The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-12-25
moment and my hair rise stiffeningon

head"
1t was but for O moment. A faint
light from the waning moon came in
through the shutters, and, as | rose,
there ose across the room a long
white figure! What? / saw it start
from the floor and grow to a mans
size or more, and as / gazed, heard
that dreadful shrek! What? No
matter. 1t was something, and its
presence returned all my combative-
ness and anger; hot, fiery wrath was
my only feeling"
"SSome scoundrel,' said to myself;
lis playing me Il trick. Some OF these
pirate smugglers have arranged ghost
for me, have they? Well, we'll see who
can play ghost the best"
AS rose lhad taken my six-shoot-
er from under my pillow, and u l
called out: Who are you? What are
you doing there, you scoundrel?' No
reply. Who are you? Answer, or I'll
shoot Still there was silence. Ny
pistol was pointed a little above the
centre OF the figure, and again | cried:
Answer or I'll shoot No answer
came, and l pulled the trigger. ! was
sure OF my aim, and yet the bullet
seemed to bury itself harnilessly into
the wall beyond. Lowering my aim |
sent another ball somewhat lower,
and then a third, almost to the ground.
Still the figure neither moved
There it stood, white, CHASTITY and UNI
injured by lead. As the third shot
lett my pistol leaped from the bed
and rushed upon the shadow form.
A box OF cartridges lay upon the table
and these | thrust into the breast
pocket of my night dress. Cooking
my revolver as | ran, | tried to seize
the intruder with my left hand, tlinging
myself with all force upon him."
Horrors! An instant later l was
thrown down, down. | knew nothow
far or where. The floor seemed to
have opened and swallowed me up.
With q crash | came to the bottom OF
the pit, bruised, bleeding and in utter
darkness"
Confused; half unconscious, I strug-
gled to my feet, and n more there
came, first that moaningcry and then
the dreadful scream which had reused
me from my sleep,'
you know how little superstition
there is III my nature-some say, in
deed, too little, for it is difficult forme
to believe in anything not patent to
my senses; but at that moment there
crept into my soul a grisly fear of
something not of this world. Il shud-
der ran through my frame. | could
feel my eyes dilate and open, to their
utmost and a sweat, cold as ice, min
gled from my brow with the blood
trucking from my wounds. All was
still rs death. tried to shout; my
throat, dry. parched and contracted,
refused it's Office. No sound came to
break that horrid silence. l strained
my eyes into the black obscurity
which encompassed them-a darkness
which pressed upon me which seemed
to hold me, breathless, in It's Internal
embrace. Nothing. A void, vast as
the universe, narrow as u tomb. My
shuddering feet stood upon q some
thingdark, dark and cold, as if they
rested on a nest of serpents; above,
around, q silent pail OF unntterable
~obscurity. My elbow touched the
wall. l started as if stung by a scor-
pion or as if ghostly hands had sliced
me from the nameless mystery which
lay around. My heart stopped and
then e the blood whirling to the
brain in sickening force. Was l mad?
Was this a fever-borD dream?"
"Some dreadful thing, cold, Shiny, as
was everything III this hideous place,
scrawled or wiggled from under and be-
side my feet. Spots red and green be-
gan to dancelike demons eyes in the
distance-formed probably by pres
sure OF the blood upon the brain and
erves.
II have twice or thrice since then
faced what seemedlike probable death;
without much feeling about the mat
ter, but the foe was visible, tangible;
not a hideous void like that l faced
that November night"
again | tried to call out, and this
time q faint, hoarse sound, which
seemed to be the voice of another, is
sued from my lips"
81 had struck my head violently in
the rapid descent, but gradually my
senses returned and drove off the
nameless dread, only to replaceit with
a feeling othelplessness, almost of des-
pair. The air vas bitterly cold, cold
with vault-likc chill which stitfened
my limbs (clad as | was in a single
linen garment) tothebone. But, with
the return OF thought came the better
feeling OF a wish to at least struggle
for existence. | tried to collect my
ideas, to in some n explain how
the strange thing could possibly have
happened. 1t was all alike reasoning
around u circle"
What had been inmy room? How
came it there2 What had it done to
me? How could | possibly have gone
through the floor? Where had Igone?
Through what agency? So, back
again to who had been in my room?
How came it there? and SO on through
the round again. The more Thought
the inexplicable became the whole
affair, but at least couldnow think
not shiver in nameless terror"
81 knew not where | was, but | felt
sure that no sound / could make
would reach the men, all of whom
were outside the fort. Even from the
ground-hoor Don it was quite Ger.
tain that, especially on such a night
with the waves beating against the
sides of the islet, no mere report of a.
pistol could be heard a distance"
"Where could l be? Was this some
trick of the thieves who had held the
deserted fort so long2 it was dark as
only a windowless vault can be even
at night. Not one ray to show me if
the place were large or small-a cellar
or a well. BY what possible agency
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