News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-10-04
A TERRIBLE NIGHT.

p without look4hg into your sweet eyes and hear
ing you say that you are true to me, so I shall
ride over i'll the afternoon and, God willing
shall hold you in my arms tonight.
Your Own JACK.
Having despatched my days business
kand-sent this letter to my sweetheart, l.
the Jack therein mentioned, hastened
to hire horse for the purpose of riding
the twenty miles which separated me
from Alice, my betrothed wife. As my
business-which was that of travelling
agent for q prosperous house-obliged
me to be often away from home, a chance
like this to see Alice was very precious
to me.
1t was O'Clock in tsS, evening when
[ started out on ny h0r kaom tha door
Of the inn where | had heen stopping.
In vain was it that the le2adlord tried to
dissuade me; his account of the lonely
and desolate road and. of the frightful
things which had happened on it, Of the
murders and midnight horrors which
hung over it, could not turn me from
my purpose. Even the thought that
must pass by the haunted rock in the
dark alone and with no hope of aid =,
should / require it, that ] must ride
through passes which the village legends
peopled with spirits and ghosts of the
departed travellers, could not deter me.
[ spurred onward, and the dark fore
bodings of those assembled to witness
my rash departure, my landlords
prophecy of sudden and violent storm
ringing in my ears as | went. [ treated
these supcrstitious tales as merely the
invention of ignorant villagers and the
sounds which were reported to issue
from the haunted rock, rs, at best, COM
ing from the throat Cf some human
enemy, against whom pistol would be
most effective.
There were still two hours of daylight
before me, and as l rode along was
lost IN thoughts of my sweetheart.
seemed to see her standing on her vine-
covered porch, ready to welcome me
with her bright smile. The dainty fig
ure, with its blue eyes and waving hair,
rose before my eyes, and SO vivid was
the vision that l spoke her name half
aloud. The sound Of my own voice
startled me, and, looking up for the first
time, I saw that the sky was growing
black, the wind was bowling and rumb-
ling, distant thunder was in the air.
1t had come-the storm which my
landlord had foretoId. ! spurred on my
| horse o big drop of rain splashel over
my face the darkness thickened, and
at the same instant through the gloom
| loomed ND the outlines of the huge
bowlder, which turn in the road had
before hidden from my sight. A slight
| shiver crept over me as | recalled the
tales connected with it and thought up
on my own lonely situation. Something
of this feeling seemed to enter into my
horse, for as we neared the rock, |
ShrOuded in darkness, he trembled from
head to foot.
Using all my strength. 1 forced him
past it, and at the same instant there .
sounded upon my ear loud burst of
laughter so peculiar in its tone as to .
something that was not lg1nan sounded .
III it. 4t-1xes -slena A. illsh. ls-'p.s- +
querin2 my tnor1eltafy weakness L
strained my eyes to pierce the darkness,
in the hope OF discovering the shape
from which those sounds proceeded,
but all was silent and deserted rs the
grave. The form must 2aye been swal
lowed up in the darkness. for / saw
nothing. A strange feeling of dread
weighed on my heart, vague and indetfi-
mite, and the night grew blacker and
blacker.
The storm grew nearer, and my effort
was directed to gain scriSe place of shell
ter from TIE rain. looked in vain for
light in the distance all was black
and desolate torrents of rain poured
down, soaking me to the skin thunder
crashed, and my poor horse galloped as
if for life.
; Once, between the thunder peals, I
seemed to hear that same low, mad
laugh in my ear, and, shuddering, [
wildly spurred my poor horse. Just
then 8 vivid flash of lightning illum'na-
ted the road, disclosing aohut about 100
feet III advance; a second fash enabled
me to leach the opening which had once
been door, but the whole miserable
place was in u ruined condition. For
years it had been abandoned to wind
and weather.
Fearfnlly I entered aud found myself
IN the largest of the two rooms which =
the hoyeI boasted. The ceiling was
broke away, and the rain poured III
upon the rafting floor aud beat through
the broken window.
Nothing more fearfnl and more wild
could be imagined, but still welcomed
it, and, turning the poor horse loose
outside, ] passed into the inner room.
A lightning flash i!lunined it, and,
site wall, l saw the form Of man, his
face distorted by smile Of wicked Gun
ming, and, as the darkness fell again a
shrieking laugh mingled with the thun-
der.
Made desperate by TIE e4terroIs Of the
night and of my loneliness. I struck n
match and rushed forward !; but the fig !
ure was gone, the room deserted. Tun-
ing, l passed into the first room, bat it
was equally tenantIess. Full of Won
der and of strange forebOdings
chose a dry spot and threw myself
upon the floor and tried to sleep. Vain
endeavor the figure haunted me, ana
often, as fatigue overpowered me and
sleep seemed on The p0iEL OF relieving
me, the memory of tir,tt Izz~e5hter would
ring through my brain; and | would
start wildly up to find myself alone
upon the floor with the storm still raging
without.
Finally, quite exhausted. fell into a
deep slumber, which lasted know not {
how long, but which was suddenly and
violently broken by that same demonlac
noise.
"This time [ tried to rise, in vain; a
fearful weight was on my chest. Strain
ing open my eyes I beheld the light OF
the moon, which now shone Through the
window, that same mans face bending
over mine. Terrified beyond eXpr, ssion
L struggled to free myself OF the creature
upon me; but my arms and legs were
fast bound; the same GINNING smile dis
torted the face, and the lcering eyes
rolled as l struggled vainly. L strove
to shrek, but the sound came not; a
faint gurgle was the only result of my
frantic effiorts.a
At the samex7slant the creature above
me rose, and with chuckles and leers
drew forth coil of rope. Nodding his
head and gibbcring, he arrangeda moose,
and with another blood curdling laugh
he placed it about my neck.
My God, the agony Of that moment,
when realized that was absolutely Mt
the mercy of that madman Tighter and
tighter he drew the rope, until my face
grew black with suffocation and my eyes !
and Tongue started from my head. |,
Consciousness was almost gone, when
the pressure was slowly, steadily re-
laxed, and the maniac's features glare
down upon mo once more. | breathed
again; lie had spared me; the rush of
joyful feeling Oyercame ne. He marked +
the expression of ny face, and, chuck
ling, drew the moose again, exulting to
watch my fac purple and my eyes pro
trudc. Twenty times I thought my
death agony Mt hand, and twenty times,
with maniaax GINNING he restored nv