The National tribune., 1882-06-03

! hear the distant bark Of dogs here and there
miles away, and close at hand, the wild
birds Of the forest nurmuring to themselves
IN their slcep-quaint bars of nocturnt
music. The wood-.hTush often slumbers il
this mel0diOus way, and it is the most in
describahly sweet suggestion OF music which
it is possible 10 hear
Presently, at turn and descent of The
road, l found nayself stumbling ard, when
CROPPED with my cane, ii only found pre-
carious rest two or three feet below, on {
! banks edge. ] halted, lighted my stump o.
a candle. and fixing it upon n piece of bark
IN lieu of a caEGlc-stick, put myself in The
road and trudgcd on. / had more than s
mile to 20 before / would get out into open
country and The country read, ard knew
my candle would not last me half a mile
Its feeble glimmer made the darkness darker
except for ten feet around me; but at least
! 1t enabled me to keep in the track. What
an oerie impression such dim taper creates
| lighted thus in the midst of forest The
! light, toe, seemed 10 cause sort Of uneasi-
ness to al nature slumbering around me as
passed. Strange, pattering footsteps trip
! ped away up the hillside upon the dried
leaves, and a fox yolped in the ravine across
| the branch. 4 murmur Of wild voices arose
above the hum of insects, and the croak OF
the frogs in the still places Of the stream
widest ard most unnatural of all-iu the
ridge high above me n singular, quaveriDg
voice, discordant, yet not without Il hint Of
music in it, crying Lutte! Lutte! Lute!" at
regular intervals, and seeming to keep par
allel with me as ! walked. What bird can
that be 2" I a>ked myself and still the shrill
EalsettO rang Lutte, Lutte! Lute!"
Suddenly, just as / descended into The
deepest and darkest part Of the road, ny
candle barnt out, and / Was in a midnight
blacknesS that made me step high like n
string-halt horse, and feel nay way as the
blind man gropes with his staff for curb
stone. Still, | went On rs we'll as ! could,
which was not rapidly, by any means.
There was crashing in the leaves and
among the bushes on the hillside above me.
as of some animal descending leisurely or a
diagonal course-a COW, perhaps. | thought,
or q hog, and I was too busily engaged in
picking my way, now made more difficult
by mud holes in the ruts, to give the matter
any further concern. Then, with startling
suddenness, Just as I was embarrassed be-
tween what seemed & vashed-uut culvert on
one side the road and tangling and persist
ent thickct Of eTeenbrier on the other, I
heard the cry" Lutte! Lutte! Lute!" close
before me, shifting the stiffness and darkness
like an electric shock. A dusky white form
in damp, tapping garments, fitted by me,
close enough 30 be touched, a danny hand,
cold-wet as the dew, rested upon the back Of
my neck; a thin, danl face. chilling as
death, was pressed close to mine and the
cry, Lutte! Lutte. Lute," sounded in my
very ear piercing me TO the marrow. The
shock was too sudden. / burst free from
that ghastly contact. and involuntarily raised
my cane to stTike-at what? "Lutel Lutte!
Lute!" cried the voice, ten feet away--a
sort Of exultation in ii, and then there was
q disccrdant laugh the 'Ha! ha! hal" of
which was caught up and echoed from the
hollow of the wood. !. confess my weak
ncss. / forgot the home and wife and chill
3ren ! was so eager to see; forgot the
stretches Of lonesome road passed over for
got everything but my terror and that voice.
I turned and fed as rapidly as my utmost
speed could carry me, back along The way
I had come. Tho darkness no longer had
any obstacles for me; / only needed that
voice, crying Lutte! Lutte! Lutte" behind me,
and seeming TO pursue IS rapidly rs fled
IN very short space Of time 7 came to the
old mill again, but the lights were out and
old Moses had gone home. Still running
made my way beyond. and it was not until
/ had passed the tressel bridge and come
into the clear, open space by the railroad
that I checked my fight and sat down by
the roadside 70 regain my breath under the
starlight. What was il that had frightened
me thus beyond measure and reason? How
absurd TO run away and lose all the ground
so painfully surmonnted, without pausing to
think, to investigate! All, yes. such thoughts
were easy enough now, safe in the open star
light, but they never came across my mind
in the awful dark and silence Of the lone
some road, in the depths Of the wood, with
that unearthly voice and clammy touch
upon me! What was it? l sat and rested
myself trying to imagine the cause Of my
panic. With a match l found the hands
upon the dial-plate Of my watch-ten min
utes after nine o'clock. All the lights were
out in the tail gaunt factory beyond me,
and the whole factory village seemed TO be
asleep. Not without noise, however, for
the water plunged over the granite dam into
the ROol below with q constant splash and
roar, and the rails Of The railroad track were
almost hot with the friction Of constantly
passing trains. Empty freight trains and
coal cars were going out from the city depot
IN sections, like regiments filing down road
toward the line Of battle What a shock
and Jar Of tremendous lie it was, in con-
trast with the chill, damp, still darkness of
the lonesome road through the forest! First
the whistle, hoar.e or shrill; then the flash
of the headlight turned upon me, causing
my figure to cast a long black shadow; then
the roar and rush and conclusion of the train
hurtling by, engineer and stol<er and con-
ductor leaning out to zee what manner of
object it was sitting by the wayside as they
passed; then another, and another, and an
after string Of gliding black
with fiery, snorting, dragonish
heads.