Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-04-28

Ehth could not say whether the latls
she had seen turned were open when she
went to the window, aul there wcra no
means of confirming the fact afterward,
because III pulling up the bind they
would, II open, be returned To their
former position. IN face of nv evidence.
she was firmly convinced that what she
had seen and heard was an extraordinary
illusion Of the sense parallel To that
which furnishes the sole excuse for a
tolerably widespread belief in superna-
tural appearances. She WAS ashamed of
the feebleness OF mind which her oxpcr-
fences seemed TO imply, and resolving 10
overcome the weakness, she resisted all
her fathers ~persIasions T., change those
conditions under which she had passed
the last two nights.
Van Hoeck alone refused to believe in
Edith's hallucination.
zone has only to hear Miss LascclleS
speak to discrcdit a notion OF that kind, y
he said; "she has every sign Of mental
vigor and physical strength, and to &C
cuse such n Sirl'of that kind of morbid
insanity called hallucination is Just as
creditable to your understanding rs to
believe IN the simplicity and honesty OF
a vagabond Californian call-sharper and
the half-hree wench hC chooses TO call
his daughter
When nj ght came, he sid to me, after
we had separated from the rest:
This is no time for sleep. Thorne; we
must watch through the night, whether
YOU like it or not, If ii IS oa(y for Mss
LascclleS' sake"
! readily agreed to this, and for an
hour we walked or a part Of the lawn
from which | could see Edith's window.
Then the rain, which had been drilling
COR some time, fell heavily, and forced
us to 20 III.
We changed our boots for slippers. ami
sat together IN my room, | with a BOOK,
he with his chin in his hands. his face
hideous with the light OF the lamp on his
%protruding eyes.
Heaven knows, | was not wanting in
love for Il 18th. or solicitu L. for her wei
fare, and vet [ could not keep awake. Ii
must be remembered that | had no sleep
the preceding night. and hat | did be-
l,cve in Elith's hallucination, AMI there
fore saw no actual danger menaCing her.
| tried to interest myself in the book, but
NV thoughts grew confused, the type
swan before my eyes,, and helped to be
muse my senses. At length | put down
the book, and shaking my wits together,
l said to Van Hoeck:
Let us talk"
Talk" he mutrered, scornfully; "whv
not ask me to sing YOU n comic song! If
the Hid were here | suppose you wouldn't
want me to amlse you You could keep
awake until three or four in the morning
watching her, but as it's only your flu
ture wife who is concerned, you are log
headed before Midnight
This sarcasm did not prevent me doz-
ing again a few minutes later. | vas
ashamed of my drowsiness, and after n
minutes dozc / would wake with guilty
start, only TO drop off again in n few
moments. / know not how long this
had been going on. when Van Hocck
shook me by the ARM, and woke me
thoroughly.
1T is counting destruction to sit hero
with the door olnl," he sad. zone Of us
bind. and the other dead asleep. | can
not stand it any longer; it rs intoierabie.
Tell me if 1t rains
went 10 the window, and found that
the ram hal ceased. | told him this.
Il Will 20 out; take me down 10 the
door" he said.
hi, umbrella and hat. Then | took mine
dhh Oi'cllt'' w 'l''i b"i'ti. i'''i'1 ~
:,maha Eli,i.. Z would have accent
panied him, bat he refused, saving night
aAd day were alike To him, ANA no knew
his way along the paths and about the
lawn.
"Go back TO your room and fastcn
yourself in he said, at is orr only Sc
curity. Tap at the window to let me
know that all is fast. ! beg you To do
this he added, earnestly; you cannot
understand the feelings Of a man in my
.osition-the torture Of conscious impo-
icncy. as You feel the approaching fate
that YOU are powerleas to avert"
His voice ratified in his throat. and in
' distinctly | heard hun mutter. as he