While in itself it gave evidence of their daughter's safety; it threw additional embarrassment in the way of all reasonable conjecture of her locality, her situation and the cause of her concealment.

CHAPTER VI.

THE SPECTRE SMOKE AND THE SPECTRE BOAT.

The first week in February, was the coldest week of the winter. The snow had fallen six inches deep, and the North-west wind felt as if it had come directly from the North-Pole. During the night of the 4th, it blew violently, making the snow fly in clouds from the high grounds, and heap. ing it up in the ravines and wherever a bank or a fence produced an eddy. By the morning of the 5th all was calm again, but the river was full of ice and every living thing sought a warm shelter.

Doctor Heilbrun was returning from a visit to a very sick patient and stopped on his return home, early in the morning, to warm himself. The family kept him till after breakfast, on Mrs. Steinbach's account, she having taken a violent cold with symptoms of sore throat.

The smoke continued to issue from this place for two or three days, until the weather grew mild, when it disappeared. The phenomenon excited much speculation; but no one could plausibly account for it. Some persons conjectured that it had some connection with Elizabeth's disappearance— but the only ground they could assign was that both happened at the same place, and both were unaccountable.

The same phenomenon appeared from time to time during six weeks. Several attempts were made to get some one to examine the place where the smoke issued. But the difficulty and danger appeared to be so great, that none were willing to undertake it; so that the mystery was left unexplained.

About the first of April, the mild spring weather began, and the labors of the farm thickened. Jesse Ballentyne was kept busy with his duties as superintendant; but it was observed that his health and spirits, for a month past, were not as good as usual. He seemed to be in a lethargic state; for not only did he go to bed soon after dark, but he was often observed to be drowsy through the day, and to nod whenever his duties allowed him to sit still.

When the doctor went out after breakfast to mount his horse, the clear sun was shining, and the weather gave signs of moderating. He was observed to stand at the gate, looking intently at the high cliff of rocks on the river side, below the house. George Steinbach went out to ask him what attracted his gaze so intently. The doctor pointed to a certain part of the cliff, and asked what Elizabeth's letter from Richmond had turned made the smoke that issued from the face of the attention upon the Legislator, as possibly connectcliff there. At first George doubted whether it ed with her disappearance. He was therefore could be smoke, but on coming to the doctor's po- watched after his return; but he betrayed no consition; the reflection of the sunbeams showed plain-sciousness of any participation in the affair, neither ly the blue color of the ascending wreath, It while he was in Richmond nor after his return. seemed to issue from an inaccessible point of the On a soft, cloudy April night, Jo Steinbach and cliff, forty feet above the river and as many below one of the hired men went, after supper, to angle the wood-crowned summit of the rocks. Next for fish in the deep water at the foot of the cliff. came Mr. Steinbach, and then Jo and Jesse Bal- They seated. themselves on a projecting rock at the lentyne, to see what they were looking at. All base of the cliff, about twenty rods below the ford, pronounced it to be smoke. But, then, how could and were silently and patiently waiting for the fish smoke issue from a naked rock, rising perpendicu- to bite. They had been sitting a full hour, when larly from the river and in a place where no fuel they concluded to change their position: they had could lie, and no man or beast could stand? To hitherto sat on the extreme point of the flat rock, see it more plainly they went to the river bank where it projected farthest into the river, and had behind the house, where from the top of a large cast their lines out towards the middle of the rock not more than twenty rods from the cliff, they stream. Now they moved themselves to the side could see the spot from which the smoke issued, of the rock looking down the stream, where by its where the cliff was jagged and furrowed; but no projection it made an eddy at the base of the cliff. fire was visible, and they could not imagine how A little way below, perhaps five yards, was the point the smoke originated. There was no way by where the current, especially in high water, struck which a man could get at the place, but by means perpendicularly against the face of the cliff, and of a rope let down from the brow of the cliff above. No ladder could reach it from below, because the river was eight feet deep at the foot of the cliff, and the force of the current had undermined the cliff, 80 as to leave no foothold at the water's edge.

The excitement in the family and neighborhood on account of Lizzy's disappearance, had almost ceased for want of fresh matter to keep it up; when two incidents renewed it: the one was the return of Legislator Blarney from Richmond; and the other was the spectre boat.

had in the course of ages undermined it, so as to form a deep cavern, no one knew how deep, in which the waters whirled and rumbled at such a rate, when a little swollen especially, that no one had appeared willing to venture, either by swim

ming or with a canoe, to see what sort of a place fore to have this river-cave explored. But when it was inside. Indeed, the entrance was so filled he proposed the enterprise to his sons and his hired with the boiling and whirling water, that there was men, not one of them was found willing to undereven in a dry season but little space between the take it. Jesse Ballentyne was not at hoine, he barsurface of the water and the rock that covered the ing gone the evening before up to Hansberger's watery cavern. From six to twelve or fifteen mill to load a couple of wagons with flour for marinches was all the height of the impending rock|ket. When he returned about ten o'clock and above the water-at least on the outside where it was heard of the spectre boat, he proposed at once to visible; and this low opening did not extend more explore the water cave, if any one would join him. than thirty feet along the base of the cliff. At As to the hired men, they would as soon have enpresent, the river was here a few, and only a few, tered a volcano as that devil's den of a cave; but inches above low water-mark. after some hesitation George consented to join in Now the fishermen had just cast their lines into the adventure. It was near evening before they the eddy between the projecting rock and the were prepared. For a boat they launched a hogstream that ran into the cavern five yards below, trough bolstered and steadied by a couple of fence when they were surprised and frightened to see a rails attached to the outer sides. To secure the dark-looking object come gliding with the current return of the boat he attached a rope by one end directly towards the mouth of the cavern, and be- to the projecting rock on which the fishermen sat fore their frightened wits could make out distinctly when the spectre-boat appeared, and fastened the what it was, the night being cloudy and the half-other end to the trough-boat. Taking some fire filled moon able to give but a faint light,—the and a pine torch in the bottom and a stout paddle dark-looking object entered the cavern by the low in his hand he knelt down in the hinder end to opening about twenty feet below them. They did, though dimly, perceive that it was a sort of small flat boat, and that a man sat in it gently rowing with two short oars, which he held before him, so that he could look forward as he rowed. When this apparition got into the shadow of the cliff, it was so indistinctly visible, that they did not actually see it enter the cavern, but only inferred that it did so, from the fact of its having disappeared immediately after it approached the cliff.

steer, and George knelt in the fore end with the rope grasped in his hand, that he might let it out or draw it in as occasion should require. Launching into the stream from the extremity of the fishing-rock, Jesse with his paddle directed the boat to the low entrance of the cave. He and George had to lie almost flat when they entered. They found the roof of the cave gradually rise, after they passed the entrance, until, about ten feet within, a great dark cavern suddenly opened above Now Jo was a sensible boy of sixteen, but full their heads, and fifteen feet further, the current of ghost stories that he had heard; and his compan- drove the boat against the face of a rock. The light ion was a clown full of superstitious notions en- from without was sufficient to show them a crevice gendered in his ignorance by the superstition of in the rock; into this Jesse thrust his paddle and others. Both were so frightened by the sudden fastened the boat to it by means of the rope. apparition, and equally sudden disappearance of Kindling his torch, he soon discovered by its light the boat, under the cliff, in a place where troubled that the roof of the cavern was twenty-five or thirwater and darkness made an exploratory visit hor- ty feet high, that the rock against which they had rible to the imagination-that they knew not what struck rose perpendicularly at least twenty feet; and else to make of what they saw, but that some de- the visible length of the cavern up and down stream mon had taken up his abode there, and was now was about thirty feet. At the lower end the cur returned home from a visit in the neighborhood. rent which came in where they entered, turned and They left the fearful place immediately and went flowed out again. But near this end, there seemed to the house. The family had mostly gone to to be low water-caverns in which the current was bed; they also went to theirs, and said nothing of whirled about with a rumbling noise. It seemed their adventure until the next morning at break-dangerous if not impossible to explore any of these fast, when they gave a very confused account of rumbling caverns, because they were so nearly what they had seen. At first Mr. Steinbach dis- filled with water that the boat could not enter believed their story; but when he remembered the them. There did seem to be, high up, near the mysterious smoke near the same place, and had roof, the dark mouth of a cavern running back isse drawn from them all that they could tell of the the hill; but its entrance was eighteen or twenty feet matter-especially concerning the rower, his oars, high, and to reach it they would have to set a lad and the manner in which he sat in the boat-he der against the perpendicular wall that separated

was inclined to believe that some man for some them from it.

purpose had more than once entered a secret cav- Having made these observations, Jesse and ern in the cliff; and a suspicion crossed his mind George, by means of the rope and paddle, worked that this affair had some connection with the dis- the boat out again to the fisherman's rock, and appearance of his daughter. He determined there- reported to Mr. Steinbach what they had seen.

Their discoveries left the mystery of the spectre- | river, lodged against a rock at the foot of a high smoke and spectre-boat as dark as ever. The ex-precipice, like that just below Mr. Steinbach's. istence of so large a cavern would have shown the It was so much swollen that the features could feasibility of these apparitions, if the cavern itself not be recognized. A jury of inquest was imcould have afforded accommodation or motive for mediately summoned. Hardy was by his own any one to visit it for any purpose, however mys- contrivance one of them. As no woman was known to have been drowned lately in that neighborhood, and none was missing except Lizzy Steinbach, it was supposed by almost every one, that this was her corpse, and that now every thing about her was cleared up except the cause and the circumstances of her being drowned.

terious.

Jesse Ballentyne proposed to take in a ladder and examine the upper cavern, giving it as his opinion that some discovery of importance might be made; Mr. Steinbach thought otherwise, but consented to Jesse's proposal. It was some days before the requisite preparations could be made The jury made diligent examination, but could amidst the hurry of business on the farm. When not identify the person. The corpse agreed in

all was ready, a rain was falling, and the river soon rose so as to make the cave inaccessible. Before it fell sufficiently, a new event turned the attention of the family elsewhere.

CHAPTER VII.

THE CORPSE AND THE INQUEST.

stature with Elizabeth, but differed in the color of the hair; this being of a much darker hue than hers. The teeth agreed in general, but differed in particulars; these being less sound and complete than hers. The half decayed linsey-woolsy gown agreed in stripe and coloring with one of hers that was missing, but was coarser and somewhat different in the fashion of its make. Other articles of dress gave no definite sign; but ElizaThe annual election for members of the Legis- beth had long worn a gold ring on the third finger lature was approaching. There were many candi- of the left hand; the corpse had one of pinchbeck dates in the field, and lawyer Blarney was opposed on the same finger. These coincidences and difby a new competitor, who was likely to run him ferences perplexed the jurors generally, but not hard. The county sent two members; but old Mr. Hardy. He ingeniously reconciled every Colonel Staufer was a sort of standing member-thing with the supposition of its being Elizabeth's three-fourths of the people voting for him, as a corpse. matter of course; so that the only contest was for the second seat. Now about two years before, a certain lawyer Hardy had settled at Woodstock. He was a successful lawyer, and excited great admiration for his eloquence. He was a stout man, with a round fat face, and a voice like a trumpet. He could stun the ears of a thousand people. Then too he could crack excellent jokes; and what was more, he could make a plausible case out of slight circumstances, and assert ingenious falsehoods with the gravest face-and swear to them too, if occasion required. He hated Blarney as a rival in popular favor, and determined by all means to pull him down for his own advancement. He came out this spring as a candidate, and harangued the the place where the body was found. Blarney in sovereign people at musters and on court days; and rode from house to house with great industry, shaking hands with the men, kissing the women, and fondling the children.

Then as to circumstances of time and place. The corpse was judged by some to have lain months in the water; Hardy and others argued that it might have been reduced to its present state by an immersion of four or five weeks in the mild season of spring. Five weeks had elapsed since Blarney returned from Richmond. The deep pool in which the body was found, lay a quarter of a mile below a bridge, by which the main road of the neighborhood leading to East Virginia crossed the river. This was the road by which Blarney went and came on his legislative mission, and by which he travelled forth and back between his residence in Woodstock and his farm lying near

the vanity of his heart and to the injury of his popularity, had, the last winter, bought himself a twohorse carriage in Richmond, and had two or three times travelled in it to and from his farm. He

But Blarney, though inferior to him in some had laid it aside only during the three last weeks, points, was superior in others. He had more sa- since the electioneering campaign had become hot. gacity in discovering the enmities, jealousies and Jake Speck, a poor fellow that lived near the ruling passions of men; and in taking sides with the bridge, swore that on that night four weeks before, strongest in all the strifes of the community. He he was wakened out of his sleep at midnight by was therefore in a fair way to gain his election the loud screams of a female about the river. third time, when a surprising discovery enabled answer to a question by Hardy, he said that BlarHardy to get the advantage of him a few days be- ney was that night at his farm. Another witness fore the election. deposed that about the same time two emigrant Three miles below Mr. Steinbach's the dead families with their wagons had encamped near the body of a woman was found in a deep hole of the bridge. These were all the circumstances appear

Yaz XIV-63

In

ing in evidence, that seemed to furnish grounds and other requisites for the enterprise. George for a judgment of the case. Though vague and was with difficulty persuaded to join in it a second doubtful, Hardy managed them so as to cast no time. He feared to climb a ladder twenty feet slight suspicion upon Blarney.

high and resting on a small boat below. But be at last plucked up courage and promised to follow Jesse wheresoever he should go.

The Steinbach family examined the corpse: the parents were doubtful-not because the appearances were satisfactory in favor of this being When they got the boat with the apparatus to Elizabeth's body, but because here was a body not the perpendicular rock to be ascended within the altogether unlike, unaccounted for,-and there was water cave, the one end was fastened as before to Elizabeth's mysterious absence wholly unaccount- a stake thrust into the crevice of the rock. To ed for and all in the same neighborhood. But keep it steady under the oblique pressure of the Jesse Ballentyne pronounced positively that this ladder, when set up against the wall, two poles of could not be Elizabeth's body, because it differed the proper length were fastened by one end to the in material particulars which could not be changed outer side of the boat and set with the other end by lying weeks or months in the water.

Hardy made full use of the suspicious circumstances of this case. Three days before the election the county was full of rumors concerning new discoveries tending to prove Blarney's guilt. The consequence was that Blarney lost his election, and was Legislator Blarney no more.

On election day Mr. Steinbach found in the post office, at Woodstock, a letter with the New Market post mark, bearing evidence that Elizabeth was living. It was written in her name and hand writing, enclosed a lock of her hair, and the identical gold ring which she had long worn. Though a plain ring it was recognizable by the soldering with which it had been mended when broken only a week before her disappearance. In this letter she begged her parents to be patient a while longer and they should see her again.

against the descending curtain of rock that hung over the entrance of the cave. Thus the boat could not be pushed out from the inner wall of roek by the pressure of the ladder. Having tied a cord to each side of the ladder at one end, they raised that end up against the wall and set the other end in the middle of the boat, where it was secured from slipping. Then the two cords that were tied to the upper end and hung down when the ladder was raised, were run through staples at the two ends of the boat and tied after being well stretched. These acted as stays to keep the ladder from slipping to either side.

Now Jesse took a lighted torch in his hand and mounted the ladder. In a minute he was at the top and standing upon a flat surface of rock where he could perceive that a cave opened before him towards the interior of the hill. He threw down Notwithstanding the evidence of this letter and the end of a cord that he had wound about his its accompaniments Mr. Steinbach had a lingering waist, and told George to fasten to it the basket suspicion that it was an ingenious forgery of Blar-containing sundries for the exploration and then ney as well as the former letter, and that he had mount. George did so and soon joined his comreally drowned her in revenge for her contemptuous panion above. Jesse now blew three blasts on a refusal of his hand. In short his mind was so con- small tin trumpet, the concerted signal that they fused by the mysterious and contradictory circum- had discovered a cave within the cave as he prestances of the case, that he did not know what to dicted that they would. think.

Jesse's preparations for exploring the river cave had been finished before the election, but high water and other circumstances caused him to defer the enterprise until the last of April.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE MYSTERIOUS CAVE.

Proceeding through a passage thirty feet long they came to a large and lofty room elegantly adorned with stalactites and stalagmites, and draperies around the walls white as snow and hanging in every imaginable variety of graceful folds. Here Jesse again sounded his trumpet; echo repeated the sound on every side. From several passages, leading divers ways from this room, sounds were returned so distinctly and so loud that they could hardly persuade themselves that other trumpets were not sounding in distant cavities of the hill.

On the morning of the 30th of April the river Entering the widest of these passages at the farwas sufficiently low to permit a shallow boat to en-ther end of the room they found themselves gradter the water cavern. Jesse had found a little flat ually descending 'till they came to a streamlet of boat at Dr. Heilbrun's, a mile above Mr. Stein- pellucid water flowing among stalagmites and flat bach's. He put this little boat upon a wagon and incrustations resembling ice. This led them now hauled it to Mr. Steinbach's. It was large enough gradually ascending into another spacious and beauto support a ladder that would reach the mouth of tiful room. At the farther end two openings prethe upper cave proposed to be explored. Jesse sented themselves, one on either hand. They enhad made a suitable ladder, prepared ropes, torches tered that on the left which conducted them under

the higher part of the hill. Pursuing this some ceived a passage on the right near the farther end. twenty yards or more they entered a magnificent Entering this Jesse again blew his trumpet. After room fifty yards long, thirty wide, and twenty high, the echoes died away, they heard a few sweet splendidly decorated with pillars, and draperies, and notes of the same music which they had heard beincrusted floors, all glittering in the torch-light and fore, and only a few. They soon entered another looking like enchantment. room with two passages leading from it. They took the one on the left which brought them directly to the first room which they had entered. Rejoicing at this they went forthwith to their ladder. Here three blasts of the trumpet notified their safe return to the watchers outside. Jesse used the cord which he had carried with him to fasten the head of the ladder securely to a large stalagmite that was near. Then descending they soon loosened the boat; and letting the ladder hang they emerged into the outer world three hours after they had launched their boat into the watery cavern.

After they had admired this wonderful sight awhile Jesse again blew his trumpet, and lo! the whole interior of the hill seemed to be alive with voices, first loud and terrible, then softened into tones that sounded musically. Presently all died away except one which soon changed into the melodious tones of a human songstress, softly reverberating through the vast hall, and seeming to play through every part of it. They walked forward, listening to detect the origin of these sweet notes, which were evidently not the softened echoes of the trumpet. As they advanced the sounds grew louder and more distinct, yet they could not conjecture whence they came. Their eyes soon lit upon a splendid show of drapery by the wall on the left, near the mid length of the hall. Immense sheets, folding over one another, and glittering white, hung from the ceiling to the floor. Here the music seemed to be most melodious. On approaching they imagined that these thin stony curtains formed the heavenly tones, for they seemed to quiver and be alive with them, and the notes sounded as if they issued from within and to be the combined product of a hundred folds of these delicate sounding boards.

George was alarmed and begged that they should retreat from this magic cave. But Jesse refused and told him that such sweet music could not proceed from an evil being. In a few minutes it ceased, and George plucked up courage enough to follow his conductor into a passage at the end of the hall. This was at first so low that they had to stoop, and so narrow that they could not go abreast. Presently it grew larger and became rather steeply ascending. It turned more to the left as it ascended, and finally contracted again to a narrow way as it entered a beautiful room, not adorned with stalactites like the others, but dry

and snug.

Great was the astonishment of all at the narrative of their adventures; yet to the sorrow of all it did not solve the mystery.

CHAPTER IX.

THE MYSTERY SOLVED AT LAST.

That evening Dr. Heilbrun called and sat three hours with the family. After hearing the story of the cave, and expressing his admiration of its splendor, and his intention to explore it, and if possible to clear up the mystery of its music, he began a conversation which seemed to have been premeditated. He first informed Mr. and Mrs. Steinbach that the wicked relations of Jesse Ballentyne had left the country with the intention of going to the Missouri Territory. When they were tried for horse stealing the legal evidence was insufficient to convict them, though few doubted their guilt. About twenty of their neighbors then went to their dwelling in the mountain, and told them that if they would leave the State they should be supplied with funds to pay their travelling expenses; but that if they refused they might calculate on being punished by Lynch's law. Two of them had run away when the rest were apprehended for horse stealing, and had not returned. The rest had set off the preceding day for the far west.

Two things were remarkable in this room: first an opening like a window, admitting light through the side opposite to the entrance. And secondly, Having given this welcome information, Dr. evident signs that the room had been occupied by Heilbrun began to speak in praise of Jesse, whom a human being. There were marks of fire, stains he declared to be, in his opinion and in that of of grease, and some chisselings about the window, nearly all the country, one of the finest young men 10 give it a more regular shape. But except some in Shenandoah, both morally and intellectually. coals and scraps of things, of no value, there was "It is becoming the general opinion," said the Docnothing to indicate that any person had lately oc- tor, "that Lizzy's disappearance has been caused cupied the place, or was now occupying it. On somehow by her attachment to Jesse. In fact, looking out they saw that this was the hole in the some begin to say openly, that you secretly sent cliff through which the smoke had been observed her to Pennsylvania again, that she might be sepato issue during the cold weather of the last winter. rated from Jesse, and they say that you are wrong They soon left this room and retraced their steps in opposing the match, for that you will never find to the large hall. In passing through it they per- a son-in-law elsewhere equal to Jesse. Of course