The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-10-26
STRONGER THAN DEATH.

STRONGER THAN DEATH.
There were six of us seated before a blazing
fire which cast generous glare into the other.
wise unightcd room. Outside wintry storm
beloved OyCrthc chimneys, and beat seriously
at the wlndow-panes. Atar off we could hear
the gust roaring among the naked hills, now
plunging shrilly through the skeleton branches
Of the trees and again whrlng overhead with
weird shouting sound, that might well have
proceeded from the throats of evil things rid.
ing upon the wind. The ghostly spirit of the
storm seemed to have penetrated even into our
comfortable circle, for we had got, know not
how, upon the most dismal of all subjects
death.
We had canvasscd the theme pretty thor
oughly before we discovered that two of our
number, the doctor and the professor, had tax.
On no part in the conversation They were
sitting little removed from the rest of us,
gazing glOmily INTO the fire. Their ordinarily
cheerful expression of countcnancc had given
place to a sober, troubled look, and more than
once we had detected the exchanging of u
strangely Insignificant glance between them
AS may be readily supposed, we were not
SLOW to press them for an explanation of
their conduct But for considerable time
our efforts were fruitess But at length, after
much persuasion, it was the professor who
spoke:
"Gentemcn," sand he, guvey "nO man
cares to gain for himself the reputation Of u
liar or II maniac. Yet that is exactly what
you are pressing both of Us to do. | have no
doubt that the experience which am about to
relate, and in which my friend the doctor bore
no unimportant part, will appear absolutely
incredible to persons Of your advanced views"
There was touch OF sarcasm in the worthy
professors tone but in our eagcrness to hear
his story we found it convenient to disregard
this.
However" he continued II shall risk it,
IL you choose to disbeieve It, why | shall en-.
dtaVorto nave charity for yourignorance and
conceit Now, Doctor, if you will hand me
The tobacco and one Of the pipes-lhc rankerI
and blackcr the better will procaed"
Having filled his pipe and settled himself
comfortably in his chair he began thus
1T must be fully ten years ago that the doc
tor and myself were engaged upon geological
survey OF the northern part Of this state Wei
had laborcd diligently during the summer and
fall, when toward the close of a cold NOvem-
bcr day we shOuldcrcd our knapsacks and
turned our faces homeward
"Our way led through IA chain of black and
rugged hills towards u frontier town 20 miles
distant, where we intended to take the railroad
more forbidden res ion it has never been my
misfortune to see. 1t was Il perfect chaos |
blackcncd and warped by primeval fires and
destitute OF the smallest trace of vegetation
Tall cliffs lowered Il thousand feet above our
heads, shutting out the light of the dull No.
yembcr SKY. Sluggish streams filtered be
tween the crcviccs of the rocks and poured
noisccsSly into deep and motionlcss turns It'll
1t tb, lirl,t of l.,It ,,l1
on the whole country.
"Well knowing the peril of attempting to
proceed through such region after nightial
We halted at sunset, and building fire at the
foot of crag, disposed ourselves to rest rs
well we might, Exhausted with the tolls of
The day the doctor was soon asleep and was
not long in following his example
"How long slumbcrcd | knew not, when
| found myself sitting upright, peering ncr
yOusly in the darkness around me 1t seemed
to me that some one had uttered wild ap
pealing cry in the very portals of my ears For
some moments | sat so, wondering and anX
ious. Then | reflected that us there could be
no human being in the neighborhood besides
ourselves, the noise which alarmed me must
have been the shrek of some bird or animal
Explaining the matter thus was on the point
OF lying down, when | WAS arrested by II repc.
mistake. Wild, long, and, it appeared to me,
full of intocrable anguish, it re.cChocd among
the craigs with fearful shrilncss With an
uncomfortable start | turned and shook the
doctor 10 awake him.
"'Bc quiet, he mnttered, 4 am awake, and
heard it ALL
What can it be" | asked anXiously.
surely nothing human; no one lives in this
region for miles around. Perhaps Ii is wild
cat
NO he said between his teeth, such a
sound can never come from the throat of a
wildcat There it is again Listen'
THE cry was repeated 1t was a wOman's
voice but ii expressed such supreme misery
a. believe woman ncvcriet before Ii came
ringing up the gorge with weird and mourn
full intOnatlon that chilled the blood in my
heart. by the doctors quick breath | could
tell that he was as much affected as myself
Neither of us spoke or moved both waited
for "a renewal of the cry, in the hope of arriving
at some rational explanation Of if.
Again il came; but now like low, trcm
slous sob. | am not a superStitiUus man, gen
tlrmCn, but | confess that sat there shiycring
with a species of horror that was entirely new
10 me. What could it be? Not "A living wo
man, surely, alone and suffering in an inacces
sihe iastness where we were morally certain
nothing human dwclt And then what misery
w. II that gave itself such uncanny express
ion, Not fear nor bodily pain, but something
terrible, something nameless 10 u. While
Re we're debating these questions in smothcred