Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-03-20

Is not this my palace? Saw you not my
| servants? You are my guest!'
viii you not sit down and tell me
about your home? said | shuddering.
No there are secrets that can never
be spoken. Can you understand them {?
Who are you, a mortal, that you dare to
ask?
| walked slowly toward the narrow
passage of land-the bridge. But he
saw me and stood upon it. | could not
so.
Can this all be pleasantry?' thought
| |. An awful thought passed through
me which froze my hearts blood.
Pleasantly There he stood, my wild
companion, his eyes blazing, fixed pierre
ingly on me, his hands clenched, his
mouth foaming, every sinew in his body
worked up. He stood screaming, laugh
ing. Oh God | was alone with a
maniac
You are to go with me, he cried.
Where?
There. | have come to carry you to
my home He pointed with cold,
snaky smile down toward the unfathom-
able abyss whence assembled the terrible
column of inky and suffocating smoke.
gazed at him. for there was some
element of fascination in his CLASSY stare
which forced me, compelled me, to gaze.
There was cold smile upon his lips,
which were all blood!ess, and disclosed.
as they parted, his mouth and tightly
shot teeth.
There is my home-there; and have
come to take you with me. Ha ha 1!
how happy you will be Come
Still | gazed, while my heart throbbed
with slow but terrible pulsations.
He advanced one step toward me.
looked all around. The spell was
broken which enchanted my gaze. |
looked all around-a at the blue sky above,
at the scorched earth around at the hor-
rible chasm beneath There was no
hope Oh could | but leap the space
which separated me from the main cliff /
Could | but do it-but | could not
There was no hope
What do you not answer? he cried,
suddenly dashed into fury by my silence,
and stamping his foot in frenzy upon
the rock. Do you not answer? Then
must carry you with me-
The maniac sprang toward me.
With all my energies reused into
frantic action, with every sinew braced
and every muscle contracted, | planted
my feet backward against small angu-
lar rock which projected above the loose,
sandy soil, and endeayore9 to meet the
shock With wild scream, which arose
thrillingly into the air, his eyes all blood
shot, his mouth foaming, on he came
He struck me-his arms surrounded me
in a fearful embrace, his hot breath
came burningly upon my cheek | stood
firm, for despair and all the bitterness
of death had given no place to fear and
timidity, but had bestowed upon me the
GOODNESS of one in an ordinary situation
| threw my left arm beneath his, my
right | passed over his neck and around
upon his back, thus seeking to press
him to the earth
1t was a moment of horror such as no
mortal tongue could ever tell A strug-
gle with maniacl To be on a small
surface of a rock, while three thousand
feet beneath lay the abyss of untold
horrors! At this hour my heart beats
more forcibly even as | think upon the
time.
Thus we Stood breast to breast, face
to face-the mailman and HE with
his arms encirclng me; | seeking to
save myself. He pressed me toward
the edge of the cliff. He plunged his
feet deep into the ground; he laughed
mockingly, and screamed as he tried to
destroy me- But against that rock my
feet were firmly braccd, and | held him
tightly, and | pushed him, and | sought
to hurl him from me! Hurl him from
me- as well might the hungry tiger be
hurled from his prey.
OH the agony of that struggle /
know not how long it was, but to me it
seemed like many hours The wild eyes
of the mailman glared at mine all the
time, and | found it impossible to look
away His fearful face, all white, all
CHASTITY, was upturned toward me, as he
shouted in his 6endish, hooking
laughter.
oh! Heaven Oh horror Can
this, will this endure forever? cried |
in the agony of my fear. The maniac
howled with derisive shouts. | felt
that | was growing weaker. But he
was mailman; and would he grow
weaker also? A thousand thoughts
fled through me.
Suddenly the meniac gave one fear
full plunge. 1t was with the strength
of giant that he seized me- He
raised me from my feet The rock, the
saving rock-I had lost it; | was gone.
| threw my arms high into the air, and
my scream of terror assembled in unison
with the maniacs hooking YELL
Down down to the bOttomless pitt
To the home of fire and birthstone To
the endless horrors of burning lakesl'
he screamed as he gave a bound toward
the edge OF the cliff.
Inspired by sudden gift of super
human strength, by partial possession
of even mailman $ power | caught
him by the throat, and even on the
very edge, even in sight of the abyss,
| sprang back, | bore him back. |
brought him to the ground Falling
heavily upon him, | held his throat still
in fierce grasp while his own arms
were wound tightly around mine. /
felt his hot breath from his open month
as my cheek lay pressed against his
face; | heard them CRATE harshly, and
drew my head violently away, as be
sought to seize me with his sharp teeth.
In our frantic struggles on the
ground we rolled wildly about. and the
dust from sulphur and pumice-stone
assembled around us in suffocating
clouds / was half insane. | was
struggling for life | caught up
handful of the fine choking dust and
rubbed it violently over his open
mouth. 1t went into his nostrils and
lungs. He gave a jerk forward in
agony Amid the clouds of dust around
| could not see where we were. He
held me BY the hair as he sprang; a
moment after and fearful force was