The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1879-04-17

With my knife in 4. ! teeth, aud
the massive tbigh-bone OF q negro to
Ydl him with, il must, drow of
my shoes and stepped out into the
darkness. A sudden whirl OF the
tempest took me of my feet, and a
brick, dislodged from one Of th 8
6Limneys. grazed my head on its pas
sage, and broke in haf on the pave.
rnent.
With bated breath, and step like
che tread Of u panther seeming his
prey, I parted the thick darkness
and turned my face toward the hos
pital. He might be either hero--.at
any step along tho passase--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
doctors.
1 thought I would elude bin..
With infinite caution I began to
scale tho high wall, dreading horri.
bly, lest some sudden break in the sky
might reveal me to the wild eyes that
watched for mo bat no. Safely pas
sing the summit, threw my leg
over tho descent, and felt my foot
seized. 1t was but the climbing ten
drill Of a wild vino skirting tho wall.
Grasping my knife in my right hand,
/ crept along the bushes for fifty
yards, then struck across the lawn
for tho sido entrance. The dark.
ness perplexed ne, but I thought I
was steering straight. Suddenly my
feet struck bricks. What was this
I tried to recollect. There was no
pavement round that part Of the
hotpital.
/ pushed on uncertaiHiy aud,
feeling weight in tho air, put out
my hand to grope for sono clue to
my whereabouts. was in An alley,
fsuked With stone walls far above
my head. l gave sudden turn. In
40 instant knew I was 10 the sub
terranean passage Of the ssylnm.
Turning to retract my steps, the ob
aque density OF some heavy body
crouohed between mo and the outst
air. / heard its stihsd brcath-its
stealthy tread approaching. Just
beaten ! A struggle for life with u
mailman in these narrow. gloomy
vau,ts-to lie in q pool Of ones own
hearts blood in this undiscovered
tomb, aud my young sife Constance
IVES malIeniny!
For an instant my brain was on
Ere. Then | thought there might
be an exit-otber devious windings
in which | could elnde my deadly
pursuer. Going deftly back ward. I
turned the angle in the wall, aud
then plunged ut the utmost speed OF
young aud active man along the
back passage Instantly knew
was pursued. Meeting mother cross
path, ! struck into it in the op-
poetic direction The maniac instant.
~ followed ME. What u race throu I'll
those cavernous depths of the mad.
house What tragic pitfalls might
lnrk at every step! When black and
staghant pool lie waiting to ingulf
ne {! What deeper depths of icy
blackness into which to tall--and
fall forever !
The passage grew narrower. We
were, perhaps, under the very centre
o. tho building, and fdrthest from
the outer air. i tried to breathe
noiselessly tho eff)rt exh ,ustei mo.
knew nothing OF the labyriuths
could only guess at our position by
the distance from the entrance. !
had counted tho turnings we had
made, thought could retrace
them. My strength was failing.
was heetest, but hs wss most endur.
ing.
Presently he would run me down.
IL would be terrible venture, but
the necessity was cmminent. |
would try it. Gathering all nv force
| darted like an arrow on into the
darkness. The suddonness Or my
increased speed batisd him. sue
ceeded 10 putting fifty yards Between
us, gained and tdtnod the next au-
gle then, drawing myeelf against
the wall, With every nerve aud mus.
Gle straided into proternatural ten.
sion, with the mighty heaving Of my
spent chest Crushed into sileuae by
an effort Of despairing will, | waited
for hin, 10 pass me hoard him
come rushing on with new strength
through tho blackness. reach an au-
gle, turn IL, striking his massive
body against the jettins stones.
heard him spridg like au animal on
along the taack. I felt his hot breath
like stoam-Sths foam of his set Jaws
flung across my fade -ihe stopped. I
felt that he was feeling ldr me--that
he was crouching on tho stones. l
saw tho red Of his eyeballs glare up
At me through the darkness. l felt
tho touch Of h!s 10y assh on my hand,
Like lightning no raised himself,
and throwing his vast weight against
ida. pinioudd mo 10 tho stones. Aid
tho mad rage of . man st bay surged
upon my brain. olaspsd my knife
oonvulsively. aud siessd him by the
throat; resolved to dio hard, u waa
hair--'it Was shaggy The hands
against my chcst had . thick coat oi
far. ! clasped him 10 my btsAst Il
was 'Lioa'-my dog. Lion !