Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-06-24

purposely loft tho door ajar. The fire
h.d died down to dull glow and it
seemed to me that a breath from the
Arctic zone had penetrated the room.
l can rot describe the kind of cold it
was. NV very bones seemed to be ice.
And then 1 felt that presence!"'
The undertaken seemed terribly affect
ed even now by his recollections of that
night. 1t was impossible to resist the
infection and my own flesh was creep
ing in very uncomfortable way. He
made strong effort to recover himself
and to steady his voice, but in spite of
all it trembled with an ever-deepening
terror as he went on, curdling my very
blood in sympathy.
Il had turned out the gas when I
sat down in my chair to sleep, so that
the only light in the room came from
the diving ire. / became aware of that
presence the very instant l awoke.
Mind, sir, this is not dream. l was
as fully awake as am at this moment.
The thing was there! 1t was at the
back of me. 1t was between ME and
the door. had got to turn my head
to see it But I kiaew it s1as there!
Who it was, or what it was, l didn't
know; but was sure that some living
thing was standing behind me motion
less in the dim, ghostly light, and was
looking at ME. Ny dear sir, it was awful
to sit still and feel this thing, and try
to make up my mind to turn my head
towards it! lam pretty we'll accustom-
ed to corpses. but l can tell you that l
did not feel Just then that the corpse
out in the other room was any COM
pany for me. Well, there l sat-feel-
ing that horrible gaze fixed upon me in
the utter silence, and the death-like
cold creeping through my veins
striving, struggling to nerve myself to
look around and face the thing, what
ever it was.
"Were you ever locked up in tomb
at night?" the undertaken suddenly
asked me. l could only shake my
head in response; could not speak.
Il have been," he said; ''but it
was nothing-nothing to those few
minutes while l sat palsied with
terror with that thing behind me!
At last in kind of nerv-
Gus spasm l sprang to my feet and
turned towards the door! The sight
froze me! There is no other word for
it. Twas rigid. l could no more stir
than could arrest the motion of this
train now and instantly. My very
heart stopped its beating. l wonder
l didn't drop dead myself, for there
not six feet from me-with the livid
pallor of death on Its face and its CLASSY
eyes glued to mine, stood the corpse!
Then it began to approach me. 1t did
not seem to walk-it glided, and not
till it reached me did it make single
apparent movement. Then-just stand
up, will you? l can illustrate better
what occurred" 1 did so, and he
arose at the same time and we stood
facing each other in the compartment.
l was dimly conscious at the moment
that we were crossing Battersea bridge.
The undertaken, as he went on, repeated
upon me the actions he described.
'lhen this dead thing" he said to
me, SLOWLY lifted its arms and laid its
icy fingers on ny cheeks and moved
them gently downwards to my shout
ders, pressing hard against me all the
tims on either side, is I DO now on
you. and wherever the hands lay they
seemed to draw the very life out Of the
flesh beneath them. Slowly-oh, how
slowly they glided on downward
from my shoulders to my breast, be-
meath my coat, like this. Try to con-
ceive it-try, if you can. Wherever
they touched they drew something
away from me-somc virtue seemed to
60 out of me. And then the frightful
thought came to me that was dying
by piecemeal!-thatI was parting
with something dear to me as life-bit
by bit could feel it ebbing, ebbing-
and at last the horror grew to con-
viction. The ghoul was drawing my
life's blood into its own veins! was
sucking my substance! What lost he
gained! He enriched himself by max
ing me poor and it would end"
''Victoria"' shouted a guard, open
ing the carriage door.
.'Bless my soul!' exclaimed the un-
dcrtaker, "are we in? must hurry to
catch my train out" He seized his
satchel and was on the step before l
could sc: my breath to say: But the
story! l want to hear the end of it "
He was on the platform now. ''Oh!
there isn't much more" he called
back. "The' ghoul succeeded-that' 9
all!'' and he was gone before l could
say another word.
AS followed a porter to cab, and
all the way home, l tried to conceive
what the undertaken could mean. How
could the dead man have succeeded?
Here the undertaken was, alive and
well, and telling me the story. 1t was
very annoying and disappointing to be
so baked, after being so wrought upon.
The undertaken had left me no address,
so that l was. apparently, doomed new
er to know the solution. Only .'appar-
entity" however. When l got out of
the cab at my own door could find no
loose change to pay the driver; yet l
had some when l took the train at
Dover. My well-furnished pocket
book-though that. too. | had at Dover
was gone as we'll, and my watch and
chain had followed suit. 1t is painful
to lose confidence in human nature in
this way.-PAiiddelphia Times.
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