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that she owed her preservation to Jesse. This in- you will not despair. Be sure of one thing, that flamed their mutual love, and encouraged the young you have my heart, and that no one else shall ever man to make a second attempt to obtain the father's have my hand." consent to their marriage.

They sat and talked for half an hour, both being It was the season of hay-making; and all hands in the deepest distress. Then looking towards the were busy in the meadow on Tuesday, when Jesse, meadow, they saw Mr. Steinbach coming to learn seeing the old man coming alone from the house, the result of Legislator Blarney's courtship. This about 11 o'clock, met him at a distance, and mod-worthy had gotten such a decided rebuff, that he estly renewed his application. But two circum-gave up his suit at once, and resolved to try his luck stances made the application most unseasonable. elsewhere among his twenty sweet-hearts. When The one was, that lawyer-or rather now, Legis- Jesse saw the old man approaching the house, he haslator-Blarney had arrived an hour before to make tened up stairs to pack up his things for a move to his proposal of marriage to Elizabeth; and after some other quarters. He was at no loss for employ. an hour's conversation with him, Mr. Steinbach ment. So great was his reputation for industry, skill had left the house to give him a clear field for urg- and honesty, notwithstanding the bad name of his kining his suit. The other circumstance was, that dred, that two or three rich farmers had offered bim Blarney had just told him of sundry lawless doings liberal wages, if he would enter their service. He of the Ballentynes; for which several of the family determined now to go to Mr. Staufer, four miles were liable to confinement in the Penitentiary. off, who had applied to him a few days before to Among other crimes, they had been detected in take the management of one of his farms. He stealing horses; for which old Tom and young shunned the sight of Mr. Steinbach, who soon reDick had been committed to jail, and the Sheriff turned from the meadow in quite an ill humor with was in pursuit of two others. One of the daughters too had deserted her husband and eloped with a married man.

his daughter, on learning how she had sent off Legislator Blarney with an empty basket. Half an hour afterwards, just as the hay-makers were com ing to dinner, Jesse embraced his beloved, and trudged away with a bundle of clothes under his arm. The rest of his worldly goods he had packed

These things had embittered Mr. Steinbach's feelings against this wretched family, so that when he heard Jesse's application, he flew into a passion, reproached him for the crimes of his kindred, called up in his chest, intending to send for them when him a presumptuous beggar, and ordered him to he should have found a new home. leave his house that day, and never to set foot in it again.

Jesse was astounded and mortified and insulted by this bitter and unfeeling reply. Never before had his friend and patron used such language to him. He staggered towards the house, stopping several times by the way, to recover himself and think on the scene which had just occurred, and his banishment from his hitherto pleasant home and his ever dear Elizabeth. As he entered the back duor of the house, he saw Blarney leaving the front door to mount his horse at the gate. Elizabeth was sitting in the room, her face flushed with indignation; and when she saw Jesse, exclaimed,

CHAPTER III.

ABSENCE AND RECONCILIATION.

In order to wean his daughter from her attachment to Jesse, Mr. Steinbach soon sent her away on a long visit to her relations in Pennsylvania. Her brother George, who conducted her on the journey, returned in about a month, having left bis sister to recover from the pangs of love in a strange land and among a people hitherto unknown to her.

Meanwhile Jesse had engaged himself as stew"What do you think, Jesse; that vile Blarney ard to Mr. Staufer, and applied himself diligently has had the impudence to make me an offer of to his business, until the approach of Christmas marriage, and to tell me that father is anxious for gave him leisure to amuse himself. He then me to marry him. But, Jesse, what is the matter mounted a horse, with saddle-bags and all the ba with you, that you look so miserable: has father biliments of a traveller, and disappeared from the refused you again?"

"Not only so, dear Elizabeth; he has insulted me and ordered me away from the honse. It appears that my wretched kindred have been doing worse than ever, and I have to bear their iniquity."

When Lizzy heard these things she burst into tears, and said,

"Dear Jesse, though all the world should forsake you, I will not. If you must leave us, I hope that you will not go far away; and above all, that

neighborhood. His course was eastward, but no one knew whither he went; nor, when he returned a month afterwards, did any learn where he had been. A month after his return Elizabeth returned home with two of her Pennsylvania cousins; but there was no evidence that Jesse had seen her in Pennsylvania.

Before this-we may add, long before this-M: Steinbach's anger against Jesse had subsided and his old esteem for him returned in full force. He also missed his valuable services, and was particu

larly desirous to commit his farms to his able man-mas holidays in Shenandoah, and on the very New agement, his own health being indifferent, and Year's Eve on which Elizabeth disappeared, he George being an unskillful manager. He therefore had attended her on horseback from her father's to offered Jesse a most liberal salary, if he would re- Major Hollman's; and had, it was believed, renewturn to his house and superintend his business. He ed his suit to her, and got another indignant refusal presumed that long absence had cooled the passion on the way-so at least the company thought from which Lizzy and Jesse had 'entertained for each what they observed during the evening. They other; and all uneasiness on this score vanished, when could perceive evident signs of contemptuous averJesse and Lizzy both declared to him, on his ask- sion on her part, and ill-concealed mortification on ing them about it, that they would take no farther his. He was believed to be capable of revenging steps towards getting married, and would give him himself on her in any way that he might deem no future trouble on the subject. Lizzy made only this condition, to which the old man assented, that he should never ask her to marry any man, but let her take her own time to choose a husband for herself.

prudent, and would have been strongly suspected of having somehow or other made way with her, if it had not been known that she had arrived safely at home; and that he had gone to his lodging and had before day taken the stage on his return to Richmond.

CHAPTER IV.

THE HOUSE AND ITS APPURTENANCES.

Thus was Jesse not only reinstated but promoted, to his own great satisfaction, as well as to that of all the family; and every thing went on smoothly and successfully, until the next New Year's Eve, when Lizzy so mysteriously disappeared. No premonitory symptoms of this event occurred to alarm For the better elucidation of our story, we must he family; no tokens of love or resentment; no now describe Mr. Steinbach's house. The buildndications of conspiracy or plot; no secret meeting was of stone, two stories high above the basengs were detected; no unusual visitors came to ment or cellar. The main building was oblong; a he house; no change of behavior in any of the passage ran through the middle from front to rear, he family, nor signs of mental agitation; except on the left were two rooms in the lower story, first hat Elizabeth had for a month or two complained the old people's bed-chamber; second, the spin-room nore frequently of being unwell, and occasionally for the women. Above these rooms were two othseemed to be rather more moody and melancholy ers of the same size, used as bed-chambers for the han she had wont to be. But all these things re- unmarried females. A small private staircase led olved themselves into the single fact, that her from the spin-room into them. In the passage was health was not as good as usual. Of course she the main staircase, beginning near the door of the would therefore be more thoughtful and sad. She spin-room. ad always been given to occasional fits of dreamy abstraction and despondency; so the family felt ittle concern at this not alarming aggravation of er usual symptoms.

As to the relations of Lizzy and Jesse, there was othing to excite attention; they seemed to be very good friends, as they had always been; but no sign ppeared of passionate attachment or of particular timacy.

As to Legistator Blarney, he had in the spring een elected the second time by an increased mafity; for his popularity increased as he became ore practiced in the craft of demagogy. But he was less suucessful with the girls than with the overeign voters of the county. He offered his Erty hand-morally dirty it was-to two other eiresses of influential families, within two months fter Elizabeth had so bluntly discarded him--but vain; female eyes saw nothing attractive in his erson, and female perspicacity detected the unrincipled impostor and shallow coxcomb, under he brazen impudence that concealed them from many of the other sex.

On the opposite side of the passage was the large family store-room, and a small store-room next the kitchen. The kitchen projected from the end of the main building like a wing, and communicated with the family room and store-room. In the second story at this end were two bed-rooms in the main building, and one over the kitchen for the hired men. At this time slaves were almost unknown in Shenandoah. Therefore the kitchen was clean, and often used as an eating-room. Under the roof was a rude garret extending the whole length of the house, and used only for stowing away lumber. Over the kitchen rooms was a smaller garret of the same kind, which could be entered only by a ladder through a trap-door, and this ladder was not kept in the house, but had to be brought from an outhouse when wanted.

The cellar or basement of the main house was divided like the stories above. The passage through the middle might be entered from the passage above by means of a stair-way under the main stairs, or by an out-side door on the lower side of the house next to the river, where by the slope of the ground Of late he had renewed his visits to Mr. Stein- the basement wall was all above ground. ach's, and his particular attentions to Elizabeth. Under the kitchen was a fine spring gushing out He had come up from Richmond to spend the Christ- of the limestone rocks, with a shallow pool for

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CHAPTER V.

keeping milk and butter. Under the family room | the cliff and contended with the limestone rocks. was the main cellar, where potatoes and other Here was the best place on the farm for catching things were stored in the winter. Under the two fish with hook and line. chambers at the other end of the house were two rooms of the same size, which had been little used for some years. The one next the river had been intended for a wash room; but was disapproved upon trial, and a wash-house had been built outside by the spring branch. The other apartment | under the spin-room and next the front of the house, being deeper under the ground, was fit for a cellar, but was little used.

When Jesse Ballentyne was made steward, he wanted a room for himself, and got Mr. Steinbach's consent to occupy the old wash-room in the basement. He took up the old floor and laid a new one with his own ingenious hands. To keep the floor sound and dry, he dug the ground deeper, and thus made an empty space between the sleepers and the ground. Having thus made himself a comfortable room, he put into it his bed, his table and his chest. He also built a closet of boards in one corner for keeping his smaller tools, his books, and a dozen other things.

Such were the arrangements of the house. You may judge, good reader, whether such a house was adapted to hide a person so effectually, that the closest search could not detect a trace of the lost

one.

The out-houses were of the common sort, and afforded no extraordinary means of concealinent. We need not describe them particularly; but it is proper to notice the principal features of the grounds near the house.

RUMORS AND APPARITIONS.

When all possible means had been used during two days, both by the family and the neighbors, to discover what had become of Elizabeth-and not a single sign or circumstance had appeared, that could justify even a conjecture on the subjectthey all gave up in despair for the present, confessing that Divine Providence only could solve the mystery.

Not only did this strange event fly on the wings of rumor through all the country around, but it excited the highest curiosity and deepest perplexity, and various degrees of sympathy and sorrow, among the neighbors. It was for days and weeks the daily and nightly subject of remark and inquiry and conjecture. All that pretended to any skill or sagacity in human affairs, studied the subject and framed a theory; and the discussion of these twenty theories engrossed the conversation of many: whilst those who had brooding imaginations and superstitious fancies, saw visions and dreamed dreams about the lost Elizabeth. It was chiefly the wives and grandmothers who saw the visionsand the young men and maidens who dreamed the dreams. But this rule, though general, had its exceptions. A young fellow, named Abraham Fickler, was riding by a grave-yard in the dusk of the evening, and seeing a white calf browsing among some bushes, conceived it to be a ghost and of course Lizzy's ghost-a sure sign to him and others that she was dead, and had been murdered, but whether by her old sweetheart, Jesse Ballentyne, or her rejected lover, Blarney, was uncertain.

We have already remarked that the house had the high-road in front-about fifty yards distant and the river-a branch of the Shenandoah-at the distance of fifty yards in the rear. The river after flowing past the house, struck against a rocky hill which crossed the line of its course, and was thereby turned off by a sudden curve in a direction On the 4th of January, Mrs. Straus called upon away from the house. It had worn the limestone her neighbor, Mrs. Clark, to tell and to hear things rocks of the hill into a cliff, eighty or a hundred feet high, and in full view to a person standing in the back door of the house. The end of the house occupied by Jesse Ballentyne was near the foot of this hill, the ravine of the spring at the other end, opened a convenient way of access to the river, where it was shallow and easily forded—about fifty yards above the nearest part of the high cliff. The hill of the cliff was crowned with a wood; and the fields of the farm lay all around on both sides of the river. With the exception of this hill, the land was either gently undulating, or flat where the river had formed alluvial bottoms.

We have nothing farther to say in the way of local description, but to remark that the river, generally so shallow in dry weather, that a lamb could ford it, had worked out a hole fifty yards long and six or eight feet deep, where it struck the base of

on the all-engrossing topic. The snow that had fallen between the old year and the new, still lay on the ground and a sharp North-Wester was blowing frostily. Mrs. Straus was scarcely within Mrs. Clark's room, before a huge fire in a huge fireplace, than she opened her mouth and said,

"Law me, how colt it is tis morning, Mrs. Clark, aint it now?"

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Yes, that it is," said Mrs. Clark; "come sit down by the fire."

While Mrs. Straus was spreading out her hands before the comfortable fire, and preparing to open the subject of her visit, Mrs. Clark anticipated her by asking,

“Have you hearn any thing about Lizzy Stoneback, Mrs. Straus ?"

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Wy, yes, I was chist coin to tell you apout it: Straus saw her last night.”

"You dont say so!" exclaimed Mrs. Clark, "do | letter was found in the post-office, five miles from tell me all about it." Mr. Steinbach's-not brought there by mail, but "Wy, he was coming home from Barner's still-dropped into the letter-box by some person unhouse, wit a chuk of whiskey, a little before bet known--addressed to Mr. Steinbach. On being

time, and chist as he cot to te place were te roat takes off to Hansberger's mill, he seet Lizzy, as plain as any ting, stanin in te forks of te roat, lookin straight at him and she axt him wich was te way to Machor Hollman's. He was so sceart he could'nt speak, an he tinks he fainted away, for he could'nt see any ting for a minute, an wen he cot his eye sight akin, she was cone. Pore kal, she is murtered, I reckon, and her sperret is walkin apout in te night."

opened it was found to be anonymous, and written in a hand which none of the family recognized. It was in these words:

DEAR SIR,--I write for the purpose of comforting you and your family concerning your lost daughter. Be assured that she is safe, and will be re

stored to you in due time. Meanwhile she will be kindly treated; her honor, her safety and her comfort will be guarded with sedulous care. The cause and manner of her temporary absence, and her prethe time comes for an explanation. Thus much sent situation, must remain a secret from you until

"Well," said Mrs. Clark, "that's strange, what you tell me. And dont you think that my Betsy here had a dream about her last night. She saw her in her sleep, looking as pale as a corpse, stand-only can I now reveal to you ;--it is not an enemy

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Rest satisfied with the assurance now given, until that hath done this--nor was it done by violence.

you

hear more.

Your friend,

A. Z.

ing by her bedside; and she heard her sithe, and say in a complainin way, like, that she was dead, and that she died for true love. So, I reckon, she must be dead, or people would'nt be seeing her so." Let this serve as a specimen of the rumors afloat concerning the lost Elizabeth. Another sort of rumor was, that she had been seen alive and well somewhere in a distant part of the country. At first Legislator Blarney was suspected to have carried her off or made way with her in some manner; but on investigation this proved to be nearly or quite impossible, as he slept, the night of Lizzy's disappearance, at a house four miles distant, and at 5 o'clock in the morning took the stage for Richmond. Had Jesse Ballentyne disappeared at the same time, he would at once have been charged with her abduction; but when the party returned home on New Year's eve, he retired immediately to his room in the basement, as she did to hers in the upper story, and not only was he at breakfast the next morning, but he partook in the general and Steinbach awoke. The bright moon shone through repeated searches after her, and appeared very much to sympathize with the family in their distress on her account. The only thing remarkable in his behaviour was that he did not seem to despair, like the rest, but endeavored to comfort the family with assurances that she must be alive and would yet be found.

This was a surprising communication; and though it rather increased the mystery, and no one could conjecture by whom it was written, yet it had a consoling influence upon the feelings of the afflicted parents. Still it might have been intended to mislead them. If Elizabeth had been murdered or forcibly abducted, the guilty agent may have designed by this letter to avoid detection, rather than to relieve the parents from unnecessary distress.

One week later, another incident happened of a still more extraordinary nature.

The night was moonshiny and the ground was covered with fresh snow. Mr. and Mrs. Steinbach had gone to bed at ten o'clock and had soon fallen asleep. After a nap of two or three hours, Mrs.

the room and made every object visible. Happening to direct her eyes towards the door, she was surprised to see it half open and what seemed to be a female in night clothes, standing in the opening and looking steadfastly upon the bed. She thought that she distinguished the person and features of Elizabeth; but imagining that it must be her ghost, "If any fatal accident had befallen her (said he) she was speechless with fear, and shut her eyes to some positive evidence of it must have been dis- avoid the horrifying sight. She then thought that covered. Though her disappearance is unaccoun- she heard the light tripping of feet approaching the table; yet the fact that it is so, ought to convince bed--and oh! horrible! she had a sensation, as if us that the mystery will be cleared up some day to the spectre were by the bedside and breathed upon her. She uttered a groan--she almost screamed, When asked how he thought it possible that she like a sleeper under the night-mare. The awful should be alive and yet no trace of her appear; he visitant seemed startled, and tripped hastily out of answered, "That is what I shall not undertake to the room, drawing the door to after her. explain; yet something within me whispers that God will unfold the mystery in due time, and we shall see her alive and well, though it is not for me to say how or when."

our satisfaction."

Just one week after Lizzy's disappearance, a

The groan and suppressed scream of his wife, awakened Mr. Steinbach. He started up to a sitting posture, just as the spectre vanished through

the door.

He called out," Who is there?"

Mrs. Steinbach now opened her eyes and ex-[in the morning. claimed, "There it is,--there!"

"Where ?"

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One of two suppositions must

therefore be true; it was not Elizabeth who had appeared, or she was then in the house. Jesse's

Why, there, by the clothes-press. Dont you proposal of a search was therefore adopted. The see it ?"

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eleven persóns composing the household began after breakfast to search the house from the garrets to the cellars. Every nook and cofner was diligently examined: not a cuddy-hole, closet, chest, clothes-press, bed, clothes "heap, lumber pile, barrel, hogshead, grain, or pota, hutch, escaped the

"So it is; I see plainly now what it is. Oh how general scrutiny, The walls were inspected to glad I am that it was nothing else!"

"Yes, but it was something else." "How? What! Did you see any thing else?" "Yes, I saw some one pass out through the door, as I woke."

"Which? The passage-door?" "Yes."

"Was she dressed in white ?"

see if any secret door or crack indicated a hidingplace; especially in the cellars and basement rooms. When they came to Jesse's room, he left the others to manage the search, only suggesting (as if to remove all suspicion from himself) that they should examine the new floor which he had laid, to see that no trap-door led to a hiding-place beneath. They did so; they found the floor tightly nailed

"Partly in white; but she had on a blue or grey down. It sounded hollow when they struck upon petticoat."

"Oh me! Then I am afraid it was Lizzy." "Afraid it was Lizzy, wife! Why should you be afraid of seeing poor Lizzy?"

it; but as all was tight and fast, this signified nothing to the purpose. When they came to the small closet, which he had built in the corner, they examined it minutely, both floor and walls, but ob

"Oh dear, no; not afraid of her, but of her spi- serving nothing suspicious, they were perfectly rit!"

"Still it would be Lizzy, dear wife, but more likely it was Mary Baumgartner or Molly Koontz." 'No, no, husband, I saw her face, and I am

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dreadfully afraid it was Lizzy."

satisfied that no hiding-place existed there. So after they had finished the search, the unanimous conclusion was, that Mrs, Steinbach was mistaken as to the person whom she had seen: she herself being only half-persuaded of her mistake. One

"Still afraid! Would you not like to see poor circumstance, however seemed to confirm her first Lizzy again?"

"Yes, I should like to see herself above all things. But if it was her ghost, how dreadful that would be."

"It was no ghost, wife; depend upon it, it was no ghost. Slip up stairs, wife, and see if the girls are in their beds, and I will look into the passage." "I cant go by myself, do you first look into the passage, and then go with me up the little stairs." Mr. Steinbach rose and examined both the passage and the store-room; but seeing no one, he returned, and with his wife went through the door leading into the spin-room,.and then up the private stairs to the bed-room of the hired girls, both of whom they found in bed and fast asleep.

impression. Both she and the washer-girl affirmed, that some of Lizzy's wearing apparel and some bed-clothes had been taken away within a few days, and probably the last night; but as this circumstance was inconsistent with the result of the search, the general conclusion was that this also must-be a mistake.

Five or six days after this, Mr. Steinbach received another letter from the Post-office, which astonished him more than the former letter, for it was in the name and hand-writing of his lost daughter, and bore every mark of authenticity. She assured her parents of her safety, and besought them to lay aside all uneasiness about her situa tion,-it being one that she had chosen for herself, The next morning they communicated the night's for a reason that she could not now explain to them, adventure to the household. The girls both de- but would at a future time. She expressed her clared that they had not left their room after they deep regret that a paper, which she had left in her went to bed. Mrs. Steinbach insisted that she dis-room when she disappeared, had not fallen into tinguished the features of Elizabeth in the myste-their hands; as it would have assured them of her rious visitant. She still believed firmly that it was safety, and have saved them from much of their her ghost, but in this neither Mr. Steinbach nor distress on her account. Jesse Balientyne agreed with her. They express- This letter was post-marked Richmond! A stried the opinion that if it was Elizabeth, she must be king circumstance, because Legislator Blarney, concealed somewhere in or near the house, and her rejected and apparently hated lover, was there. proposed another search. The shower of new What complicated and inconsistent and amazing snow, which had fallen before bed-time and was circumstances did the whole case present! succeeded by fair weather, lay all unmarked by It is hard to say whether the good old people footsteps around the house, when the family rose were more comforted or distressed by this letter.

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