The Arm Chair Library No. 79: The Haunted Homestead — page 55: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

—= = = St ne pa are en aa a es THE MOORHOUSE TRAGEDY. 163 — The next day I set my affairs in order, dis- missed my ancient cousin—for a while, as | told her; forever, as I thought—discharged my servants, who were hired (for my grand- her forehead fixed on me the far-away, solemn father had manumitted al! his slaves at his | ¢1Ze of those siill ey:'s. lessayed to speak; death), and after nig. tfall [ left the city witu | but no sound came from my dry lips and : Esther, my faithful nurse, and Paul, the mid- parched throat, and, turning from me, the dle-aged man-servant who had taken An-| form moved in an irregular, wavy manner— drew’s place about my graudfather, on the | not touching the floor, but Hoating just cbove death of his favorite old valet. it—to a great black case of drawers standing Maurice Burton had haunted the huuse a!l|ina recess opposite the window. The brass , the day; but I would nvitber see him nor | ornaments gleaned outin the moonlight that answer his messages nor billets. I knew his touched them here and there, and 1 perceived brave and noble heart so well that 1 did not | that the drawers were very wide and deep, for a moment doubt bis love; but I doubted | and without effort or suund the shadowy form myself. [ must wait a while in solitude to see removed the lowest and heavest one, aud from what new nature was to develop out of the the cavity behind it took a folded pap r. ebaos into which this great shock had cast my This she eagerly pressed to bh r heart and lipe, former self. Beside, . hardly cared for him | glancing fearfuily about as she did so, and then. Grief, sbame, and rage 80 possessed 11 then, wavering across the roou to my bedside, i heart that love fled affrighted from their fu- | extended it to me with a piteous gesture of en- rious battie-field. All my wish was to be |treaty. Eagerly | extended my band to gras it; but the fingers closed on empty space. With a thrillof nervous horror | mrde a convulsive alone, to escape from every one. effort to seize both the paper aud the hand that So we came to Moorhouse, and to the black midnight that found ime paving that ghostly : held it; but again my tingers passed un resistin through the appearalce both of paper ar Chamber to the East, worn out, spent with the emotion that fur hours I nad indulged 10 of Cas flesh. With a wild laugh I sank backupon my pil- freest utterance. The fire that Esther had piled high upon the low, and for the first time in my life faisted uite aw mouldy hearth had gone down, and I had not ay. When t vesoveted conscionsness, the gay enished it; but | did not need its light, for | q the moon threw a flood of pallid beams through sunshine filled my room instead of the oblique rays of the waning moon, aud fora few mo- the wide panes of the bay-window, and made the little room almost as bright as day. Quite exhausted, at length, with the violence | ments I lay bewildered with my novel surround- of my emotions, I wrapped myself in my thick | ings aud thrilling memories, Then as the traveling-shawl, and, throwing myself upon strange scene of the past night rose clearly e- the bed, fell into a heavy sleep. For it is one fore my eyes, baprang impetuously from the of tne blessings of youth that our passions bed, ran to the grim © dsecretary, and sizing rage until they are sent, and give us time to | the brass handles of the lower drawer tried to | “Fest, in lite grief visits us less acutely ; | pull it forward, But it was fast locked! but it makes our hearts its home, brooding re-| Running to the door, and turning the but- morselessly over every moment, and crying to ton, | was hastening from the room, but started back at the sight of my poor old Esther Sleep as to jo “ Away! this hour is mine! ” So iy 4 stretched upon the bare floor, her head resting on her bent arm, and soundasleep. The faith- ; but awakened presently with a duli chill creeping through my veins, a sick feeling of terror causing the hair to rise upon ful creature had remained close to the door . my head, the heart to shudder in my breast. from the moment [ 30 rudely closed it in her At the same time a vague consciousness of face. Ronsing ber, I i gee her gently some great sorrow in the air, my own, yet pot | for thus ex sing herself in my behalf, and then asked for the keys of the seoretary. ‘But, Miss Rosalind, what can you want my own, came over me, Some one seemed sobbing at my side, and yet my strained ear | : there?” asked Esther, in some surprise. * It is the place where my dear darling used to keep pa ga he catch the lag gee sand. Slowly, ith a great effort, I opened my © an ru looked out into the room. The sadn ‘risitig her clothes and little trinkets. Itis not a very higher in the heavens threw less light into the | pretty thing for a young lady’s use; but she \partment than when I went to sleep; hut | found it in the old limber room, and fancied tuere wasstill sufficient to distinctly show me to have it brought down. here, Itis empty very feature in the face of her who now, or near it, for that weary morning when broken my slumbers wi . 4 { put \lher clothes, and I : the ressive con- | we went away [put upaiiner c es, an sciousness. foou — suppose locked the empty drawers without She was a fair you irl, slight and grace- thinking.” ful, bore Fagg Be ieehlance = her! ‘* But the key; is it lost ?” [ asked impatient- k-table that the | ly. : -ediconmgaad apenas to the Ni I don’t know, dearie, what has become of She was clad in jit, I’m sure. Stay; when I put away Mss i Adelais’ things, I used to leave the key on her hands, | this little ledge, and here it is, sure enough; but there’s nothing in the old drawers.” | oor and| Lon before the completion of this sentence ‘ -_ I bad e ised the rusty key, aud fitied it to the et, a, | ! pan st she did not notice me, and after a'lock. It turned harshly, and grasping the . jnoment I softly raised myself upon ty elbow, that I might see imore distinctly. Then she slowly turned, and, putting back the hair on » INOOKS.COM