Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

-r- " By HI TSBBSX ' ^^^^^^fc"ib?tihrougIx- the eh?dren I fcs? became ||?|?|^^^ They ^^^l^liw preter little tcisthen, the-twoof them, ^^^^^?a? bad such friendly ways with them that ^^^^^11:wald ?"nc* have surprised any one, I ^^^^"?^ia?, ?hat they should attract where their ^^^p?*"*? -??0*^-rather to repel; bot my wife l?^^^??? I -were nevertheless consc?ops of a cer ||g^^.^ we first saw ralphs?eto .in animated conversation with the SPs?^f tunny old gentleman, about whom people sjapfe?knew so little and speculated^ much. I^Lw- w?To Irving afc that time rn a small ? ?^ boase zn ose of those oki fashioned suburbs, y' * whence the city is easiest of access, even the Kg^^l ornnibosfare toand fro being a.. matter of |p. ."; ecaaidec&tion tons, and we know as little of ' ^ "fnrwKgh^ London. : - >lEe^;w?ro very happy, all the same, *^^?'S(-.'itlJ??:ftt?y occupied--! on- the city tread : ?Ol which. I am working still, with this dif ll^? terence, that 7Tam better paid for it-3iary , Jboldng after the house and children, and If ieeping both afror such a fashion that in-our ^^"?obwsfe^iay^it was a pride and a pleasure to |Jf%t^v?io? hom? tothenC" ^^?T^l^-^^a????t tho Iric??cstjnan IIrnow,?AIr. Deckermann said tome-enco-"or have ^^^-vtaiw??"- he* ?ard, correcting "Hmsrif. **To ^^fe.fe ?*y *1?*^ ^ know wonkl not be to say much," tr!^**fc^ indeed, judging from our observa -.-?obody seemed - ? > know him to speak to, ^lll?-1; i"?t eveiybody ? the neighborhood must ^P^l^j^fcawJoiown him by sight, for ho was to bo - ?ea da?y, summer and winter, taking tho sn? monotonous walk, and dressed in the 0^::' ?me odd fashion, iaabTOWttvcoe* cut in the itrle of at least fifty years befee with bras? . - huttons, and a wide brimmed hat, beneath, winch he wore the most transparent impost areola the shape of a w% with which'thave iver come in contact It?was in gre&tnceasnrs '-' ' ihe'eontrast between this, which was-of u ? mzaewkat lively brown; and the iron gray of kis bushy eyebrows winch conduced to the '- ' f oddity of his appearance,- His eyes were the ^ : ' : only striions; feature in his face, being dark, "r v p"?hr?-: rf?d piercing, and the skin, -was -a Wt,'.::: : -., astwutk of wrinkles on pm*chment, but no tee who had seen his countenance light up as tmr lt that Sunday evening, at the innocent ptitta? of the cbBdrer*y would have received : '" > >ther than a pleasant impression of the "Ettie ildinaa. -f- ;- We had come upon the trio trainer sud ?1%.: icory. 3?ary and I, and had the reluctance o/speak upon either side been ever so strong, - ?> ' X toast in common courtesy have been over - ' flome??:'!We exchanged greetings accordingly; tod from, that day forth the' acquaint '% Mweythus inaugurated ripened steadily ?t?j^f. in mtimacy, in the course |p< ?* which I arrived at these primary facts ^7-;-'.- aoocerning Slr. V'anJ^sckcrmann. He was, .ts l?* ?une indicated, of Dutch extraction, be had no occupation, and he lived, and had <y . ' Ired for years, in a house wMch wouM have contained three of mine, in the most expen-r tire, situation thereabouts. "What he wanted, ?* e?er had wanted, being a bachelor, with a residence o?saeh dimensions it stouHcot i have been easyr to determine- the less sa that >:- - be sQw.no companyr azul that ? the- csiablisk , * sent'"ia? Testricted te stwo.^oH servants p:- Bke himself English by birth and breeding, ?,. r>^of?orc^orig?n--withasortbf "slavey ^ apod whom doubtless devolved the giants I ??re of sucn work as there was to do, under **?o? are thc luckiest r?an J I?aotcS We came little by Ettie, esl have already intimated, to see a. good deal of him; more ia the summer, however^than in the winter, when I was glad enough to stay at home in the erccingN, when i got -there.,-and he felt naturaDy, at his age;, equally indisposed to tam oat. Bat in the Jong. Iight.days ho was ionitrf drppj/ing' in -on us after dinner, and -if sm shoukl som?SHues have preferred being to ourselves wcw<a?j<arcful noverilo show it. We were fia^eredrby the-iancy ?e soesiedto have taken to us, .ax<! sorry for lis lowliness, and I do not preteuii but tbut wc api^^ciattd s " the-fact that he Bright:, if'hc wou?t?, be a good friend tout v It was in the course of the second snnuner of our acqaaintaaco that ono ?Sunuay even? ing after church we ,came up vritb him lean? ing ??er the pa&cgs -cf an ?ld fashioned Bbusev at some distance firom our own. It "stood back, in its own grounds a good distance from Abe road, and such glimpse* o? -thetiding itself as were to be ebtarnci thxaogfe -.the screen inteqx>se<i by the trees as&shrubs in front of it. gave ono tho Idea JO? -a - Kif?c?ent?y gloomy exterior. We had i enan ked upon its dismal und i;noc rupied appearance morethan once, azul won ' dered, seeing how long \t rernaine?! ~j>]>;a> eotry untenantedv^the>ah?&>iteeJ)f any iudv cation that ix was to be either sold or let. but wo wexe-no$ jweparod .for Mr. Van Decker .^oal?re Jbroughtrae back to the pres j ' ?nt,* co replied. **I had gene.'iack further j tba? you could go, either of you. That was j my father!sJbou4?c tte hon-e in which I was ! born and bred, it has remained as he left it, with socb patching up as has b*en positively ?ecrKscry,. ever since be died." **Bus not emptyv as it is now? Somebody lia? Tired in it since ti?eu, surelyf niy wife said timidly. **Tbeol<i couple who ?sko .-case of it, no ho?y elsev" be- replied, as we^Iked away j from it. ^EvcrylKx?y 'has c. craze of sope ?ort, they say, ^Irs. Thurne?, and that is j mine. "You have heardof certain rooms sn a j boase- bein^ kcj>t sai*red io tbe memory of certain pe?5ple? T.'hy should not I go a little further and keep thv wuoie house so, when 1 am about.it r The sharp tone and Ibo laugh that accom? panied it grated-on the cars of us both, and my wife's hand pressed my arm a little ner ?oflBsJy a3 shir aas\v%red^ *X^arnry, you have a -right to do-what you like i*itu your own. If you did not care to live ht it yourself Ho turned round upon her before she had time to iriish the sentence, striking the i ground with his stick AS though he would I have driven it into it to wnphiisizehis^rords I and repeating them niter her in a shrill fal- : aetto voice, which boro evidence .to .his ex- ; citement. "Live in it myself-I-after ail that hud happened in it! I would rather have begged my bread on the roads - rather - GO?K1 heavens I what would I not rather ? But there, I beg your pardon," he added, cooling ? down. **I can't expect yeu to understar.d, j how should you? If you bad spent there the j most miserable boyhood, barring.ooe thing, j that ever man had to look back to, you \ world hate it as I do." "And yet you dont get rid of it alto- j I pether?" ? rrrb?rposed at this juncture. -t:Wby j not pull it down and sell the land fer build- : <ng upon? You would make a good thing j ?fit.'? **Why not? Because,I am a fool, I sup? pose," ho returned curtly- "Because, if there ? aro many memories for which I hate it, there ! ?re a few for which I love it. What was it I saw ia your Ettie nstid.?, do yon suppose, but j afikeness to another little maid, dead and j buried long" ago-the o-aly bit of sunshine j that ever strayed within those four walis, the j ?my creature that loved me, or that I had to i tove. She was my cousin, and she was an j orphan. How she came to be left to my j lather's cure I never clearly anderstood, but j lb? caa ie to as before ? eouH remember, and ? she was more to him tl i au ever I ?as. There j was too gooda reason that he should ?ateare ? mach for me.. He had uot been fortunato in i t?nMrrieg?, and it had soared.him, bat he j Biust have been hard and cr^ei to beg m vith, | or he cVaid never have dense by his own flesh | : me. I was not good ? *y m aa- ? was never off rae, and betook it upon bim self to see that I did the task that was set me There was no kind of punishment he did not resort to. I was flogged, starved, imprisonec by turns. It was as though he though he was wreaking his vengeance upoi my mother through me. Tho onlj way in which Alice got into trouble was bj espousing^}- quarrels-the only way. heaver help her? weet soul ?--from first to last!" He paused for a moment, his voice huskj with emotion, and Mary laid her hand gent h on his arm. "Another time. Mr. Van Deckermann, tel us another time," she said in her soft voice. "I should like you to know," he replied, un steadily, t4and I should never bring myself tc speak of it again." By the time I was 161 had come to the end of my patience. 3?y ?athel was fast becoming as miserly as he was cruel, andi could soe plainly if I were to wait foi him to give me a start in life I might wait for ever. I knew that our name was wei] known at tbe-Cape, aaft;! trusted to its be? ing a passport there ofr??ch, in conjunction with the business faculty I was conscious ol in myself, I might make use to my advant? age. I resolved to workmy way out, antics soon as I bad made enough to keep a wife, tc .come back for my cousin. It was at the gate at which you fvfjnd me standing just now! said good-by to heir. "I had been. away nine years before I saw my way to making a homo for' her. ' For the greater part ?of the time it had been such hard work that but for the few pounds she managed somehow-ri often feared by going in rags or something approaching to it her? self-to send me-now and then I must have ctarvedxntnght. But at the end of the nine years I was able to write to her and say 3 would como for her. She wrote me in reply .that my. father was very feeble, that she had owed him a home ali her life, and that we -should wait until I could como home for good. It was a great blow to a man who had already served for her so long, and was ; thirsting for the sight of her, but it was as ii rI ha&ae will of my own where she was con? cerned. I stayed on where I was and set my - shoulder to the wheel harder than ever for another three years. The Cape owed me nothing; then at last I turned my back on her. I had gone but a beggar, I came home with a handsome independence. And what was itj think you, I came home to? I had rtofled and slaved and denied myself all these years for what? Merciful heavens! for wha?P Ho stopped suddenly in tho road, und wrung his hands, with an expression upon his face which haunts me to this day-wh.cn I am troubled and out of spirits. ' Tho some -thought occurred at the same moment to my wife and myself. For some reason-possibly with little, if any, blame attaching to her? self-his old love bad been false te him. So completely, as wo found when we came to compare notes afterward, had this iden taken possession of both our minds, that his next words took us quite by surprise. - ; "You don't ask me how I found her?* he said in a harsh voice. "You don't ask me whether she was-waiting to meet me where I had left her-whore you found mo just now. .You doa^rpictnre her as I had pictured her to myself hundreds and hundreds of times, with tho?-sea rolling between us; with her "arms-round my neck, and her Hps pressed to mine, and thc welcome I had been waiting for so long looking out of every feature of her sweet face. But you can fancy what it was to mc to look for her like that, and think of her like that, and then to find her, as I found her-dead and buried P His voice sank to a whisper in the utter? ance of those last words, and except for a murmur of surprise and sympathy, which seemed all to which we found ourselves equal, we went our way for the next few minutes in silence. "Whether he would have told us more had we questioned him, I cannot pretend to say, bat I have ofteu since regretted what was possibly a lost opportunity. He may never have meant us to be any wiser, but, on th? other hand, if he did mean-tfcat^?nd .was checked by a reticence, which sprang rather from too mu?h feeling than too little, how much might h?ve been spared both him and jcs! The inclination, supposing it ever to '.have existed, had ceased to animate him be? fore ho spoke again. 4*You can understand now," he. said, with presumption of his ordinary manner, which was so rapid as tobe ^maskable, "why thf yery walls o' that -old house are at once sacral and abhorrent, dear and hateful to nie, I can neither make up my mind to let other people live in it nor to let it go to rack and ruin^-and I would not live in it myself if there were not another roof in the wide woridfor mc to shelter under. But there, it is all .over and done with, and we wjH find something pleasanter to talk about.'' Xt was about midsummer, to the best of my recollection, this little conversation -took place, and not long afterward our house, of which we had only the half yearly tenancy, was sold over our heads-a circumstance which would have concerned us very little, had not the new owner required it for- his own occupation. Conceive my astonish? ment when, under these circumstances, Mr. Yan Deckermann.offered me thc long unin? habited Cedars! I say advisedly offered me, for the propositkn-wasoniy submitted ;to my wife after it had been talked over at consid? erable length between us. The fact was, Mr. Yan Dockermann frankly .admitted^the house during itt years of dis- ; use had acquired a bad name, and though he believed me to have no more belief in the su? pernatural than he had himself, he had no wish to withhold .from me the knowledge of what would, it-must ?be confessed, from tho vulgar point of view, constitute a drawback to the very substantial kindness he talked of .conferring upon me. **You are welcome to the house," ho said, t4rent free, and I will have it done up for you from top to bottom It shall not cost you a penny p?ese? so long as I live, and when I am dead and gone you will bo your own land? lord, but I am not going to saddle you with it under any fabo pretenses. Tho j>coplc v.-ho .tate care, of ic tey it is- haunted. It is to their ; interest io keep others out of it, and they ii 'La.vc contrived to livo tbere themselves a good many years in spite of it; but you may take what the}" say for whatever you think ;it is worth. I am not afraid of you, but . women are weak u:>on these points, and thei^ is your wife to consider." I was obliged to confess that my wife was ' n^t in this .respect -cjperior to the rest of her sex. She might fa<*e a burglar-she would certainly not ^/it^irgJy run the risk of col? lision with a gb*?st. - ?.'I suspected much,"" be said .equably, *a:id that is why I thought it better to in? troduce the subject i:i her absence; I-should .be sorry for her te stand in her own ?ghtahil .in yours, if it-eau bc helped, and the chance* aro she would. Now my owa belief wi* h re? gard to the Cedars is that there has be?a some sort of .knavery carried oa there fvr years, and my object is to get at .thc bottom of it an?i to do you a gcod turn at the same time. V7ecen"t-o2*er Hrs. Timmel 1 tho house wifhthc gb'St attach^ to it, with any roa . sonable hope of her acceptance of it-so much we may take for granted. The ques? tion is, is it worth your while to try and elear the coast of it before anything is said :tp her-about it.P Thc proi>osition was an odd one, to say the least of it, but thc game seemed worth the callie, and I felt, moreover, how poor a figure I should cut in the old mrui's eyes were I to decline it. What it was he wished me to do precisely, he was either undecided himself or did not choose to tell me, but I consoled myself with the re? flection that impostures of the sort he sus? pected were, as a rule, of the clumsiest, and, to mako a long storyshort. I accepted tho :Cedars ou his own conditions. My wife, who was told nothing to disquiet her, and who naturally, therefore, was oveicomo by tho generosity which was being shown us. ac ^companied Mr. Yan Deckermann over tho | house and was charmed with it, with the j style ia which he proposed doiag it np, even j with the old furniture stowed away in the j attics, and which was to supplement our own, audit wts finally arranged we were to take possession at Lady day. It was not, however, until close upon Christmas week, which we were going te spend, as usual, with my wife's father down in Sussex, anything more was said of the private understanding between my new land? lord .and myself; I had been trying to over? come Mary's scruples about remaining be? hind with the children, after I was compelled to return to the office, and as there was an? nually the samodittle discussion between us, my unselfish little woman generally get? ting the better .of it, I was not sur? prised to find that our shrewd old ' friend had reckoned upon this, and was prepared with a suggestion in his own inter . est. Mrs. Thumell might, ho said, make her self quite happy about me and do him a fa? vor at the same time by allowing me to l^e ?como h?(gnest for the few evenings I should longer chango could not but be beneficial to her and to the children, and why should she not have it? Besides, it was necessary for the carrying out of what he called our innocent conspiracy against her that some such ar? rangement should be made; To 'Maxy it seemed only a further proof of his kindness ?ind consideration, and the invitation, the curious circumstances of which wero known only to him and tome, was accepted accord? ingly. It was not,rhowever, until I had dined for the first time, tete-a-tete, with Mr. Van Deckennann, I was made aware of what was expected of me, and shall I confess that the knowledge cMd: detract somewhat from my enjoyment of the best glass of Madeira I had ever been privileged to taste? The proposition my host had to make to me was simply'-this: In all respects but one I was to be, as my wife had been lcd to sup? pose, his guest in his own house; that is to say, I was to breakfast with him before I went cityward in tho morning, and to return to Woodlands iodine and spend tho evening, but ray sleeping quarters were to bo at the Cedars! I should thus bo ina position to satisfy myself as to tho fitness of the house for tho accommodation of my fam ilyr and the absurdity of tho reports which had boen circulated respecting it. We both knew the folly and credulity in which such stories originated, but wo knew too tho ras -cality which not unfrequently took advan? tage of such weakness to answer its own pur? pose, and it would be well to ascertain that there had been no such agency at work in Jthe present instance, or if there had, to dis? cover it. 4iI do not say that I have reason to distrust either old Minchin or his wife," added Mr. ?Van Deckermann, "but my loss has been their gain all these years, and human iurturei3 weak. Thc old woman was shaking in her shoes the day I took your wife over the house, and she would not have*.been behind? hand in putting a spoke in '?he wheel, had tho opportunity been given! her, on the bars suspicion of the real facts of the case. If there has been any roguery at work, it is for yoe, in your, own interest as well as in mine, to got to thcVbottomr of it. You are not to bs scared by the fear of the supernatural-that bugbear of the ignorant and the superstitious -for you do.not believe in it, and I will see that you have thc means of turning the ta? bles upon-any clumsy impostor who may try his hand at frightening you." . The words were cheery and confident tenou2h, but there was a certain eagerness in the utterance of them, and the old mau-? keen eyes had a curious shiftiness ofcxpres - sion I had never remarked in them? before, as he thus addressed rae. I coule not help thinking he was trying to convince himself, as well as me, of the forco of what he was saying. That thc whole thing appeared to him less commonplace than he wished to make it out, I felt as certain as that I myself was not, really and tildy, going to tho in? vestigation of it in the proper daredevil spirit. I did not believe in ghosts or ghost lore, that I maintain; but if I had ever had Much of the spirit of adventure in me fte monotony of a business life had knocked it out of me, andi had come to regard a good night's rest as-one cf the best things in life. Still the stake was well worth the playing for, and I did my best tolook pleasant overit. One thing I did ask my host. What was the story attached to the house, and what form did the apparition take ? He tapped his snuffbox and shook his head. "Kb, no," he said, "I am not going to put things into your head. How can I answer for tho state of your digestion, or your prob? able immunity from nightmare, as it is? You know too much-that is too say, you would know too much, supposing you were a man of weak nerves or vivid imagination, already. If I could have kept you in utter ignorance the test would have been a surer one, but that I could not, and I have, to re? quire of you, on your honor, that you neither seek nor accept at thft hands of any one the information I withhold from you. You will not seek-of that I am satisfied-what I wish you distinctly to promise me is that you will refuse to lend an ear to any one who may try to enlighten you-the woman Minchin, for example." I gave bim my word that I would respect his wishes, and an hour or so later found me in possession of tho room which had boen assigned me at the Cedars. Mr. Yan Dccker mann had not himself faced tbecutting cold of the moonlit December night, but the old couple were on the lookout for my appear? ance, and things liad been made more com? fortable than I expected. Some of tho old furrdture, of whiehjiayhcst had spoken when he fiyst entered upon the subjectif the house, , : had Tbeen brought down from .the garrets, : and disposed in what would appear to have been its original quarters, while a bright firo burne?l frostily in tho old fasteoned grate. I observed, with a : certain remorseful appreciation of a thought? fulness for my comfort for which I should not have given her credit, that Mrs. Minchin had not limited her provision for my accom? modation to absolute necessaries. Of the two windows, tho one nearest to tho bed was closely and carefully curtained-for tho other, as she took occasion, to explain^ there was no curtain forthcoming, and an arm? chair an?: footstool, with thc faded coverings of which the moth had leng sinco made ac? quaintance, had been drawn up to tho fire. Thc old woman seemed indeed to havo re? membered everything, even to the leight light in a saucer on tko mantle piece, to ignite which was'her last care befpre leaving me for the night. For the rest, she was as taci? turn as her employer could have wished. She received my thanks in silence, and, : having ascertained at what hour she was to cai! me, left mo to myself with all possible celerity. When shoihad turned her:back I proceeded to take a rr mute survey of thc room. Thai it was, or had been at some time, the scene of whatever mystery was connected with tho house, I could not reasonably doubt, seeing the object with which I had boen sent there. Thc first thing.for me-to do then was to discover -in what wa}--if any-it was likely to lend itself to tho perpetration of a fraud. Briefly, I could find nothing in it to roward my inquiries. It was a large room, almost square, with nothing remarkable about it. Therowere, as I .have said, two window^, and there was one of tho closets my wife's heart had delighted in. I opened the door of this and looked in. It was empty, as it had been, in common with tho rest, on the occa? sion of my previous visit. The bedstead, which -iittii been brought down from thc attics, was of mahogany, minus poles or hang? ings. Nowhere was there any ambush for anything; cue could sec the room and all it contained eta planee. I went to the cur? tained window and examined it carefully; it titted .well .and was fastened; so was -the other, tho blind of which I drew up, and saw the garden lying below me, every slumb that it containedclearly defined in tho moonlight. I left tho blind up-uudressed with roy usual expeditious and went to bod and to sleep It was 'between C and 4 in the morning when I awoke, for I took note of the timo afterward, but what it was that caused mo to awake :i cannot say. All I know ia that the room was.asjight as day, and that I was not clone in it. Creeping stealthily across the room, and ' feeling his way with bis hands as one might who was blind, was the Cgurcof Andrew van Deeke-mann. Jle bail his profile toward me, He had His profile to tva rd mc. and his head was even more shrunk within his shoulders than -usual, so that I could not rightly distinguish his features ; but his gait and dress were as familiares they wore re? markable. About the cut of that brown coat, as about tic peculiar inclination cf the head and body, there could be no mistake. But bow and with what object had he come thither? I had left him iu his own house true, there was nothing to prevent him from following me, but what^could ,bp his motivo? Wasit possible I was the dupe after all of a madman, and that the traits I had regard as mero eccentricities ought, in reality, have given me the clew to the truth? W it to bo accounted for in this way, or was that thc sarcastic humor, ?f which I had se a good deal in inyintercourse with him, h? prompted him to subject my boasted seep cism to an ordeal which, malicious thou; it might be, was, perhaps, not une served? But this last hypothesis would n hold water for a moment. Granted that f. oH Dutchman had tho will to conceive practical joke of this sort, - he would i suredly, were be in his right .mind, ha' chosen a more convenient season for eurryii it out in his own proper person. .There w but one elucidation of conduct so extrae dinar)*-my first conjecture was the rig one-Mr. Van Deckemianu was not accouij able for his actions. It is not an agreeable:sensation, that < being tete-a-tete with a madman, even thou j he be old and feeble., anil you apprehend i violence Irom him. In the moonlight, to things have a strange, uncanny look wii them. I tried tc-flatter myself that I wj keeping silence and pretending not to 1 awake, partly in order to sec what m visitor was about to do. partly to defeat h insane malice: but I was conscious, in spite < myself, of a. fascination against which I wi powerless. To lie and watch from be twee my-closed eyelids was all I could do. Still with handsoutstretched, still with tl same tottering 'gait, past the .foot < the bed, and toward the fireplac where, .turning round in the mic stream of the moonlight, face an figure alike stood revealed. The same an yet not the same, a mask rather than a fae -the hps parted, the eyes open and starin fixedly before them, with a terrible, unmi: takable stare of vacuity-the face of on more dead than alive. Terrible as the sigh was, it brought with it a sudden and ur looked for relief. The first look at those ar. parent?y sightless orbs and that expression less countenance assured me that tho old ma: was as genuinely unconscious of his sui roundings as I was endeavoring to appear t be of mine. Once before, I had seen a mai walking in his sleep, and I had not forgottoi that ghastly phenomenon. Be-.wasstill groping about with his hands and it did not occur to me at the moment a altogether opposed to the theory I had s readily adopted that what was in his norma state only nearsightedness should beexag gcrated in his present condition into almos if not total-blindness. Suddenly, while '. was still watching him, for my eyes had no quitted bim for a moment, one wanderin' band found a resting place on the arm of thi big chair I had noticed upon entering tb< room as having been put for myaceommoda tion. The effect, upon the frame of the oh' man was as though there were connect?e with the wood a galvanic battery. Ever* nerve in his body seemed to be put in mo Hon, but though>his teeth chattered and hii ?yes moved in then* sockets, no sound escapee Lim-it was as though ono had electrified c 3orpse. So strong as that, and yet not strong mough to awaken bimi A. chill that I could not account for, and that-seemed to be numb 'mg all my faculties, was creeping over me. ?he face .that I was staring at, with eyes which refused to leave it for the shortest mo ment of time, seemed more and more the dis? torted image of that I was familiar with; 1 felt as though break this unnatural silence 1 inust, but no words came to my assis tance. Had I, too, been struck dumb and helpless} If only ho would speak, rave, do anything! I was scarcely conscious of the longing that was upon me, before it was gratified; the trembling figure erected itself, as if de? terminedly getting thc better of tho shock it bad received, and once more, but this time as of fixed pmpose, the thin grasping fingers ?vero stretched out in the direction of the mair. As they closed upon it, the wholo face changed, au expression of eagerness and avidity took the place of the vacant stare I had hitherto confronted, what looked like a Hash of triumph seemed to quicken into life, beneath their bushy brows, the eyes whose power of vision I had thought suspended, md with.a strange, unearthly sound, half ?ry, half chuckle, which mada my blood rrcep, tho old man flung himself on his knees before the chair. * In this attitude, and with his back -to .me, what was .it ho was doing, or attempting to do. I raised .myself aiittle in the bed and saw .lo my increased mystification that .ho had taken hold .of the chair-a ponderous old contrivance, swathed ina loose cover of faded damask-and-was-atparcntly endeavoring to tilt it up. Tho chances wero ho would upset it, and not escape without moro .or less in? jury to himself in.doing so. Yet how to withdraw him from it without awakening him, and that ?roughly-a measure always, so I had been instructed, to bo carefully avoided in cases of somnambulism. "Mr. Van Dockermann,'' I said, finding my voice at last with an olTort, "caa I como sud help your"' There was a short, sharp sound as of some? thing falling, but there was no answer--and where was Mr. Yan Deckcrmann? Thc old chair was still standing-apd standing on terra firma in the track^pf tho moonbeams-of the homely elderly figure in be brown suit, which had been kneeling oefore it a moment before, there was not a trace. I sprang out of bed, fired witt a sudden overmastering iudigtiaticn at find? ing himself, as it wer?, baffled and, cheated, and flung open the doors of the closet, cf the emptiness of which I had assured tm-sclf be? fore retiring for the night, it?ras as I had left it. Tho only other way in which, even supposing my senses for the moment to have deserted me, my visitor could havo eluded me was quitting tho room outright. I went to the door-it was locked, cs I had taken the precaution of locking it a fewmours previously, on tho inside. I stood for a moment in an utter hopeless bewilderment, and then I burst into a laugh, which sounded even to myself forced and un? natural. 1 Tsha r I crclidmcd, "I must hare .been dreaming." The words bad scarcely passed my lips when something, the like of which I had never heard before-something between a laugh and a wail-an indescribable mingling of pain and mockery-sounded close at.my ell?ow. Turning?Larp round to see wheuco it came, I lost my balance and fell face for? ward on thc bed, dragging tho sheet, at which I clutched to save myself, to the ground. As I did so, something fell on tho ?cor with a thud. It was my watch, which failing its accustomed receptacle, I had stowed away under my pillow, but of this I did not satisfy myself until the morning, when, upon finding and picking it up I dis? covered that it hud stopped at a quarter to 4 o'clock. Ot the rest of that night..! have no remembrance, save a confused ono of scrambling into bcd with, I think, thc most fervent prayer to bc delivered from evil I had ever uttered on my lips. "And you expect me to believe that you were in your sober senses.when you saw*, or imagined you suv.-, this-what shall I call i?? -double of myself said Mr. Van Decker? mann when I bad related as briefly as I Could my experience of thc night before. "I have :toki you aJread)*, sir. th.it-i was wideawake. Fut it to yourself whether I should be likeiy to bc such a fool os to let any tain;; which I could j possibly account for to myself as a bad dream or a mere optical delusion stand in the way of my acceptance of so substantial a benefit as that y?>u .offer mei l eonid no more subject my*-wi?c"> "JFTsh""*' he broke in, scornfully; "don't talk about your wife. l?c honest and say frank Iv that vou.are not nrjepared to face it yourself.*' "I had said as much already. Mr. Yan D'?-kermu?in. Nothing would induce mo, alter what I went through ku-t night, to be? come ymir tenant.*' "And vet you don t believe in tho sn-x-r natmair "I did not," TI replied "I should have said 'mr to anybody who might have put tho question Ui me yesterday in ail gc*ni faith! Today I should dedincto ? ass wer it; ? dont know what to believe.*' The old mun puckered up his brows and regarded me thoughtful"".*; "Well, it : s-your own !<>"k out.*' lie said. "I suppose I was inistaken in my man. It ! would have been better for tx it I rot us if your j nerves had been stronger. 1 Md you bust | night 1 had b<-<-:i t.K. randi*! with you. I | should ha ve hit upon some other expedient^ j but I was over scrupulous, it is my own j fault mid 1 must .pay the penalty of it in my i disappointment. 1 am tony for your wife; i you must explain matters to lier hi yourowu j w ay. Between you and me there need l>e no more said about it. You will find your room j hr re ready for the night, and thc longer you can stay thc better." He shook me warmly by tho hand as he spoke. ''Believe me." I began, "I shall never for? get" "Not a word about itv' he said, "as you value my friendship. The time may come when I shall myself reopen the? subject, though I think not-I think net. Until then let it, I beg of you, drop." I am afraid I took to my work that day a venyti^Bt?en?on. I did not rerrct ?ry candor, though there were moments-^-whenl was discussing my mutton chop, for ex? ample, in my own special snug corner, not unaccompanied by a good tankard of stout in.which I felt more courageous, if not more skeptical. Granted the existence of a ghostly visitant, mijrht one net in time become ac? customed to it? "What positive harm could anything of the kind do one? But across even these faint efforts at reasoning caine the vision of the wife and" children seared into sickness or something worse, and I felt that, in any ease, I bad acted for the best. I found my host even more cheerful and loquacious than was his wont that evening. He ordered tho oid Dutchman, who com? bined with other duties those of butler, to bring up some champagne and tossed it off, while ho hospitably pressed it upon me, with a freedom which surprised me. It was this, 1 imagined, which led him to talk, in a bragging and boastful tone not habitual to him, of the wealth which bad rewarded the labor of his earlier years, and of sundry past achievements of industry and applica? tion of which he had never before made men? tion. The more he drank the faster he talked, and I was not surprised when bis self laudation took another and moro of? fensive form, and he'beganto enlarge upon his own strength - of rmind and pmpose as opposed to the weakness and mental deficiency of those with whom he came in contant. it would have been the easiest thing in tho world to pick a quarrel with him, but I was sincerely grateful to him for one thing, and for another J was satisfied ho. had taken moro than was good for bim I was not sorry, however, -when .as dd o'clock struck-the solitary game of cribbage, for which th* long monologue to which he had treated .mo had left time, coming to an end simultane? ously-he suggested that I should retire early and make a long night of it. "You look as if you had not slept for a week," he added romplimentarily, "and my pipe is good enough company for me-better than most. You'll find everything ready for you upstairs." I heard and obeyed, and that night I sleut like a top, so soundly, indeed, that when the old servant came to cali me in the morning I was only awakened to the faet .of his presence by an agitated appeal to me to arouse myself. The scared expression of the man's face, and thc concern and trepidation to which it bore evidence, effectually re? called ray scattered senses, and I sprang up in lied eagerly demanding what was* amiss. '.Themaster," he gasped out; "what has come to tho master? He is not in his room h-i has not slept in it. Ho is nowhere in tho house-nowhere about the place. What can have come to him?" HiS'Wife.was close athis heels, echoing tho inquiry with a look in her -lace not less anxious and perturbed than his own, but in which there mingled a strange suspicious? ness, whick* even in tho shock of the an? nouncement which 'had just been made to mo I could not but mark and resent. "H<w in heaven's name should I know?'5 I de? manded angrily. "How long is it since you missed him, and where have you looked for him? He was having a pipe "in tho dining room when I came up last night. You must liavo seen him later than that. He went round with 3-ou last thing, J suppose, as he did tho night before-as I understand him he .always didi'1 "Not-always. If he gets any sleep in the day*' me worth speaking of, he won't go up at bis usual time. He'll go round by himself then later on, but I do my duty by the house and by him just the same. I did it last night. I saw to the doors and shutters ?s usual, and I put up thc chain and bolted and barred the hall. door-I could not have slept in my bed oise-and this morning I found the cham down and the bolts drawn. Lisa here would have had me go straight to the police to set them to find him, but I thought there might have been something in his talk last night might put us on the track. I've been with him these forty years and I've never s?en him as I saw him last night. He is not used to strangers, and ho is too old to chango bis ways. He was wandering about yester? day, and talking to himself-Lisa hoard him, and if any harm hu6 come to him its the worry and excitement will have done it," the old man wound up viciously. " 'Beioro I went to the police, I would send fco your master's other house," I said quietly. There had come back upon my mind as I listened to him very vividly the half veiled taunts and jeers to which I had been subjected the night before, and, with tho recollection of them, there llashed upon it the possibility that, wrathful and disappointed at my fail? ure, he had resolved to" face the mystery, whatever it might be, himself. I was not prepared, however, for the effect cf tho sug? gestion upon "the. old couple. They stood, as it were,.transfixed, exchanging a look full of terror and apprehension. ..The other house!" they murmured. "Gone to the other bouse!" The woman was tho first to-recover herself. "I don't believe you, master! You're trying to frighten us. sBor?t lis?ente him, Jan." He knows better than that If ynheer Andrew has gone there, and so do we." "It is there 1 shall go to look for biro, at any rate," I replied. "As to you, you can please yourselves, so long as you leave- mc to .turn out and get into my . clot bes." I made no long business of my toilet, being, as may bc supposed, anything but easy or happy in my mind. .Bather to my surprise, af? ter the tone she.bad adopted to me upstairs, I found Lisa waiting below to insist upou my swallowing some I100 coffee before I left the house, and to tell mc that Jan had preceded me to the Cedars. "I was hasty just now," sho said, "and I ask your pardon, but I would sooner have found the master dead in his bed than that he should be where you say he is. .Better dead in his right mind-a thousand times better-than alive with us here, out of ir; and out of it he will ha' been before ever he went to the old house. You ,dont know there's nobody knows but us three-there are those that have seen, but they don't under? stand. 1 tell you I would sooner I never saw hi?n again-though God knows bow it would bo willi us without bim-than that he should Le found so." lt was with thiscomforting assurance that I set forth. There was no time fer thought; ' what was required of me was action, and I did not let the grass grow under my feet. I met tho old Dutchman just outside the gate at tho Cedars: Nothing had been seen or heard of Mr. Van Deckermann there. He Lad boen satisfied it wauld.bo so, but as for mc "I am not satisfied yet," I said. "I shall not bc satisfied uutil I have been over the house. You con come back with me or not, as you like." Ec did come back with me, though, that he thought mc headstrong, if not more, and that his opinion was shared by the Minchins, was evident enough. "What strange intuition possessed me 1 do not know, but wlaat had been at first no more thau au idea had grown into a conviction. I felt sure I should find my host in 1 iio room 1 had myself occupied the previous night In vain did they try to persuade me that even had Mr. Van Decker n-umi been insane enough to let.himself into tue house at midnight in midwinter, his en? try could not have been made without arous? ing them I was bent upou taking my own way, aud they had nc alternative but to fol? low me. At the door of thc room I paused and .list? ened. 1 could hear nothing, and I was about to open it-when, as >i laid my hand upon it, I was arrested by the sound of it low, pro? longed laugh proceeding from within. It was succeeded by a sharp cry behind me. and an exclamation in his native tongue, full of piteousness and horror, from Jan. If ho could, the poor old fellow would have held mc back, but I had not persisted so far to shrink from what lay before mc at last, ,and I turned the handle without more .adc.-and went hi. Thc arrangement of thc furniture had been undisturbed sinceony brief occupation of tho room-with one exception:: the oki arm chair lay literally upon .its back, its dingy damask covering hanging about it in rags and tat? ters, while at a little distance from it. seated 0:1 the ground, smooth in g out some crumpled pieces or papbi^aud chattering and chuckling to himself as he did so. in ?a manner that made my blood creep as I listened to lum, was the object of my-search. He looked up ns we went in, but he did not cxsise from his ewhpation. and for some sec?n?Ls tho silence was "unbroken, save by himself. My com? panions stood h addled together at ?he:door, too much appalled tu Epcak. and I was myself in little totter case. I iv way of attracting his attention I drew th? curtain from across th ; further window and let tb?; light full :n upon him. He blinked and shifted Iiis scat somewhat, ns if to escarp it. but he took no further iiotfee. "Mr. Van Deckermann," I said. "Don't you know it is past LT,-akfast time and you are keeping nie waiting?'1 But. iii?" words conveyed n<? .meaning to him. no move meaning to hmi;thnii bis own wordless, incoherent jabbering ?!??I to us. "It is nop'od, master." .Tan saidin u broken voice. "Idell have nothing more to say to err* one in tlus-worKL He bas cement tho truth n:i?-i\tili r.hcvo ;.v:u>. and be has w>t his death blow with it. Where did lie find them, thia:: you.'" fie I .-ni ?Iropjvd on Ms knees by the sHo of his master, and he now held imior nry in spection irani! I now perceived to be bank r.ote. Van Deekermami si ill engaged in his monotonous ocetiivifioii of smoothing out and fondling its feliows, took no notice of tho action. The hoto was yellow with age, and i? v^-hi t kiri iv. as the str?nge experiences of tlie night 1 Lad myself spent in the room re? curred to my mind.. I turned my attention upon the chair which had met with such un? gentle usage. It was even more mutilated than it ap? peared at llrst sight: thc double webbing, of which tho seat w as composed, having been partly backed with a pen knife, partly toni apart, nor had th* rifling of this strange re? pository been so complete as to leave any doubt as to the purpose to which it had been turned. As I turned away from it, sickened at a discovery which showed me only too plainly, the connection between my own narrative to Theamhappy hoing before mo and the fate ? : 3 He had dropped on his knees by Ihe side of his master. which had overtaken kim, the woman Min? chin broke into tears and lamentations. "If ? had only left it where it was! If I had let things take their chance! If I had only.seen the end of it!'* It was not without considerable difficulty ve got.my poor friend home, and the verdict pronounced upon him hythe medical men, whom we lost no- time in calling in, was not more favorable than I anticipated. His reason had sustained what they had little doubt would prove to be a fatal shock, and the.sudden violent derangement of the ner? vous system threatened his life. The genuine pity and distress of the old servants spoke well for them and for their master, and whil? he lay, as he did lie, for many days between lifo and death, there sprang.up between th?m md myself a certain mutual.respect and con? fidence. It was from Lisa I beard os much as there wasto tell in the way of explanation of what I had myself .seen, and .of .the ?catastrophe which had befallen Van Deekermann. According to her, he had been confronted, as I had been tho previous night, by the ap? parition of his father, and bad arrived thus at last in his own proper person at the secret, the elucidation of which had been.for years the object nearest to his heart. It appealed that in telling us-my wifo and myself-the story.of his carly life, he had stopped short at what was at once the saddest and tho most striking part of it. It wasnot so much in the bare fact of his cousin's death, but in thc terrible circumstances accompany? ing it, there had lain the overpowering' anguish of which wo had been per? mitted a glimpse. Old Van Deckermann, growing more and . moro miserly and suspici? ous of all around him as the years went on, had at? last, after emptying "the house of every servant it contained by a succession of similar charges, accused his niece of the theft of a large sum of money, and had posi? tively gone thedengtb, in what would appear to havt? been an access of insanity, of giving; her into custody. The evidence was insuf? ficient, but the disappearance of the money was proved beyond a doubt, and the fact that she had only the day before her arrest posted a letter to"Andrew* Van Deekermann at tho Gape seemed to give a certain coloring .to the theory advanced by his father that the robbery "had been committed .on his be? half. Had the truth as to tho young mans position been known, it must have been seen at once how .untenable was the argument, but his cousin in her strangely .isolated life had made no confidences, and the poor thing had not tho strength of mind to Avait for that redress of wrong which time must inevitably have brought her. Whether open or ciosed to.herj within her uncles doors it was iin possibio that she should euter again, and she found a refuge from her unmerited shame and sorrow where so many had found it be? fore her, and have found it since-in tho river! The old man never recovered the shock of her death, though he persisted to the end in his belief in her guilt, and he died miserably only two days before his sons return. For a long timo past he had become strange in his ways, and had turned night into uay. wan? dering about the house at all hours, so that it was scarcely surprising that, left to itself as it was after his death, the pince should have come by the uncanny repucution of which its master had spoken. Of one thing 1 was left .in no doubt, al? though I never had it irom.his.own Jins, and tu?t was tho superstitious horror with which its owner himself regarded tho house: but that horror was doiainated, as the event proved, by a still stronger influence; That his lather's uneasy spirit haunted the scone of his cruelty and mjuscice he was fully per suadei, and lie had confided to Lisa'mor? than once Iiis further. conviction that by some means yet-:natural or supernatural- , jtho charge brought.agamst the j>?or creature who had fallen a victim to' it would be cleared up. Ke had employed nie asius tool. . and, hopole*s.of my.following up the clew I had found, nacl-worked himself up to tho rc- ? mureil pitch and gone, heaven only knows in what state of mual, to surely as strange au encounter as ever mau contemplated. What ho saw can only be matter of sur? mise: he lived fora year or more, all his faculties restored to* him, but minus any memory, ana quire tractahie .and gentle. My own belief i.->ti:at the missing hore?, the hiding place of which 1 have n?> moral doubt was discovered to kim that night, must haye been secreted there by Uie cjuer Van Deeker? mann himself, under the influence of som? nambulism, thuugh that he was a somnam? bulist I have no evidence to show. Ail I know is that the face I saw was the face of one. At Mr. Van Dcckermmui's deatn it was found that by-a will, made some months IJO fore his fatal visit .tojit...he .had bequeathed the Cedars, with other more.rlcsiralue prop? erty, to me. To the test of my i-eiief. its supernatural history had come loaa chd with the catastrophe of which this is the nvord, but tho terms on which it was loft tonie wero happdy unconditional-, and a terrace of small . houses, ?'?ven up to the tr.o^p jirvsaic associa? tion, occur.ies tho site of it. For the best Cigars, Chewing and Smoking Tobacco, call upon us and be convinced. E. C. G?;ssy & Sos. THAT JACKING COUGH can be so quickly cured by Shiloh's Cure. We guarantee it. WILL YOU SUFFER with Dyspepsia and Liver Complaint ? Shiloh's Y?ta?zer is guaran? teed to cure you. For sale by Dr Chiaa. SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, made miserable by that terribie cough. Shiloh's ?'i?-e is the reme dy for y?."u. To bi bad arJ?r. China's. CATARRH CUKED. heat th and sweet breath secured, by Shiloh's Catarrh Beraedy. Price 5U cents. Nasal Injector iree, il Dr. China's For lanie back, shie or chest, use Shiloh's Porous Plaster. Price 25 cents, ut Dr. China's. SHILOH'S COUGH and Consumption Cure is sold by us on a guaran ree. It cures Con? sumption. For sale by A. J. Chin?, Druggist. SHILOH'S VITALIZED is what you nee<i for Constipation. Loss of Appetite, Dizziness and all symptoms of Dyspepsia. Price 1? and 75 cents per bottle, :it'"?t. China's. CKOUP, WHOOPING COUGH and Bron chitis immediately relieved by Shiloh's Cure. For sale at Er. China's Drusr ?toro. Xheir Business ?ooiu?ug. Probably no one thing bas caused such a general revival of trude at Dr. DeLorme's L'rug Store as ?he giving away to oustoltiers of s<> many trt^ trial bottles of Dr. :?"icg'.s New Dis? covery f<>r Consumption. His trade is simply onora-ous in this vwy valuable article frum the fact thee it alway.? cures nnd never disappoints. Coughs. Colds, Asthma. Bronchitis, Croup, and all thro;i: :ir.d lung diseases quickly cured. You can test it before buying by geting a trial bottle free. Large size $1. Every bottle war? ranted. 3 HFFP ^EA *vOM)E"iS exist in thousands Ut LT 0f forms, but are surpassed by the marvels of invention. Those who are in need of profitable work that can be done while liv? ing at home should at once send their address to Hallett k Co., Portland, Maine, and re? ceive free, full information how either sex, of al! ages, can earn from $5 to $25 per day and upwards wherever they live. You arestarted f:ce. Capital not required. Some have made over $50 in a single day at this work. All succeed. D'OUI V ivEWAkUb'L? are those wno read nlvIlL! Ung and then act: they will fiad honorable employment that will.not take them from their homes anti famines. The profits are large and sure for every industrious per? son ; many have made and are now making several bu adzed dollars a month. It is easy for any one to make $5and upwards per day, who is willing to work. Either sex, young or old ; capital not needed ; we start you. Everything new. No special ability required ; you, reader, can do it as well as any one. Write to us at once for full particulars, which we mail free. Address Stinsoo & Co., Port? land, Maine. _ WAVERLYHO?SE, IN THE BEND OF KIXG STREET, CHARLESTON, S. 0. Sates, $2 and $2.50 per day. <J. T. ALFORD, May 5-0 PBOPRIETQB. j -ONE OF THE Largest Assortmen? -OF PLA1ST AND FANCY CKACKERS EVER SHOWN IN THIS CITY. These goods are from a celebrated cracker house and they are guar anteec to please the most fastidious. We have just received a large LOT OF THE CELEBRATED HINZ PICKLES AND SAUCES. Pickles in Plain, Mixed, Chow Chow and Sweet. CANNED GOODS in the -greatest variety. OCR GROCERY WK is one of the.?nest and 'best assorted in the city. We handle nothing but-tbe best brands, and all goods guaranteed as rep? resented or money ^refunded. Green Coffee from 14 to 222 c. Boasted " <; 25 to So c. Our Hams and Breakfast Strips are the choicest on the market. Try Our 25c- Butter, It is guaranteed. The finesirFiour shown 25 lbs, for 90 cents. Choice Tea 50 cents. Best Tea 65 cents. All goods delivered free to any part of the city. Give us a trial. We guarantee to please you and you can rest assured that you are buying the best goods for the least money. Main Street, next to C. E. Stubbs. "May 9 CONSTANTLY ON HAND A Full Supply of Ihe Celebrated "TQLTE0 010A 31 il. Warranted full Havana filler. The best 5 cent Cigar in America. EI.XG.UAN .& CO , Sole Agents for Suinter, S. C. Feb 29 ?_ FOR SALE. J^OW PRICES AND EASY TERMS. ? Dwellings and Lots on Church Street. 1 Dwelling and Lot on Hainsworth Street. 1 Dwelling and Lot on Corner .Magnolia and Mill S ts. Apply.to H. HARBY, March 27, 1S8S. Sumter, S. C. Bj CURES WHE8E ALL ELSEF TLS. Bf M Best Congi Syrup. Tastesgood. Use rS Ea intime. Sold.bydruggists. zSfiL I believe Piso's Cure for Consumption saved my life.-A; H. DOWELL, Editor Enquirer, Eden ton, N. C., April 23, 1887. PISO The BEST Cough Medi? cine is Piso's CURE FOR CONSUMPTION. Children take it without objection. By all druggists. 25c. Sj CURES WHERE ALL ELSE FAILS. fiJ BH Best Cough Syrup. Tastes good. Cse fjj EH in. .time. Sold by druggists. gf RUBBEE STAMFS NAME STAMPS -FOR MARKING CLOTHING with injellible inj?, cr for printing visiting card?, .md STAMPS OF ANY KIND for stamping BUSINESS CARDS, ENVEL? OPES or anvthicg ??se. Specimens of various styles on hxr.t?. which will be shown with, pleas? ure. The LOWEST PRICES possible, ami orders filled promptly. Call on C. P. ?STREN, At the Watchman and S ?J 4 th ron Ofcce Sumter, S. C ry"?^ if ?\ s?nd !?? L*C?Ti?rYEnS?"? ^y-?rf^ CSU?DEi ?ccuinias c^lorod plat j, c a^?^?*? r.rii*cs they are worth, and wbero to jw If&fff?^ tjuy thc-A Krecifcas for X?c?nfoff I % l&fjra? i)oyiandBroedinsV<*rrc:?i. Milled? i^J?S^fe fer ??3 t'ents. A]so.t'i:?9.oi ??O?fH j ^ Ivurnisaia? Good*-of all kinda, jg ? JSen send for Fmct&cl i\0T"?^ &??A t? ETI?YB?XJ?V. ????rn?rc:^ !*f.?. Y^^?rl J tifal colored plr^to; cKjsriiTiass S of nearly all kinds oi fowls; doser..*- Q fi tiens of tho br-.-ods; how to canot.if.e; ? >"?? h k plcns for poolcry tooses: information ?S^^?n B > sbo-tincubators, and ?. herj? to.?>:;y hs' - ?Ss ft ? Ek?s iVosu be*-t t-t?nii. v t Srii??&ahjggl S S If ?-.o. yon r.ccd the EOOM OF CAGE p ! a ;.?!). ik.j>. ICO pa?re>?. ?-i? i?ias-?? 1 F.tsCvttra.tii?!!.-'. I?*aati:"::: ct::nr< ;! plate, fi i fe-. ' - T*'s.trs?"?^31tti>'ibr:vii:p,*;<>? .'.?ILind^OnRO u ' P-^i?^ L^"'"' I,,r pi?>i??!?^ ?nd '. i?:tsas&s ft I ? 5*'?S? sr,d fcb<?reura. ?JCo?v t:> bi?hl B->dsiook i* Ln Avi.nry. AU ab<'i:t ?'arro-u?. lYic^ O? j 1 *???>.R?1 fcinGa bir?s; c?'?es. ii?. Malted ios ? S ?jf^*i:j Lents. The Throe Books, i',? Ct?. ? I jf ASSOC?ATS3 FAP?C?tRS, * j, MTHE WHELESS STAMP -PRESS CO.-, 748 REYNOLD STREET, AUGUSTA, GA, Agents Wanted! Catalogue FKEE! RUBB?R STAMPS, SEALS, BADGES, CHECKS, STENCILS, STEEL STAMPS, &c. Sole Manufacturers of TheWhelessSelf-InktngRubber. Stamp; Rinting Press;: i :t W. L. DOUGLAS fa>J OX-LwXL/?- GENTLKMKN. Tbe only fine enif S3 Seamless Shoe in the world" made without lacks or nails. As stylish and durable as those costing $5 or $6, and having no tacks or nails to wear the stocking or hurt the feet..makes tbem as comfortable and well-fitting as a hand sewed shoe. Boy the best. None geonice unless stamped os bottom :'.W.L.-Douglas $3 Shoe, warranted."' W L. DOUGLAS S4 SHOE, tbe original and only hand sewed welt $4 shoe, which equals custom-made shoes costing from $6 td ^9 W W. L. DOUGLAS, $2.50 SHOE is unex? celled for beavy wear. W. L, DOUGLAS $2 SHOE is orn by all Boys, and is the best school shoe in he world? All the above goods are made in iUongreat,. Button and Lace, aud if not sold bj jour dealer, write W. L. DOUGLAS, dMcktoa, Mass. J. Battenberg & Sens, Aents, Jan. 25 SUMTER. S. O, THAT-FIGHT The Origina? Wins. C. W? Simmons, St. Louis, Prop?r M. A. Simmons Liver Medicine,Esr*d 1S40, ia the U. S. Court DEFEATS L. H. ZeilSS, Prop'r A. Q. Simmons Lir er Relator, Est>d bj.ZeiliniS6& M. A. S. L. li. has for 47 years cured INDIGESTION, BILIOUSNESS, . I>YS??PSIA,SlCK HEADACHE,LOST Sk APPETITE, SOUR STOMACH, ETC A Rev. T. B. Reams, Pastor M. E. . * Church, Adams. Tenn., writes: "1 \think I should have been dead bot for your Genuine AL A. Sim? mons Liver Medicine, -I have i < sometimes had to substrate J ' l,"Ze*lin,s stuff" for jour MedL f?tJRTsi cine? bvt lt doa't answer the ' -purpose." Dr. J. R. Graves, Editor Th* ^Bapiist, Memphis, Tenn, says* I received a package of your Liver. Medicine, and have used half of it. It works like a charm. I want no better Liver Regulator and cer? tainly no mere ox Zetlin's rarster? HB MELI WORKS, ESTABLISHED IN 1869. -BY W. P. SMITH, WHO IS STILL PREPARED WITH Improved Facilities, TO FURNISH MONUMENTS, HEADSTONES, -AND ?ll gfafls of Csznetsry Watt, ID First Class Workmanship , v Dec. 21. IHYGEIA." A Wonderful Discovery. Tciacco an Aid to Health! A NSW TOBACCO, manufactored hf J\ Taos. C. Williams & Co., Richmond, Va.,-under a formula prepared by Prof. ?L Mallett, of the University of Virginia. * Anti-Malarial, Anti-Dyspeptic, agoodNer-v vine, and an excellent Chew. TEY IT!. NO HUMBUGS For particulars of its virtues call for cer?. tiScates at the following places, where tbe Tobacco can be had : R. P. Monaghan, Sumter, S. C. - D. J. Winn, " " E. P. Ricker & Co., " " Ducker & Bultman, 11 W. H. Yates, " " E. C. Green & Son, " " Kingman & Co., " ** T. M. Monaghan, fC 4< J. II. Aycock & Son, Wedgefield, S. C. Feb 22. EIS CASH BUYERS CAN SAVE -MONEY BT CALLING UPON US. Have Full Line Groceries, Dry Goods, Shoes and General Merchandise. Also 5 Cent Counter Goods of Every Kind. E. C. GRIM ISON, M ch. 28 SUMTER, S, C. THE SOUTH CAROLINA PENITENTIARY BOOT AND SHOE FACTORY, Make every description of a Boot and Shoe that is made aud of solid leather. We make no shoddy goods, and if yon want something that will give you service, onr goods will fill the bill ; we warrant them tc gi re satisfaction, but one thing we want to be plainly under? stood, as sometimes our customers expect too much; the goods are net fireproof. We bare not as yet discovered the means of -making them regular Salamanders. If we ever sac ct ed in that will inform yon of it and also wish to state that while they are good and: serviceable, there ts a limit to the wear of good leather. Don't give it away, but they will actually wear out, and you must not ex* peet to never have to buy another pair of shoes. Don't when your shoes getzet?, pot t:-iem near the fire. You will certainly have them scorched if you do. Mens', Womena% Misses' and Childrens' Shoes, nailed, machine* sewed and hand-stitched of fine and coarse leather. If you have never worn them, try a pair, good honest, substantial shoes; yott will find them on sale at E. C. GREEN 4 SON, Sumter, S. C. Parties desiring to, can br.ve their measure? taken and Shoes made to order. April 25 FOR SALE. \DESIRABLE SUBURBAN RESIDENCE AND FARM, within one-quarter of a mile of the City of Sumter. Comprises 6-5 acres, with good fruit orchard, and stock of Hogs. Cows, &c, will be included if desirecL The residence has six rooms, with kitchen and pantry, and the premises are all in good con* dition, and supplied with, barn stable car? riage house, &c. For further informatioa apply at the Watchman and SoulhronOJfies. WATCHMAN ffl SOUTHRON -AND The "Great Farm, Industriel an4r?f?$mr?jii qf the S?rth,. ?"