THE HAUNTED CASTLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2287, 30 December 1897, Page 51

THE HAUNTED CASTLE.

WItITTEN FOR ITHB LITTLE FOLKS' COLUMN of the Otago Witness.

Bx Ada A. R. Ltjdpord,

Chapter 111. Behind the Shattered Picture, As Jack May ford and Dan Howard drew near the castle their eyes were riveted on a small window at the top of the tall tower, ! bnt as yet the red face had nob made its appearance, for which I am very glad, otherwise they wonld never have entered tbe castle doors, and I should not have been told what wonderful adventures they met with there, and consequently I could not have told you, could I, little readers ? There was no door to the first entrance they arrived at — it had been broken down two years ago, by whom or how no one ever knew. Old Tom Jones and his wife, who had voluntered to go and live at the ruins,, had heard a few hours after their arrival, in the broad daylight, a -terrific Crashing noise. The next minute the western side door was knocked violently off its hinge?; shattering to pieces one ot tbe porch windows in its fall. When tha old people went outside there was no one to be seen •anywhere. " "The place is haunted, sore enough, Polly," aaid Tom. '-I think we had better " His eyes seemed suddenly to be drawn up to the tower window, aud there, looking down at them with big, fierce eyes, was a blood-red face. Needless to say they fled 'from the place ther* and than, and beseech as they would, they could get no one to go back for their clothe?, &c. As Jack and Dan crossed the threshold their footsteps echoed and resounded through the great halls with a weird and hollow sound. Slowly and with faltering feet they passed from the porch or lobby into a larga, square, lofty apartment .furnished as a dining or sitting room. The thick red cloth, or what the rats bad leCt of it, was covered with mildew and hur.g half off the table, held only by an open book, the uppermost leaves of which had alao made a reli-h for the rate. This room was evidently the one in which tha Jones's had been sitting when the outer door was burst in. There was a OEnfortable-lookiag low recking chair one side of the great open fireplace and a large armchair the other. A pair of gold-rimmed spectacles lay on the fl^or by the end of the 1 able and a -much banibbled dark blua mitten rested on the white stone hearth. There were large holeis eaten or worn in the carpet in every corner and hore and there in the centre. Ashes lay on the hearth and the hobs, while a black halfburnt leg of wocd gave the room a natural appearance. ' "This is not so bad," said Jack. "Da you feel scared, Dan?" " No, not a jolly bit ! " answered his companion m3rrily. " Lst's go up these stairs first, Jack." Bat these slairs -proved so rotten and crumbled and shook so beneath them that they were obliged to turn back ere they had gone up balC way. " Never mind," said Dan, " there's bound to be other staircases besides this one. Come and hunt for them, Jack." The next room they entered smelt damp and musty. From the large bookcase and shelves oi dusty, mildewed volumes all round the walk the boys took it to be the library. The adjoining apartment gave them the horrors. It was . a long picture and photo gallery, and the boya shuddered when they remembered the ghastly story they had Heard concerning tbe room — of how, while the young and beautiful Countess was standing gazicg at a photograph of herself which had been newly taken and hung, her treacherous, jealous husband came behind her and stabbed her to death, dragging her dead body upstairs afcerwsrds and throwing it into the tower at the top of the castle, up to which there was only a secret staircase. She had never- bean seen or beard of since that fatal night, ja&fc 3G years* ago. The poor youDg thing had died wifc'u her eyes fixed on her own beautiful portrait. It was nc^vwonder Jack and Djin felt creepy. Shadows lurked in every corner, while on nearly a dozen windows hung dark, damp, rotten, ragged curtairs. " I wonder which is her picture? " said Dan presently. '• Don't know," replied Jack with a shudder, " but I think it must; be this one ; it is very pretty," and he pointed to one which bung a little lower than the others, close to one ot the doors near the end of the room. It wan of a young girl with a sweet, smilirg face and very large blue eyes. " How lovely 1 " and Dan put out bis hand snd touched it caressingly. Crash I Down it came, and the glass smashed to atoms at their feet. They had no sooner recovered from the terrible shock than Jack's eye fell on a square slip of yellow, dusty paper which had fallen with the picture. " v

11 It was behind the photo I saw it," he exclaimed excitedly. "She must have put it there before she died all those years ago. Look 1 look 1 Dan, there is writing on it in ink. Come to the window ; let us read it," and pulling the, horrible curtains down from one of the windows he read out slowly and with great difficulty the words : "To whoever finds this paper. — I know that my husband will kill me before long. I have seen it all in a dream. He will come behind me and stab me with a brown-handled '- dagger, which he will conceal up the sleeve of . my dresß,--bnfc where he will hide my dead body afterwards, or whether he wili ever bs found oat, Ido not know. I implore, I entreat the finder of this, whether he be man, woman, or child, to search the castle through until he finds my brother Geoffrey, who is and has been kept prisoner here by my husband for the past three years. Ido not know where he is or how he fares, but I know he is still alive. I have sometimes fancied I have beard him culling my name* a.nd I bate

searched for himTjy night and day, bnt cannot find him. He is Fomewhere in the castle a helpless prisoner. If the reader succeeds in finding him will he tell him to look in the secret drawer of my blue dressing case (he alone knows where to find it) and something there will tell him where I have safely hidden all the money and jewellery which my husband stole from him. He will reward his deliverer." There was a short blank space following the above pathetic appeal, then came tho words : „ "Beware of the triangle path 1 Beware I " "The triangle path ? " repeated Dan, glancing apprehensively about him lest he should find himself anywhere near it. " Ob, hang that; it's outside somewhere !" replied his companion impatiently. " Bat what do you think of the prisoner and the Countess 1 I wonder where he hid her body. Do you really think she is in the tower 1 "

" Her bones might be there now." said Dan. " I wonder what became of Mm and the poor wretched Geoffrey. Supposing we hava a hunt round, Jack ? It can't possibly hart vis now, you know, it's so long ago. Having any 1 "

" R vtber ; come on," and carefully placing the yellow paper which they had found ia such a strange manner in the inside pocket of his coat he was about to leave the room, when Dan exclaimed :

•Til tell you what, Jack: we ought to Eearch for that blue dressing case first, and if we can fiud the secret drawer its contents will tell us where to look for that treasure she hid. It's no use hunting for the dead bodies now," he added, in a whipper 0 " They're past all help long ago."

" You're abaub right, Dan. Wnere shall we go first ? The nexb room, I euppoEO."

Hero they found nothing of inteieat — only a few broken chairs, a three-leggad table, a tipsy couch, and a few other similar things here and there. They visited three or four othor rooms without finding anything of much consi quence, and then they came suddenly upon what had ones been a massive, powerful iron door, but was now a mass of thick falling rust. Try as they would the boys could not force it to budge an inch.

" S^mstbir.g wonderful behind it, I know," said JdcV, puffing and wiping his damp hot face.

" Don't I wiah we had an axe or a pick here," said D.in, looking about him'a3 if in hopo of discovering something suitable. Nor waa he disappointed, for in a far corner of the room he saw a long, thick iron rod or pole. It waa haavy, but they managed togjther to lift it and give the obstinate door dlovy after blow. Ab the tenth knock something gave way with a whirring rattJe. A fuw more bljws, and it swung bick. A clo-e, stifling smell caused the boys to step quickly backward. It was pitch daik within — so dark, indeed, that they could not tell whether it was room, porch, or pssmge. In a few secands the horrible atmosphere had become suJlioientJy yu'.ifisd to admit of their nose 3 being poked ia the doorway. Stepping inside and striking matches, they founu themselves in a small closet or landing, with scarcely room to turn round. In one corner tjhere was a long, dark, parrow staircase, leading, it seemed to the boys, down into ths bowels of the earth.

" S'lall we go down, Dan ? " asked his companion. <! How many matches have you left, Jack 1 " - "About a dczsn." " I've about that number. That ought to do vis. We can turn back if wa should moat with any unpleasant experiences. Come on." Down they crept, slowly feeling their way with outstretched arms. How uncomfortably dark and narrow it was. "This is rummy. Lst's turn back, for goodness' sake, Jack,\" entreated Dan at length ; but there was no answering voice to be heard. " Jack, Jack I I say, Jack, where arc you? Jack, J-a-a-ack!"

The last " Jack ". ended in a wail of horror. Bat there was no Jack to be seen or heard anywhere. At the thought of meeting his friend's unknown fate, Dan would have turned back, but the stairway was too narrow — he could not turn round. It was either stand still or go forward, and the unhappy boy decided to do tbe latter. He had gone down but three step 3 when something seemed to give way, and he fell down, dowD, down — bump I Ha was on his feet in an instant. "Jack, where are you ? Are you here ? " " Yes," answered a faint voice bsside him. 11 Where are we, Jack 1 " " I don't know. I've lost my matches," Luckily Dan had not been so unfortunate, and as he lib one they found themselves'in a huge cave dug in tbe earth. Oh, joy, there was a piece of tallow candle in a queer tin holder stuck in a rift or ledge scooped out for the purpose. Here was another piece and another and another.

" I'm afraid they won't light," said Jack ruefully, in answer to Dan's exultant speeches.

" Ob, yes, they will, for don't you see the tin is so placed as to surround the candle." Aud he proved right, for they lit immediately.

" Don't light them all at once, Dan, for goodness knows how long we shall have to remain down here. I think we had better take some of the candles and try to get ba "

" Look, Jack, quick !" interrupted his companion excitedly, pointing to a corner where stood two huge iron boxes. " I believe it's the treasure."

" I believe we've hit it, :> replied Jack as they walked rapidly towards them ; bnt on second thoughts he said, " No fear I Her husband would have known if she had hidden the money and jewellery here; it's too easy to find. But there* must be something curious and interesting in them."

Of coarse the lids were locked fast, and there was no opening them.

" Hullo I'• exclaimed one of the boys suddenly, "what have we here? Three spades— one oval onß and two square, a heavy pickaxe, and a large carpenter's basket foil of cunning-looking tools."

" I wonder what it all means 1 " said Jack with a puzzled air. •• See, Dan, two of the spades are covered with grey, hard soil. There is something buried about here that we must find." "All riijtit, old. boy; but let as tz? and

force these boxes open first with spades and pick." And try they did. For half an hour that pick went clang, clang against the lids of the boxes, then they tried to prize them up, and click, click, crash ! — the firafe case was opened. Paper, p&per, paper — thick layers of it. At length it was three parti empty ; two more sheets of paper, and wool, and underneath the wool — jewel?, jewels, jewels 1 How the boys' eyes sparkled and how their hands trembled. The other box contained a still larger number of them.

" It's no nse our touching them, Dan ; we'll only spoil it all. Lot's cover everything up exactly as w$ found it, and then fly back home for dear life. In a few hours father, mother, and— oh ! Hip, hip, hurrah I Hip, hip, hurrah I "

Aud they flung their caps madly into tha air and turned wild somersaults in their joy-

" I think we had better put a couple or so of these precious things in our pockets, just by way of proof, you know," said Dan as they were re-covering them. " There must be tons more of them buried somewhere ; bat your father and mine will see to that. Take a couple of candles, blow out tho rest, and away we go."

In what a different state of mind they reclimbed the narrow, rickety staircase. Laughter and joke after joke filled the musty air as they ascended. They had got halfway np now, and Jack, in order to rest himself, leaned against the wall, when — crash I something in the wall gave way, and tho unfortunate boy fell sidelong into space, it seemed. Whilst he waa in the act of falling Dan mounted tho step be had jast vacated, thereby fulling in in the same manner as Jack. Then there was a short, sharp click, and era they had picked themselves up they were prisoners.