The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-07-18

that is indicative of certain Individual
tiles with which no others can be con-
fused in this community that little, if
any, doubt remains that the spells of
the Grand Hierophant and the Arch
High Priestess of the Rosy Gross have
been viewed by profane eyes. And the
story thereof is this:
At a very late hour ON the evening of
Friday, the 2lst inst, two men, who had
been on a sort of nocturnal prowl about
Red Bank-upon some secret mission
which, they Reluctantly admit, was not
wholly disconnected with the existence
of soft-shell crab-yens in that vicinity
were surprised to see moving slowly to-
ward them, on lonely road, a twO-horse
carriage. The deep sand deadened the
noise of the wheeis, but as the vehicle
approached them, they could hear the
painting of the overburdened horses, the
creaking of the body Of the carriage,
which seemed to sway with an enormous
load, and the smothered curses of the
driver. Satisfied by the sounds that it
was no mere phantom carriage, the
young men viewed it with curious
wonder.
Either from the innate shrinking
modesty, which almost uniformly marks
parties who depart from the conventional
sy-tems of commerce in the matter of
poultry soft-shell crabs and melons, or
for, some other unexplained reason, the
young men stood aside from the road in
a thick clump of bushes, until the car
riage had passed, and then following in
its rear.
After going about half mile, leaving
the main road and turning into field
near the edge of the woods, the horses
stopped, murmur of voices in consul
tation was heard from the interior of
the carriage, and then one of the doors
was opened. First there descended
from it a man of medium height, stout
build, martial mien and very big
beard. To him were handed out one by
one, some implements for digging and
other articles, the uses of which were
not apparent to the young men. Then
a second man, tall and thin, came forth,
and last of all revealed the cause of the
creaking of the carriage and the painting
of the horses; an enormous woman, tall
and wide and thick, who descended the
steps slowly, and-while the carriage
seemed to jump upward upon being re-
leased from her weight so as to almost
| unseat the driver-said selemnly in the
deep tones of a heavy grenadier:
The conditions are favorable, Henri
give me cigarette"
The driver, evidently in obedience tc
previously-received instructions, turned
the vehicle about and drove rapidly
away. The large woman lighted hel
cigarette, and stood putting, medita
lively.
By this time the moon shone out 81
clear that every motion of either mem
Der OF the group was perfectly distinc
to the watchers.
The military-looking man taking up
vase poured into it something from
bottle, and straightway there foatet
above the mouth of the vase greenisl
pho-phorescent light, not like flame
but with rather the appearance of lumi
nous cloud.
&C me-" said he, "this is the plac
and this the hou-' mighty agencies sur
round us, beings that brook no delay
and we want to sling things round her
lively and get through this job"
The woman threw away the stump O
her cigarette. In India once" sal,
she, when my friend, the sage Ramjun
dar Bogwallot Chingoo-"
"Stow that" interrupted the MARTA
man, "and let's get to busiiesss."
"Minionp' she calculated witheringly
but obeyed.
, Hadn't we better summon Captai
Kyd's phantom? 1t won't take
minute" sugge sted the tall man.
No, no, think not" answered tn
, martial man gravely, 81 am by n
means certain that Captain Kyd eve
had phantom"
While they spoke, the large woman
with wand, the end of which sh
dipped in the vase of the phosphorescen
light, traced lines upon the ground
, lines that emitted faint Pickering glow
, She formed thus six-pointed star; ou
side that and inclosing it triangle
, surrounding all in a circle. In tn
: center of that complicated arrangemer
! of geometrical forms stood the tria. A
the points of the triangle the martis
man established three small taper
) which he lighted with a match.
doing so he burned his fingers, and il
voluntarily CALCULATED:
"The devil"
4 "He is not necessary" placidly ol
3 served the priestess, whose back was t.
ward her assistant, and who evidentl
t supposed he was merely offering bus
ness suggestion.
J. And now she commenced swinging
D censor and chanting words of strane
language in some barbaric melody.
: A big dog trotted up little eminent
a some twenty yards away, and stoc
!. clearly revealed in the moonlight.
r looked astonished and suspicious.
e at is but an astral dog" said IL
e priestess.
{ At the sound of a voice the astral de
S came nearer, snuffing the air, growth
b and showing his te eth dangerously. I'll
T martial man, who was in the line of q
8 vance of the astral dog, evinced decide
r. uneasiness.
can inimical spirit sends him
s annoy u.s." said the priestess; "but |
p is powerless. He is but shadow of do,
s but even were he worse, he cannot Gro
y the line.'
At that instant the astral dog made
|, bound forward, and his Jaws met on Il
e rear of the martial man, who was
o that moment turning from him. The
v was a sound of rending raimer
e mingled with howl of human angus
r The tall man to whom had been del
n gated the duty of holding the vase
k liquid light, impulsively dashed its co
3 tents at the dog, and the beast fed
!, terror, with yell that awoke every G.
n in the radius of five miles, and they /,