Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1888-02-02

fortunate impulse Of foverpowering ter
ror. | flung the heavy door to, plunged
the key into the lock and shot the
bolt home. How ! managed 10 DO it
in the one instant left to me, never
could understand; ] had found the
door hard enough to op:n before. As
| gave the key last turn, something
came against the iron outside with
thud that almost shook the hinges
loose. Then there was moment Of
quiet. and l listening behind the door,
could catch a quick. hoarse, heavy
painting, % Of some beast Of prey.
Then came another great shock. and
another, and at every blow the good
door creaked and shook, but held
firm. Next there was a grating. rend.
ing sound, as if teeth and claws were
tearing at the last obstacle between
my life and its destroyer-and still
stood silent. transfixed with horror, as
in nightmare, expecting to feel the
fangs ofthe unseen Thing close through
my throat. How long I stood :hus,
tasting all the bitterness of death, l
cannot tell. It was years in agony
it may have been only minutes of time.
To feel that something fendish, bru.
tai and merciless was slowly tearing
its way to me and to know nothing of
it save that il wa death, this was the
deadly and overmastering terror. My
trance could not have lasted long.
With start, I awoke to the con.
sciousness that life was still mine and
that chance of escape yet remained.
The frozen blood again coursed through
my veins and my dead courage reyiv-
ed. I sprang to the nearest large bar.
rel that lay on its side and rolled it
close against the door to keep the pam
els from giving way. Then / took up
an iron bar that I found lying on the
foor-perhaps lever for moving the
casks-and stood ready to give one
last blow for my life. The sound of
tearing ceased / heard one deep
snarling growl cf disappointed rage;
and then the quick steps seemed to re.
cede up the stair. l stood there de.
liv-red. for @ moment.
Only for a moment, however. My
which was mere stump, sud.
denly aared. fiekered and left me in
total darkness, made darker by the
little patch Of sky seen through the
nearest window, across which still ran
an occasional flicker of summer light.
ming. In trying to strike q light
dropped the matchbox on the rock
floor. While was cropping for il l
suddenly looked up and saw two eyes.
Two eyes. say, but they were rath-
er two flames or two burning Goals.
For a moment | stood glaring, fasci-
mated at the orbs that glared into
mine. Then, as the thing turned what
seemed its head and the eyes were
averted for a moment, saw or
thought l saw dim phosphorescent
mass obscuring the faint light Of the
window. Then the eyes were on me
again, and heard the sound of tear
ing and wrenching at the outer graf
ing-for there were two, one above
the window and one inside. The out
er bars were old and rusty-strong
enough to resist any common shocks.
but not to hold against the unknown
might that was rending at them. I
heard them creaking, cracking, and
then-oh heaven the whole grating
gave way, and l heard it ring as it
was hurled aloft and fell far out on
the stones. Next instant the strong
glass Of the window few in shivers on
the foor-and there were those awful
eyes looking into mine now, with only
few bars between us. Then the
wrenching began once more at the
last barrier. II bent--it shifted
thought it was giving way, and in
frenzy rushed forward, whirling the
iron bar round my head, and struck
with all my force through the grating.
Another horrible growl answered the
blow, and the bar was seized aud
dragged from my grasp. II was found
next day, deeply indented, on the
ground a hundred yards away.
But now that the prey seemed given
over disarmed to its teeth, the devil.
ish fury of the thing seemed TO tri-
umph over the devilish cunning that
directed it. 1t gave up the persistent
assault upon the grating and writhed
against the bars in transport of his
sing rage, biting the air, grinding its
jaws on the tough iron. And yet
this was the horror of i'll could see
nothing distinctly, only q phOsphOres-
centshadow, twisted and distorted with
aponies of rsre and turning upon me