The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-01-14

Of the road where it became q little
wider, and also there being fewer trees
to overshadow it. Now for the first time
saw something In one of my terrified
backward glances I saw that the foot
steps were accompanied by globular
apparition. 1t seemed about q foot in
diameter, and Ola dusty gray color
This dim, underlined ball of misty hue
moved with the footsteps, bat not, as
far as / could distinguish, having any
other connection with them. On the
contrary, it moved through the air at the
distance of about yard from the
ground, as if self-supported. say
moved" because could just discern q
sort of undulatory rise and fall, and be-
cause could not but notice that the in
terval between me and it was never di-
minished by my greatest efforts. The
airy phantom neither approached nor re-
ceded. Soon after saw this apparition
l also heard something l had not heard
before. 1t was rustling noise, repeated
once or twice, and most like quick
shudder passing through stiff drapery.
If any doubt remained, if any accession
of terror was possible, that doubt now
fed, and that accession of terror now
came.
1t occurs to me that some reader may
ask why in the name of fortune or mis-
fortune, there being houses on both sides
of the street, did not seek shelee9 and
protection. Pride, my dear reader,
pride, stronger than all terror, strongest
of all human feelings. What would you,
my reader, say if you were called up at
midnight by a gentleman with q scared
look and an incoherent story of spec
ter? Would you not take the strongest
horsewhip, unchain Pincher, and (while
your spOuse's eloquence flowed "sweet-
er than honey" from her chamberlain
dow, and all your children screamed in
their cots) 60 forth to drive the intruder
from your curtilage. or course you
would. Would you not tell the dis
tressed suppliant to 60 to him from
whom and from whose emissaries and
shadowy liegemen he was seeking de-
liverances OF course you would. If you
happened to know the disturber Of your
peace, would you not reproach him the
next morning, hint at soda water, and
generally wonder at him: OF course
you would. And if you believed his
story-what then? Hospitality has its
limits. Could you be expected to open
your door to friend who might be arm
in-arm with "the Black Man." as Mat
thew Hopkins would have called him'
Human sympathy does not extend to
helping ones fellow creatures against the
had walked perhaps two-thirds of the
distance when became aware of the ap-
partition, and how got over the remaining
ground can hardly tell. did not dare
to run. felt that, if ran, all self-con-
troll, all resisting power Of will would be
gone. had sort of suspicion that, if I
even appeared to hurry, l should be over
be kept IN cheek by the exercise 81
defiant volition.
was now within very short distance
of my hotel-not more than 800 or 400
yards away. But I had a foreboding
that should never reach it before an
other phase of the horror was disclosed.
The thing was growing on me. Some
denouemen must come. 1t did come.
had by this time arrived at a large
building used as Kafir chapel by those
natives who had been brought by various
agencies to wear trowserS and
sing hymns. Turning the corner OF the
chapel l came upon party of de, otees
seated round fire, and even at that late
hour in full tide of song. How it was
that l had not heard them before, nor
seen the reflection of their fire, nnot
say; but when did hear and see / felt
with thrill of conviction that the Zulu
is indeed ga man and brother" They
were party of six or seven. One or
two were Hottentot wagon-drivers and
the rest Kafirs. As soon as saw the
absorbed group I jumped across the
sluyt and rushed toward those dusky
brethren. As got within the light of
their fire turned round.
Out Of the darkness there stalked SOL
emnly, with grave and sell. possessed
air, large crane-not one of the ordi-
nary species, such as is seen in Europe,
but the great, gaunt "Katir crane" as he
is called in Africa q know not his scien-
tific name), which is at least twice as
large. He did not seem in the smallest
degree abashed, nor was he disconcert-
ed. If anything was discernible in his
bearing, it was, perhaps, little conceit,
as though he felt that he had done q
clever thing in keeping pace with me SO
long; but cannot say that he displayed
much emotion of any kind. AS I came
to the fire he walked up to my side, hold
ing his head absurdly far back, though
he gave one or two drives or ducks for
ward with his long neck, as if saluting
the company. He then stood still,
rubbing his beak few times
against his legs, and regarded the
Kafirs with great contempt, evidently
not thinking much of their hymnology.
Meanwhile the Kafirs looked at me and
also at the crane, which they knew quite
well. tried to mutter that l wanted q
light for my pipe, but something in the
nervous haste of my manner gave them
an inkling of the truth, for they all with
one accord rolled over on their backs in
agonies of laughter, and was derided
by sets of black toes in ecstasies; and
therefore / withdrew with that dignity
one of the higher Aryan race Can always
assume, and sought my hotel, still &C
companied by the mimetic crane. When
l reached the door of the hotel, grieve
to say that in sudden wrath ] shied q
stone at the crane, who went off again in
to the darkness with hop and q skip Of
offended pertness and flourish of his
feathers, much as an ancient dame Of
uality might trot over muddy street
holding up and shaking out her flounces.
Il empb Bar.
How to Burn 4 hesse.
RUB your furniture with linseed oil
and preserve carefully the old greasy
rags used for this purpose in paper box