| Show THE OLD STONE HOUSE RYA BV A DETECTIVE new york there is an old stone house fat f ar back in the old faubourg Fau bourg marigny with ruined gables and ed roof the wild vines crept up the gray walls and tho the mildew clings to the articles the soft atwil twilight eglit gathers around the pillars and arcades while the summer night winds nestled among the clinging clin gilig ivy ivy long lon ago arm memories mem blend lil ead with the legend that haunts the place silent and still the old house stands a relic of other times its glory and magnificence have lied the feet of the eppeler have trampled down ita its splendor but even in in decay it shows how bow brand grand it once has beell now as the moonbeams moon beams gleam around ita its quaint mosaics lighting up its sculptured arches arelie and sund broken statuary stai uary rya a ino mournful beauty lingers on the scene it was such a night as this not many ninny years ago that the horror waa was revealed that made it desolate it was then the residence of Ofa a merchant who wholine wh olind biad purchased it from the last descendant of tho spanish founders he ile had not disturbed the old furniture nor displaced tho the adornments of the grand old rooms As he lie found it so had the house remained the superstitions ions of the place were even re acted and the closed room far back in the wing of the mansion endured no intrusion the old ser looted u upon on this room with a nameless dread dren T why they could scarcely tell but it was haunted from children they had grown up to look upon it with horror generations bad passed away since the room was closed but the legend that clung to it was fresh in their memories and the fear it bad created as still vivid it was said that many years ago an old spaniard had condemned his beautiful daughter to imprisonment in in that cell like vault a and nd that she had died there of want often the eld old servants said of stormy storm nights lits when the wind win d screamed through throng N the ruined gables galles and the broken arches a young girls cries for help mingled with the echoes of the storm and the moans ot of one in distress were sometimes heard in the silent corridors said too that in that room were stored the jewels and wealth of ofa a buccaneer but butia if this were so no treasure tre asuro could be more securely guarded the story of the haunted room kept far away intrusive footsteps and prying eyes so time went on and the die mildew gathered on the crusted marbles and the graceful trace ful arches of the old stone house silent and still remained the darkened room and the old legend became a tale told with tre trembling tabling lips aud and awe but time in its flight had brought a change to its inhabitants A few years ago new claimants of the pr property appeared upon the scene the father of the last owner had two sons the elder had bad died in spain the younger succeeded to the estate and being wild and reckless soon squandered his revenue je revenue venue and at last sold it to the merc merchant bani who then resided in it but before the fathers death lie made a will he ile never believed his elder son was dead to him the old stone house was left in case his death without heirs was proved then it descended to b his L younger eon son T these lie c new claimants were the eon and daughter of the exiled heir although although the will was probated and its provisions understood there yet remained some papers necessary to establish their identity these papers could nowhere be found many alan claimed that n none nonesuch such ediz existed ted and lan laughed W to scorn the of the young oung people who had crossed the tc sea to claim the dead heirs inheritance suit had been commenced and the day of trial was approaching for many months we had ha been employed in looking up evidence and searching scar cling the records of the family we ive were not lawyers it is true only detectives but we felt falt a vivid interest in tho the case and when wo we were sent for to assist mist in the search our whole hearts were given to the work it was evident that the papers sought for once had an existence but find they been destroyed I thought not there were many secret recesses acs in the old building and in one of them I felt sure the papers had been placed we ive had acted on the supposition and had ransacked the old mansion high and low all but the haunted room and now we determined to search there I confess a strange uneasiness as I approach th the edoor door what it was I feared it would have been difficult to explain I had heard the old legend often repeated anait and it is possible some trace of superstition is yet et in my nature but I did not let let it interfere with the work I had hail in hand the door was as forced open en at the sight a it that met our eyes S the c strongest frame trembled the room roum was in wild disorder the dust of a century tu ry covered the walls and the green geen mould had bad settled on the furniture re the carpet crumbled like the dust beneath our feet f beet the room had been a it library and worm eaten books dusty and mouldy bouldy showed through the glass cases but that which most appalled us waa was a human skeleton stretched on an the floor jewels glittered on the fleshless fled iless arros arnis and a cluster of brill cants flamed on the bony fingers A mass of dark brown hair lay jay in a heap on the floor and it sapphire gleamed mockingly from the anu aled tresses when the air from froin the open door rushed in inn a capori h dusharm dust arced d from the floor and hung fura fora fur a moment in theair the air then dissolved and passed pawed a away a Y it waa was a moment before wo we recovered our and re regained our composure ste stepping ap pp him over the ghostly relic wo went to a nicho niche in tho the wall and hidden away were the papers wo had searched for so long the title deeds from the spanish crown and beside them were gold and jewels that would have purchased an nn emperors ransom A century had fled since the strange g d deposit was made ko no ba balts ts and bare bars secured it guarded alone b by y the silent skeleton and the legend of the old stone house |
