San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-18

rooms and had grown accustomed TO il, ]
rarely stopped to light one. Tonight | made
no exception to this custom, and went swing
ing down the passage toward my door.
| had found it, and was about to turn the
handle when saw before me, a few feet dis
tant, man crouchiug, with his ear cluSe
against the wall level with my door, lie
slowly turned his head and stared straight ct
me. A more evil expression | had never ca
countered, so full was it OF threatening hate
and devilish purpose.
| stood fascinated, watching the man
Presently, with hand v'ItSpread feeling along
the "all, he began CT, ing toward me; at
the same moment small bowling OF a
dog, annarently in one of the rooms, became
audible This sound and the action on his
part seemed to release my faculties ldashed
at him-made grab at his coat-struck the
| wall; the man was gone!
stood stupidity; the passage was dark as
pitch Could he have slipped aside, and be
waiting to strike?
Then-then, with revulsion that sent my
blood curdling back to my heart, it shot
through me:
How did see him, being in the darkl
That he was there for no good was suffi-
GENTLY demonstrated; but how could l have
seen him! | experienced curious sensation
as it broke upon me that the man had be-
held was not included in the census Of this
planet l felt a tingling in my limbs and a
| buzzing in my ears. The sensation was
physical FUNDAMENTALLY, l may say there
was a complete and instant blank
As the shock passed over pulled myself to-
gether and retraced my steps down the pas
..,A> ~, 4, t.
strange, that lighted room and the common
place occupants.
Ny step had been almost noiseless on the
thick CARPET of the corridor and no one had
noticed my approach. stood, perhaps, for
five minutes in the doorway, Swallowed by a
portiere, and gradually the perfectly natural
and human expression of the room and the
people, chatting pleasantly, with the clear
lamplight full upon their familiar faces, So
bered my excited Senses and began to feel
that l had come very near making myself
supremacy ridiculous. What SAVIOR rather
what l now believed | had fancied l saw
was one of those strange optical illusions,
born Of mental exaltation, and taking, as is
usually the case, most unexpected and I'M
familiar form. had been carried away by
the music-by the presence and close SYM
pdluy VI thC Sii uccpiy iONCu dll hdu
seen-no heaven born vision-but something
directly opposed to every image which, just
then, should have possessed my mental vision.
| had seen a stealthy, creeping, lurking, MUIR
derous-yesl murderous-that is what was
written in every line of the evil face and
Crouching form-murderl
| shuddered from head to foot
Then pulled myself together again, and
thonl full oot 70 tba Ira1t
had been unobserved, determined to depart
as quietly as | had come. This l managed
successfully, and lighting candle this time
at the head of the staircase, entered the
passage leading to my room and reached it in
my usual prOSaiC manner Although now
thoroughly convinced that l had been the
victim of a temporary haIlucination, l felt by
no means comfortable My new accomplish
| ment was not an agreeable one, and my
nerves were badly shaken.
Fool" l apoStrophized myself politely,
and glad, after all, that l had not absolutely
appeared one in the eyes Of Mavis and her
family, began to undress. First, however,
[ searched my sleeping and dressing rooms
thoroughly and found them quite free from
the presence of my i'll looking friend of the
passage The dressing room was a queer
tower that had stood the ravages of time and
the only one in the house that had not been,
from laird to laird added to and improved
upon. 1t was curious enough, and some of its
old worm eaten oak had stood since the ear
Hest days of Ghairlee
| went to bed and very soon, it seemed to
me, fell asleep. Very soon, too, it seemed
to me, | was awakened by-I know not
what.
sat up in bed and listened intently, thor
oughly awake.
For several minutes heard nothing
Then the dismal bowling of dog came to
me, as if from the adjoining room-and yet
it had smothered sound as if, although near
me, its bowls were being stifed Suddenly
this sound ceased, and then came a stealthy,
creeping sound, and | saw crouching figure
against my wall-the same figure, the same
evil face now turned straight toward me, the
same murderOus eXpression-all, as it had,
just as suddenly, appeared in the hall.
And my room was in perfect darkness
But though the man continued to gaze
straight into my eyes he moved from, not
toward, me slowly and stealthily until he
reached the door leading into the dressing
room, and through this he disappeared.
With one bound followed him. | forgot
the deadly fear that had seized upon me at
sight of this monster, as | believed him, of
my imagination. | rushed after him and
would have thrown myself upon him in
another instant, had not something rooted
me to the threshold powerless. In vain l
endeavored to move hand or limb, in vain
attempted to cry aloud when found myself
incapable of notion stood as if chained
crar bal r,laSS--SrlaachlaSc nj