The Queenof The Isle OR SIBYL CAMPBELL'S LOVE

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1057, 3 August 1904, Page 4

The Queenof The Isle OR SIBYL CAMPBELL'S LOVE

BY MAY AGNES FLEMING

Author of" The Heiress of Glen Gowor," "Tho Unseen Bridegroom," etc., oto.

OHAPTEII IV (Continuod.)

Ef i "'bin' else won't do, I'll try how you like : is." And Mrs. Tom caught tho unfortunato Carl by tho hair and pulled it tho wrong way until tho illatsed youth sprang upright with a roar that might havo been heard half a mile off. "Thunder and lightning, aiinty! do you want you to kill a fellow?''roared Master Carl in a rago. " Hush, Carl I Dont got mad honoy," said Mrs. Tom, soothingly; " 1 only want you to come downstairs and sit up with mo, Thut thero sick man's dead," "Dead!" repoatod Carl, staring with all his oyes, " Yes, lio'a dead bb can bo; and it's tho most lonesome thing in the world settin' up alono with n, corpse, so I waked you \\h" " Well, don't sit up with him, then," said Carl, '' If ho's dead, ho won t mind Btaying alone all night, I suppose. Anyhow, I know I ain't going to get up at this time of night, if ho was dead twieo over," And Carl lay down and composed himself for anothor nap,

The moonlight, stronraing in through the window, filled tho room with silvory radiance. Tho eilenco of doath roignod rouud; unbrokon ovon.by tho watch dog's bark. Tho dull, heavy roar of tho waves, breaking on tho shore, was tho only sound to bo hoard, And at last, with Ibis eorie, ghostly lullaby, Willard Dram* mond fell into a feverish sleep. And sleeping he dreamed. Ho scorned wandering on the verge of a precipice, treading a path so narrow and precarious that a single falso step would hurl him to certain destruction down tho unfathom* able gulf below. Where that path was to end be know not, but a white robed siren, with long shining hair, and smiling eyes and lips, went boforo him and lured him on, An inward voice soeined whispering bini to beware, but tho'suiiling eyes of tho terrpter were beaming upon him, and tho voieo whispered in vain, Above evory arag as ho passed, tho wild black oyes of Sybil seemed gleamiug with deadly hatred and fiorce malignity upon him. Suddenly tho siren vanished, ho sprang aftor her, and fell down, down into tho awful gulf below. A wild laugh rang out, and Sybil was bonding over him, holding a glitter. ing dagger to his heart, With a terror ho awoko to find it was not at all a dream.

But Mrs Tom was resolved not to be disobeyed; so alio snaiuod away shoots and quilts, pulled tho mattress from under him, and overset poor Carl on tho iloor, from which sho soon made him spring up with a sound on tho oar,

An icy cold hand lay on his face, He sprang up In bod with ft thrill of horror to behold a white wild face, with unciith]y oyes and long streaming hair, bunding over hiin. Paralysod'by tho sudden upparilion, ho sat, nnd ero he could recover himself the ghost had gone. Ho sprang out of bed and seized tho door. It was looked, as ho had left it, and, with his blood curdling, ho stood looted to the floor,

" Now then I" said tho indignant old lady; "tell mo agin you won't, will yo ? Now, look hero, of you ain't dressed and downstairs in fivo minutes, I'll como bad:, and this ain't no circumstances to what you'll got, Tell me you won't indeed. Thcro's no telling what the impideuce nf thoao scapogoftts of boys'll como to," muttered tho old lady.

Cprl descended to tho lower room with a very sulky face, and grumbled inwardly at his hard (ate in being governed by so tyrannical a mistress, " I don'tjsoo why the old fellar couldn't havo died somewhere else," inwardly muttered the ill«treatcd Air Hondloy, " A.coming hore and giving bother, Keeping a fellar from his sleop o' nights. It's downright mean," To bo continued,)

Morally and physically Willard Drnmmond w»? brm'o, but this midnight visit from a supernatural being might havo chilled tho blood of too most undaunted, Sleep was now out of tho question; therefore, seating hiinsolf by tho window, ho prepared to wait for the approach of morning. The moon was niveady sinking behind tho western horizon, bathing tho plaoid river in its plaoid river in its soft beams, Tho morning stir shono bright and serene in the cloudless blue 3ky; and, gazing on tho calm.beauty without, tho young man's pulso ceased its fovotish throbbings, and ho began striving to aocount ior this ghostly visit by natura means.

But he strove in vain. Tho door was firmly locked, and thero oould bo no secret passage through those strong oaken walls, Then ho arose and searched every crevico in the room that could by any possibility bo made a hiding place of, Siill in vain, Tho room contained no living thing but himself, Morning was now growing red in the oast, and, exhausted with watching, he threw himself on tho bed and fell into a deop, dreamless sloop, from which ho did not wako until Iho sun was high in tho heavens,

He sprang hastily out of bed and proceeded to dross himself. And now a new diflioully arose. Ho felt he would be questioned about the supernatural visitors of the haunted chamber, and ho was at a loss how to answer, If ho related tho event of the night, ho dreaded the ridicu'o of the unbelieving Captain Campbell. If, on the other hand, ho did not toll, ho would be obliged to coniinuo the occupant of tho haunted chamber while ho remained on tho island—a thing bo had not tho slightest wish to do, His tcilot was finished before ho could como to any conclusion; and, still debating the oa'o, ho descended the stairs and entered tho sitting room they had occupied tho night bofore.

CHAPTER Y la a former chapter wo loft Mrs. Tom in rather an appalling situation, Accustomed to the quiet, unexciting life of the lonely, Bcvgirt isle, tin ovonls of (ho night had momentarily terrified Ijer, albeit her Dcrves were none of the weakest. The mysterious revelation of the dying man; his talo of night, and storm, and crime; the wild, ghostly face at the window; and lastly his sudden death, wero quite enough to thiill for an instant with torror oven a stronger heart than that of tho solitary old widow,

For some moments Mrs Tom snt still, gazing alternately on the window and on the ghastly face of tho doad umu before her, with a chill foelinc; of torror creeping over her.

The sitddon striking of tho clock us it chimed tho hour of elevon, aroused her at last from her ti'anco of terror, It was n sound of life, and it reassured her.

Eising, sho gathorod courage to approach tho window cautiously and .looked out, Nothing was to bo seon but bright inoont light, bathing rock and river in its silvery light. Beyond sho could soo Campbell's Castle. Lights wore still twinkling in tho Windows, and with ronowed confidence at this sign of life, Mrß Tom wont to nrouso Carl to assist her to watch beside the dead,

"It's impossible to sleep with a corpso in the houso," thought Mrs Tom, " leastways, I couldn't sloop a wink, though I do Vpose that there lazy sleepyhead of a Curl could snoro away just as sounlly ef we was all dead in a heap. I reckon I'll hcv an hour's work getting him up. Here, you Carl 1 Carl 1 Get up, 1 toll you I" Then Mrs Tom shook him lustily. The sleeper only replied by turning over a grunt,

" Carl I Carl I Lor' sakes I you great fleepy, good-for nothing, open youroyes.