Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1869-04-15

Of rage dartei from his eye. bu.h. laugh
ed:
''Hs. ha. You taink that YOU will
keen me out"
he !ea2sd to the ground. In an in
1 slant the light was on
"Wait," cried Il have vsanon
in my hant keen as razor. Il is poi
soaei by the body | have been WORKING
on. Burst the door aud will olungs il
into your heart. You may kill me, but
| | will kill you also, as certain as there is
God"
The swarth giant shook the door until
It's hinges creaked and groaned bene ath
his head: Then laughing again low to
himself he muttered
s'Foos. [ viii outwit YOU vet"
And he stole off in the darkness. T
heard him, for an instant. pressing against
the wall of the building, and it swayed
and bent inwards with his weight. Then
silence. The din of N pulses male thun-
/ der IN my ears, as | led to hear his steal
ing tread, and sobbing e wind rose snew
with wierd shrek, and made nv efforts
! truitless.
A thousand times / heard his low dey-
lllsh. murderous laugh. A thousand
tunes | felt his brawny strength against
the door, and saw his wild face look down
on me through the gloom but sill he
dill not come.
tried to think he had abandoned the
design and SUNK off DISCOURAGED but T
Knew 1t was not So know he was
crouch'ng IN some corner on the watch,
to spring upon ma when | passed
Could | stand there all night? No.
certainly not. An hour mora and Har-
ry Leigh (my young wife's brother)
would come and see ms-come uncnnci-
GUS of the danger, until bloodhound at
ms throat would choke the brave young
life down there forever.
listened in the intervals of the now
httul storm to hear if he was breathing
near me. put my soul in the sense Of
hearing, but no human shadow Of sound
greeted it,
" h:n the storm swelled again I drew
tho bolt and looked into tho night;
black pail hung over the earth and sky.
had as good a chance to pass him in
the o0Scuriy as he to catch me. With
my kulse IN my teeth aud the massive
thlgh bone of negro to fell him with.
II must, | drew off my shoes and step
ped out into the darkness. A sudden
whlrI OF the tempest almost took me off
my te!t, and a brick, dislodgel from one
OF the chlmneys, grazed my head in its
passage, aud broke IN half on the pave
ment.
Nlth bated breath and step like the
'reao OF the panther scensing his prey, |
parted the thick darkness and turned
my faco towards the hospital He might
De either here-at any step along the
passage-or hid in the angle of the wall
at the door through which must enter.
This seemed most probable; but there
was another door, known only to the doc
tors.
thought would elude him. With
lnaalte caution [ began to scale the high
wall drealing horribly lest some sud
den break in the sky might reveal me to
the wild eye that watched for me-b9t
mo.
Safely passing the summit throw nv
leg over the descent, and-fslt my foot
Se!zeI: 1t was but the clinging teudril
Of a wild vine, skirtinr the wall. Grasp
ing my knife in my light hand, [ crept
along the bushes for frtv wards, th:n
struck across the lawn for the side en-
trance The darkness perp,e1ed me, but
| snought l was steering straight. Sud
denly my feet strlck bricks. What was
TINS L tried to rscollect. There was no
pavement round that part OF the hospi-
tai
pushed on uncertainty and feeling a
weight IN the air, put out my hands to
groPe for some clew to my whereabouts
| was ia an alley aluked with stone
walls above my head. | gave sudden
turn. In an instant | klcv I was in the
suo'& rFan2an passage Of the asylum. l
turned to retrace my steps-the Opaque
density Of some heavy body crouahed be-
tween me and the outer air. | heard its
stld2d breathing its stealthy tread ap-
proaching me. Ny God . he had follow
ed me from the very door OF the dead
house here \ struggle for life with a
mailman IN these narrow. gloomy yat.ltS
to lie IN the pool of ones own hearts
oloot IN this undiscovered tomb-an! my
young wife Constance twas msdaaa-
ing.
For al instant my brain was on fire
Then | thought there might be an exit
other devious winlings ia which I could
elude my deadly purs1cr Going deity
backward, | turned the angle in the wall,
aud then plunged at the utmost speed Of
young, active man along the black pas
sage Instantly | knew | was pur-
sued Meeting another crossed path l
struck into i, il an opposite dirc,t;3n.-
The maniac Instantly followed me. What
a,race through thos carernous deDtls Of
the madhouse. What.trasie pitfalls might
lurk at every step F., What black and
stagnant pool. lie wai;ias 70 eng,lpA me
What deeper depth Of icy bIackness into
which 10 iall-an fall forever,
The passage grew narrower We were
perhaps, under the very center Of the
building. and far,lcst from the outer air.
| had tried to breathe noiselessly the
effort exhausted me. ] knew nothing Of
the lAbyrlnths could ONLY guess at our
position by the dis:ano. from the entrance.
| had counted the trraings We hal made
| thought | could rctrace them. NJ
strength vas failing. | VAS feetest. blt
be was most enduring
Presently he would run ne down. 7.
was terrible venturs. blt the necessity
was imminent. | wosiId try i. Gltbor-
Ing al! NY fvfce GAstai l.L2 - ar-ov