Tower ; my
window was burst open , my light ex
tinguished , and tho matches I always
kept to my hand were wet nnd use
less. For the second time in my life
the luminous haze rolled out before
me , and with one narrow window ,
the lower sash of which was thrown
op a lumber room apparently , with
Dne bare table in the centre , a few
broken chairs piled ap in the corners ,
ome fugy-looking prints in black |
1
I . , .
f
frames on the walls , and a great
glass full of stuffed birds , some tum
bling and some tumbled from their
porches , and all in tho last si age of
dilapidation and decay. When all
this was clearly developed , the shad
owy forms of a man and a woman
appeared dimly , and I could see that
their outlines agreed with those of
two of tho family portraits Sir George
had pointed out to me. But happen
ing at that moment to turn nry head ,
I saw a thin stream of light shining
through a chink in the door. I
reached it at a bound , and catching
up a lamp someone hnd left burning
on the stairs , returned to my room
to find everything as usual. I told
Sir George , and we thoroughly ex
plored the deserted wing of the Tow
ers , but could find no room in the
least resemblingtheone in my vision. "
As I concluded a page boy brought
in coffee , and when I had drank mine
tho curious feeling of constraint-
der which I had been speaking passed
off , and I said quite cheerfully ,
"There , Mr. Pallatti , I have mado a
clean breast of it , and now what do
you perscribe ? "
"A dog , " said Mr. Pallatti.
"What ! to eat ? " I laughed.
"No , to sleep with. There is no
cure but death for the wonderful
gift of second sight , and it is a gift ,
if too much used , full of danger to
brain and nerves. But prevention is
better than cure , so buy a little dog
and let him lie at the foot of your
bed , and you will not be troubled by
visions again , even if your light
goes out. "
We parted with mutual promises
to meet soon , but I was ordered
away on duty , and it was six
months before I saw him again.
I had just returned to London and
was intending to look him up , when
I received a letter from Sir George
Gillingham begging me to go at once
to the Towers on a matter of the
deepest importance. I lost not a
minute in obeying the summons , and
full of anxiety and a misgiving that
something was very wrong , I arrived
at tho Towers as the dressing gong
for dinner was sounding.
Sir George met me as I drove under
the great portico. He looked so
worn and harassed that I could not
help whispering , "Good heavens , Sir
George , what is it ? Has that ques
tion of the title deeds cropped up
again after all ? "
"Yes , it has with a vengeance , "
said Sir George ; "but go dress now
and meet us in the dining room.
There are no ladies only Pallatti ,
who sa3rs he has met you before. "
I entered the dining room with the
soup , and shook hands cordially with
Pallatti. He and I were in ordinary
evening dress , but Sir George was ar
rayed as for some gn.at state func
tion. He wore black knee-breeche ?
and silk stockings and great diamond
buckles in his shoes the broad ribbon
of the Bath crossed his white waist
coat , and he wore half a dozen orders
as well. He had brought his chief
lown with him , and we sat down to
a dinner fit for the gods. Tho wine
lie gave us was scarcely ever brought
aut except when some royal prince
accepted the Towers for a night and
was almost princeless. I knew it and
Mr. Pallatti soon found it out , and
aureyes twinkled. Sir George saw
it and was glad. He drank to each
ol us in the old fashioned way and
said. "I am making a little feast to-
aight , my young friends , for reasons
3f my own. It is the old story ; let
as eat , drink and be merry , for to-
aiorrow well , to-morrow we'll do
bhe same , let us hope , " he said , turn
ing it off with a laugh.
Mr. Pallatti was certain tly well
ivorth a good dinner. Without
seeming to monopolize tho conver-
; ationhe always had some thing orig
inal to say upon every topic that
vas started , and his iun and wit
vere so keen and spontaneous that
aur solemn little dinner party became
mite a rollicking affair. Among the
subjects we discussed was the last
lew conjuror , which was puzzling all
London and giving learned judges
md doctors and parsons sleepless
lights in the endeavor to find it out.
"Why , don't you know how that
s done ? " said Mr. Pallatti , and he
proceeded to solve the riddle in a
lozen words.
"Most extraordinary ! " exclaimed
Sir George. "Do you mean to say
pr > u found it out vourself ? "
"Yes , "returned Pallatti , "the first
; ime I went. There never has been and
lever will be a trick of any kind that
[ am unable to unravel. I suppose
t is a kind of gift , but I have never
nade any use of it except sometimes
: o have a little fun among the spirit-
aalists. " And he gave me a peculiar
00k out of his black eyes.
"Exposing all their rascally for
tune telling and rapping and table
turning and such knaveries , I sup
pose , " I observed composedly.
"Quite so. " replied Pallatti dryly.
"And now , gentlemen , " said
Seorge as the last bottle of claret
vns emptied , and we were ashamed
sven to look as if we should like some
nore , "if you please we will take our
: offee in the drawing room as there
ire no ladies there , " and he arose
rom the table and walked towards
he door. As we followed , Pallatti
vhispered in my ear , "Mr. Houghton ,
i should like to boa modern Clarence 1
md be drowned in a hundred dozen !
> f that claret ! "
To my surprise Sir George led the
vay to the great state drawing
00m , and as we entered a perfect :
) laze of splendor was before us. The 1
mgesaloon , with its frescoed ceilings •
md profuse gilding , was lighted up
> y hundreds of wax candles in great •
handliers , in sconces , brackets and :
ustres ; the wall were entirely covered
> y full-length portraits of old Gill-
nghams , over each portrait a power- :
ill lamp and reflector threw sostoug 1
1 light that eveiy gallant knight and :
gentle dame seemed to have come to 1
ife and be gazing at the black-coated 1
ntruders into their gay assembly.
LVo enormous fires were burning , i
me at each end of the room , and be- :
ore one of these Sir George stood
md motioned us to be seated. He <
ooked so grand ai stately and the
jrilliance of the scciV was so over- :
joweringthat Pallatti and I listened
or his words with a kind of awe.
"Gentlemen , I am not going to de-
ain you for any length by telling
'ou over again the history which you
ioth have Tieard already from my i
ipB. But on this particular night I
. .
*
, | T1 | fT TT TBtteiHTiiiir i 1,1 irt hii. iiiH.Wiii .1 i | 1 | i
G
wish to repudiate some of tho mair
facts.
"In tho 3 7-15
year - mygreat-grand-
father , Sir nugo Gilliujrham , after
being many years a widower , mar
ried a young and beautiful girl and
brought her to the Towers. There
aro his portrait and hers , " pointing
to them ; go up to them and inspect
them closely learn them by heart.
Who knows what may come of your
doing so ? " ho said almost fiercely.
"The girl was faithless to him
faithless from the very day sho was
wed , and her lover was her own hus
band's vagabond , worthless cousin ,
the son of a man who had squandered
his birthright and willingly pnrted
with all tho great estates of Gilling
ham to his youngor brother and
heirs forever. Thero is the man's
portrait in that corner ; stmry his
face and figure as closely , both ofyou.
Tho year 17-15 brought ruinnndmis-
ery on many a noble house , and Sir
Hugo did his best to involve himself
the same fate. Gentlemen , it is a
fact that that poor scarecrow , tho
pretender , onco sat in that travesty
of athrono , while well born , virtuous
ladies crowded round to kiss his
false hand , " and Sir Goorge pointed
to a chair surmounted by a kind of
canopy and crimson.
"One night , " continued Sir George ,
"Sir Hugo returned homo earlier
than ho was expected , and , walking
hastily up stairs , tho first thing he
heard was the voice of his wife in con
versation with a stranger in ono of
tho rooms. He tried the door ; it was
locked , and by the time he had burst
it open a man was leaping out of tho
open window. Sir Hugo dashed
after him , and after half a dozen
passes , drove his sword through the
body of Conrad Gillingham. ' Iteturn-
ing through the window ho found his
wife senseless on the floor , and put
ting a constraint upon himself to re
frain from spurning her with his foot ,
he passed on to his chamber , where
the first thing that met his eyo was
a great iron chest with the lid open ,
while a very short examination
showed that his precious title deeds
had been abstracted. He found his
way back to where Conard lay with
staring eyes in tho moonlight and
searched tho body for the deeds with
out success. Returning through i he
window , his wife sat up and looked
at him and his blood-stained hands ,
but her face was tho face of a maniac ,
and she never recovered her reason ,
dying many 3rears afterwards within
the walls of a madhouse
"He saw the whole devilish plot
now , Conard Gillingham , using his
wife as his tool , had intended to
abstract the deeds , and with these in
his possession to attain him of high
treason and claim tho estates.
"There was a state trial , which any
one can read to this day , and he was
acquitted , with a universal expression
of pity for his misfortune and of
loathing for the subject of his ven
geance.
"To piece together these facts had
cost me months of labor in reading
through old diaries and letters in the
muniment room , for I have never felt
sure whe'her some day or other I or
some of my descendants might not be
challenged to produce tho title deeds
3f Gillingham. The blow has fallen
upon me at last. It seems that some
lescondants of that old collateral
aranch , all long since dead and gone ,
is I hoped and believed , have turned
lp. At any rate there are agents
msily at work making all manner of
nquiries , searching registers and so
m , and my lawyers have told me
joint blank that I may be called up-
m to produce these deeds and that if
; hey are not forthcoming my tenure
) f Gillingham Towers may be in se-
ious jeopardy. Unless you , my
roung friends , with your keen wits
md ready invention can help me my
esources are at an end. "
He turned and rang the bell , and
: hen lpaned his head upon his hand ,
lis elbow on tho mantelpiece. A
iervant entered , and looking up he
iaid quite naturally , "Put out all
ihese lights and close the room , Mal-
am I only wanted to show Mr.
Pallatti how it looks on a state oc
casion and take the cigars and
ihings into the billiard room. We
vill finish the evening there. "
Of the almost incredible events
vhich followed I confess that
am unable to offer any expla-
mtion. I can only vouch for their
laving actually occurred. Whether ,
is Mr. Pallatti honestly believes , the
he soul can in certain rare instance
cave the body and wander up and
lown the spirit world like a dog in a
air prying into the secrets of the
lead , or whether those events were
nerely the result ( to quote the doc-
; or in "Martin Chuzzlewit' * ) of a
'most extraordinary , happy and
avorable conjunction of circum-
itances , " will forever remain a mys-
ery to me.
When I got into bed that night
ny brain was in a whirl , and I
hould have been glad to exchange
lerves with a cat. The unusual
luantity of wine I had drank , the
lazzling splendor of the state draw-
ng room , tho awful midnight tragedy
if a century ago. and life-like por-
raits of the principal actors seemed ,
o forbid the very idea of sleep. But
rhen I thought myself mostwide -
.wake I began to doze off , and was 1
oonas fast as a church. ' ' flow
angit had lasted I could not tell : >
. • hen I awoke with a start , and for
he third time in my life found my-
elf alone in the dark. I stretched 1
lUtmyhand for the matches , but ,
hey were gone , and at the same
ime the luminous glare appeared j
pon the wall. Then the room , with
is one tall opened window , the j
roken furniture , tho case of stuffed j
irds , and the two figures of my <
armer vision developed rapidly. I
ould see the last plainly enough j
ow a man in a long horseman ' s
oat and brown boots , with great 1
ilver spurs : a 'voinan in a long j
rhite wrapper , with fair hair flow- ;
ag over her shoulders nearly to tho J
round , and they stood together by l
he table reading from a large sheet <
f paper which they held between ]
hem. by the light of a bingle candle ]
a a silver candlestick. Occasionally ]
hey turned their faces towards i
ne with an anxious expression , as if
hey werelistening for something , and 1
immediately recoj ized two of the ]
lortraits in the state drawing room. ]
luddenhthey started violently , the j
aan rushed to the windows and <
r - ' A
leaped out , the woman thrusfe the Jj § |
papers into her dress , and a second IS
man with a flushing sword in his J ® |
hands dashed into tho room and ? 5f\ \
through tho window in pursuit of the &
fugitive. Then tho woman drew out * S
tho papers and tried to tear them , , . *
bus they must have bcon parchment , ' jt
and sho failed ; sho pub them over tho '
flamo of tho candle , but ono cornor * '
only begnn to shrivel and thoy would jjk
nob burn. At last sho turned to ono 'v ?
of tho dirty prints , which opened at f
her touch , thrust tho document into
* a cavity in tho wall , and rcclosingtho
aperturo fell headlong to the ground. ? * y * ?
I could nob have borno much moro , * r
whon thero was a glaro of light in my
eyes , a hand shook mo roughly by
tho shoulder , and a voice ( Pallatti's )
exclaimed , "Good Heaven ! Hough
ton , what is tho matter ? You must
havo had the nightmare you look
quite exhausted. " Ho took a tiny
phial from his pockot , and pouring
the contents into a teaspoon put it
to my lips. Whatever tho potion
was , it was so strong that it nearly
took my breath away , but its effects
were instantaneous , and 1 asked
him quite calmly. "How
on earth did you come
hero ? " "Why , I felt so nervous and
wakeful after Sir George's entertain
ment that I couldn't sleep , and as I j
got worse and worse I thought I
would sceifj'ou were in tho same
plight. Y'ou certainly seem to havo
been no better off than I , and I think
wo had better stick together and keen
ourselves awako till daylight doth
appear. "
"Most willingly , " I said , " and I
will begin by telling you my vision
like a modern Pharaoh , and perhaps
you may bo able to expound it , O
Joseph. Thero may be nothing in it
or everything , who knows ? "
The next morning , after an almost
untasted breakfast ; , Sir George and
Tallatti and I wero prosecuting a
vigorous search in tho haunted wing ,
but after an hour or hunting and
poking into every holo and corner ,
we cairio reluctantly to the conclu- i
sion that there was nothing corre
sponding in the remotest degree with
the room of my vision. Tho case of
stuffed birds and tho dingy prints
were especially conspicions by their 1
absence. I
Wo were walking away , silent and
disappointed. Sir George and I lead
ing tho way , , and had nearly reached .
the door which shut off the wing :
from , the rest of tho house , when ji
shout from Pallatti , who had been
following at a little distance , caused j
us to stop. I
"Eureka ! Eureka ! " he almost
screamed ; "I ought to have seen it
at. aglance ! Come back" , both ofyou ;
we shall know all about it in five \
minutes. " j
The usually calm and impassive .
Mr. Pallatti was in such a violent
state of excitement that we almost \
feared for his reason , but wo obeyed ! ,
him and returned .
upon our steps. t
Without hesitation hewontstraight !
into a room called the bestbed
chamber , in one corner of which there
still stood the great iron chest from ji
which the fatal title-deeds had been
extracted , and taking a foot rule v
from his pocket carefully measured ,
the wall on one side of the door nine *
feet. j
Then he came out into tho corri- - ( ! '
dor , which was panneled throughout iSLli
with dark oak from floor to ceiling , 4jMF I i
nnd , measuring off nine feet from tho - ' $ M I
side of the door on the outside , mm ' " I
marked the place with a deep score /t • > i " '
of his knife. Transferring his atten'm S r
tion to the next room ( known as the 'Jks 1
blue bed chamber ) hescored off seven ' ag jf' '
feet. His discovery was pntentenouKh A
tiow. Again applying his rule to "the m v
space between the two scores itwas + J& V
; it once seen that there were r icveu \
Teet of wall unaccounted for : & 3
"There is a carpenter atwork close 5 §
by , " panted Pallatti ; "we saw him as 4 $ ? \
we came up. Run , my dear Hough- j
ton , and bring him here with hisJT i
tools. " 'jf ji
I was off like a shot , and soon reJM. . j
burned with tho astounded carpenT' * * - '
ber , who has been shedding gimlets , 7 f i
aradawls , nails and screws , and such ; < 1 t
; mall articles plentifully by the way- * > ;
'ide out of his basket in his haste. * '
Pallatti had already sounded the • 1
vainscot ; the rusty nails gave way > .
it the first wrench , and tho planks • 1
vere removed , the carpenter was dis-
nissed , and then , with an almost in-
lescribable feeling of awe , we stood
vithin the very room I knew so well.
The stuffed birds , the crazy furniture , ,
he dingy prints all were there , and * . y
> n the little table in the center stood f
l tall and tarnished silver candle- f
tick , the candle long since devoured |
) y the great-grandfathers ofthemice
vbo scampered into their holes as ,
ve entered.
For two or three minutes not a
vord was said , and then I sprang at t
me of the prints and tried to tear it ,
rom the wall , but Pallatti stayed
ny hand.
"There is not a secret spring in the
irorld could baffle me for two min-
ites , " he said quietly.
With one touch of his fingers the
licturo flew open , and putting in his
land he pulled out a .mass of *
rumpled parchment.
A short inspection proved to Sir
Jeorge that they were the long lost
eeds , and we all saw for ourselves
hat one corner was shrivelled and
tained with grease and smoke.
The next morning I found Sir
Seorge waiting breakfast for me
lone.
"Where is Pallatti. Sir George , " I
sked.
"Gone. " replied Sfr George , burst- - szV
ig out laughing. "He said he was " * W %
*
fraid of your punching his head if he |
tnved. " I
"What on earth shall I do that f
jr ? " I wondered.
"Because he played you a trick % < "
"ent into your room after you were f
sleep , blew out yonr light , stole \ 1
our matches , and hid himself in a WK
tipboard in the hope that you would
e able to give us the benefit of one
f your experiences , as you jcall them ,
iut he told me to assure you on his T 4 \ ,
onor that not one hint of what "
appened that night shall ever pass
oni his lips. "
" .And I quite believe him , " I said
armly. "Pallatti is a glorious fel-
jw. and although it wasn't very
Icasant for me at the time '
, thegame , / - ? - - f &
\ this case , was well worth the ah- * v 9f *
snee of the candle. " % § K