Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-08-22

4 True Ghost Story.
By E. j. BIDDLE.
Continued from Yesterday

lyon known how little superstition
there is 10 my nature-sope say. indeed.
too little, for it is difficult for me to be-
lieve in anything not patent to the senses ::
but at that moment there crept into my
soul grisly fear of something not Of this
world. A shudder ran through my frame.
could feel my eyes dilate and open to
their utmost, and q sweat. cold as ice,
mingled from my brow with the blood
trickling from my wounds. All was as
still as death. tried to shout; my throat
dry, par.hed, and contracted, refused its
Office. No sound came to break that hor-
rid silence. | strained my eyes into the
black obscurity which encompassed me-
darkness which could be felt. which
pressed upon me, which seemed to hold
me, b-eathless. in its lnferna, embrace.
Nothing. A void, vast as the universe,
narrow as tomb. My shuddering feet
stood upon something dark. dark and
cold. as if they rested on nest of SER
penis; above, around. silent pail of un-
utterable obscurity. My elbow touched
the wall started as if stung by scorp-
ion or as if ghostly hands had seized me
from the nameless mystery which lay
around. My heart stopped and then sent
the blood whirling to the brain in sicken-
ing force. Was mad? Was this fever
born dream?
Some dreadful thing. cold. Shiny. as
was everything in this hideous place,
crawled or wriggled from under and be-
side my foot. Spots red and green began
to dance like demons eyes in the distance
formed probably by the pressure OF the
blood upon the brain and nerves.
II have twice or thrice since then faced
what seemed like probable death without
much feeling about the matter, but the
foe was visible. tangible; not hideous
void like that l faced that November
night.
again ! tried to call out and this time
faint. hoarse sound, which seemed to
be the voice of another, issued from my
lips.
Il had struck my head violently in nv
rapid descent, but gradually nv senses re-
turned and drove off the nameless dread,
only to replace it with feeling of help
lessness, almost of despair. The air was
bitterly cold. cold with vault-like chill
which stiffened my limbs, clad as | was
only in single linen garment, to the bone.
But, with the return of thought, came the
better feeling of a wish to. at least. strug-
gle Tor existence. | tried to collect my
ideas, to in some manner explain how the
strange thing could possibly have hap
pened. 1t was all like reasoning around
in circle.
what had been in my roome How
came it there? What had it done to me?
How could possibly have gone through
the floor? Where had gomez Through
what agency? So back again to, who had
been in nv room7 How came it there?
and so on through the round again. The
more thought the more inexplicabe be-
came the whole affair, but at least | could
not think-not SILVER in nameless horror
81 knew not where l was, but | felt
sure that no sound could make would
reach the men, all of whom were outside
the fort. Even from the ground floor
room, it was quite certain that, especially
on such night, with the waves beating
against the side of the islet, no mere re-
port of pistol could be heard at such a
distance.
"Where could I bep Was this some
trick of the thieves who had held the de-
serted fort so long? 1t was dark as only a
windowless vault can be, even at night
No one ray to show me if the place were
large or small-a cellar or a well. By
what possible agency could l have been
hurled into this pit? had paced over the
whole room and there certainly was no
opening in the floor, unless it had been
most carefully masked. Besides this,
felt sure that my fall had been much
greater than the distance from the room |
had slept in to the cellar. NV brain was
| Gill hot olArlaI Lx, 10
head had received. and which l thought
had been struck just before my fall. or,
rather. before nv being violently thrown
downwards.
fortunately my pistol was still in nv
hand and the box of cartridges in my
pocket. l felt carefully tor the wall.
placed my back against it, and. determin-
ing to sell my life dearly if attacked,
waited a moment in silence. All was still.
Taking the box as noiselessly as possible
from the pocket of my night shirt / re-
loaded the pistol. Still nothing. But l
was freezing. The shiny stones beneath
my bare feet were rapidly chilling my
blood. If 1 fire my pistol, thought, l
may see where am. fired twice.
1T was the cellar Which I had already
visited! had only, then. fallen some ten
or twelve feet. l at once remembered that
to this cellar there was door leading, by
an external flight of stone steps, to the
ground in front of the room in which had
slept. Another shot showed me the door,
on which, however, there was a heavy,
old fashioned lock without a key. Half a
dozen shots from my revolver broke the
rusted iron-and was free
Covered with blood and slime, I stood
at length beneath the stars my head ached
violently, my teeth chartered with cold,
but was free! o, the delight Of that
moment! Free!
My first feeling was that it was nv
duty to call some of the men and search
the house but that could not bring nv.
self to do. No; I must not be seen bv
them in such a plight, nor must thew come
until had solved the mystery My own
outer door was too securely bolted to force
open; but making nv way through
another entrance. easily blew the lock
off OF an inner door of communication
Graspipg my pistol tightly cautiously en-
tered. There. directly across the room,
was the figure!
Bang bang! and sent two more bull.
lets crashing through it. Whatever it was
it certainly was no living thing. If not,
what then? What or who had struck me
the blow? What had opened the solid
! floor and cast me into the nit henoatb .