The state journal., 1884-11-08

! Hooking into that strange and mysterious
house, observed that those behind held
more lights, though the room was bright
enough already, while the foremost car
ried dishes. But had no eyes for the
meat and drink they brought, nor fol-
anything but a girl in their midst /; and ii
was Just the same with Vermudyn, saw
| in an instant only, while | was full OF
horror and dread / couldn't shake off or
overcome, Vermudyn felt no fear, no
surprise only an intense delight flushed
! his face with Joy, and his eyes glittered,
as he came foreward eagerly to meet the
girl, who, it seemed to me, was pale as
death, with eyes that glowed like flame.
81 think | never saw so colorless o
creature to live and move-if indeed she
did live. And her hair-redder, and yet
more golden than the chain Vermudyn
held-was coiled round her beautiful head
in the same snaky folds. She never looked
| at me for an instant, but went straight to
Vermudyn, aud putting both her hands
| in his, said some words in q strange Ian
guage that sounded like spoken music.
| 1t was the sweetest voice l ever heard, and
the softest He answered in the same
tongue, laughing and clasping the hands
she put out to his. From that minute he
fell under her spell, and had no eyes for
anything save that strange white woman.
''She poured out the wine for him, and
he drank it with feverish haste, still
holding her hand. l noticed, though,
that he shuddersd when she first touched
him, as if her hands were icy cold ; but
he felt that no longer; as he was just mad
like and stupid, as bird is with snake.
He could only watch her with wild eyes
that never left her face.
"The men and women who came in
with this awful, beautiful creature were
dark mostly, and reminded me OF the
gipsies used to see when | was boy at
home in England.
''Still l had no power to speak or
move from my place, but watched Yer.
mudyn more eagerly than ever. The
supper table was pushed on one side; and
the room was now filled with dancers,
dancing madly to a wild tune, which
rose louder and higher, and the dancers
moved faster to keep time with the un-
earthly music-unearthly and wild, but
so beautiful that / could have listened
forever, thought At times it seemed
like the wind singing through the aspens
at night; then it rose to roar like waves
breaking on the beach in storm. Yet,
with all the changing sound, the roar of
storm, and wailing of the wind-tears
and laughter and pain-the music still
kept time and tune and the mad dance
went on without pause.
Foremost among them all were Yer
mudyn and the woman in white with
the glittering eyes and hair. He was
holding her fast in his arms as they flew
round; her head lay on his shoulder and
his face was bent down over hers. But
could see, as. watched him, that he held;
and her great eyes blaZed with such awful
light | shuddered to look at them; while,
as she danced and clasped Vermudyn, |
fancied tinge of color came into her
white lips, and her cheeks were a shade
less deathly.
"Still they danced, and still she grew
brighter and still she grew brighter and
warmer, but not like woman yet. And
Vermudyn, like a mere straw drifting
round and round in a whirlpool, became
weaker and fainter, every minute, and
his face now was something CHASTITY to
see; but his eyes were still fixed on the
girl, and he could see nothing and feel
nothing beside. Her shining hair had
got loOsened in the dance, and seemed to
be flying around them like thin golden
flames as they moved.
cit was she, now, who held Yer
mudyn up and forced him still to dance.
His arms were round her yet; but her
strength alone sustained the fainting
man. She flew round as easily as ever;
her feet scarcely touching the ground.
,Ns-, I'D fnr
music and laughter, shouts and screams
that made my blood run cold, with
snatches of old songs between, were all
mingled together in one hideous mighty
roar.
The faces of the men, or the demons
who took their shape, got more fiendish,
as they danced; when suddenly the
dancers swept out OF the room in wild
crowd, just as they had entered it, and in
their midst Vermudyn, lying dead, or
senseless, on the floor. / tried to move
to reach him somehow at that desperate
pass; but couldn't stir finger. strug-
gled to shout alOud-to call his name. |
might have been dead, for all the help l
could give him. ! had no power to speak
or move.
Directly that dominiacal crew left the
room the lights seemed to fade and the
fire grow dim. Thick darkness fell over
everything, and could not see ray of
light from where now lay like helpless
log.
Il remembered nothing more until |
opened my epes in broad daylight, stiff,
and shivering with cold. L was lying at
the entrance of little cave among the
rocks, wrapped in my blanket, and close
to the embers of dying fire. My horse,
| saw, was picketed not far from me.
II was still in the Devils Panniken,
sure enough. saw the road by which
we had come last night; but the place
was strange to me; these were not the
rocks l had seen before, which surrounded
the place where we had spent the
night.
1--WE? was quite alone now, and broad
awake The house and all else had van
ished. AS the recollection of the past
night came crowding back, sprang up
and looked around me in wonder. The
house-the very room-in which I'd been
was so distinctly before my minds eye,
that stood staring in amazement to find
myself alone, No vestige of the
of the house I've described to you, and
no Vermudyn either l told myself that
l was clean mad. l searched for him in
a sort of frantic hurry, and shouted his
name, but heard only the echoes an.
swered me.
Il tried to get farther into the cave at
the mouth of which I'd been lying; but
I soon found the way closed by big
chunk of rock. There was no other out.
let to the cave, and there was nothing to
explain the mystery. There was no sign
of Vermudyn or his horse; that no doubt,
had strayed during the night.