The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1889-04-04

n "Good heayens!" he exclaimed
4 "is 10 possible! Little did dream
2 was riding with Doctor
1 Hush, hush. Even the wind
have ears and tongues. ! belIey,
? We now understand each other, -
. let's 1t once proceed to business.
now want Of you Just such imPOr.
tant aid as you gave me in little
ease eight years ago."
Mr.. Wells protested, beat about
the hush, pleaded this aud that rX-
|, cuse, didn't want TO be haunted by
another such memory" etc, and
yielded To- the tsmpter.
There, now, the thing 10 all set.
tied between u.s." said the doctor
al shall rely ON you. a. I did before
and ] know you won't w back Ou
me. Where's the kegs
"To the tomb"
Yes"
lin my trunk up in my chamIteT.
There's nv house. right shesd; IN
get 'em In a tEInklIng."
10 vas over q mile tO thu grave.
yard, which was at the foot of long
gentle descent, down which the doc
tor drove rapidly. Tying the horse
in crazy old shed, once used n n
1 hOuHC lOhk kOhF
| days, the doctor DOTTED his fur coat
and, taking Q big. convoy sack and 4
dark lantern, he and Well hastaned
Into the cemetery.
The sky, 50 clear when the two
left the store, was now iPterspPrsed
with feery, white clouds, drifting
slowly to the eastward, aud, ~ IL tu
favor their undertaking, the moon
had gone down leaving naught but
patches of starlight To relieve the
deepening gloom.
Cropping among the graves aud
COMMISSIONERS, they presently reached
4 low tomb, at about the center of
the enclosure.
"Is this the place 49, asked the
doctor in q low voice.
Yes"
Hush! I thought I heard some
thing" said the doctor,
They listened n moment hut heard
no sound.
only my imagination. You have
matches? Very we'll. We shall need
them. Well make a quiet job Of
it,"
Wells unlocked the tomb door,
and they descended several stone
steps to the inner door. Here the
doctor produced a match aud
scratched Il on the masonry. hut 10
Vas so damp down there. Il did not
ignite. A second attempt with
another match ON his coat sleeve
Was successful, and he lighted the
lantern and held Il To the door while,
Wells Withdrew the rusty bolt.
Just then the doctor thought he saw
something move on the floor. Tip
ping the lantern so a. to throw its
light there, they both looked down
al the same instant, aud saw a small
serpent crawling briskly away.
Wells sprang towards the lOaihsome |
reptile to crush Il with his heel, but |
IL quickly gllded into n hole. through |
a crack an the stonewoTk, and disap-
Peared. Returning, he put his hand |
tn the door, and stood hesitating.
why, Wells, what aiIs you""
asked the doctor. docs the sight /
OF a snake always affect you thus" ="
No, doctor, 1T amt that. Fact IL.
| feel mighty strange. To tell the
hOnsst truth, do dread Ia enter that
room"
TITS only the nerve Brace up,
aud we'll soon be through with our
little job. ri lead the way. How
high up ls be?''
Lower shelf. There's only one
Other-hls father--On that side, aud
he's on the shelf above"
All Ia our favor. 10 won't take
MORN few minutes. Wen quickly
Unscrew the lid aud put him into
the sack, and la five minutes more
we'll be- la the cArriagr. 80 come
ou."
THE doctor pushed in the mas
sive door, which swung, rreeklng
on lts rusty hinges. aud they both
passed In. Then the doctoF held up
the lantern 40 a. tO throw Its full
light into the fOrbidding vault, when
great heavens! there met their
vision q sight sO appalling, 81 ut
trrly horrible that Jonas Wells,
Standing q moment spPllbOund, his
eyes almost starting from their
snckets, sprang from his cOmpan
Ions side and uttering n wild shrek
Of terror, fed from the dread char
Uel house, up the stone steps, out
through the graveyard, where every
shrub aud tombstone Was 3 hooking
phantom, out upon the road, and
away towards his hOme-Ou-On-On
little knowing what he did or
" here he was only that he increased
the distance between himself aud
that terrible scene.
CHAPTER ~.
To make our narrative Ineligible.
Il IL necessary, At this point, 10 20
back q few months prior to the
events just narrated.
A young man named Herbert
Lane, belonging la WiltOnville,
clerk in in 8 hardware store In the
city Of N. had come home TO spend
his annual vacation. And the same
Herbert Lane had not been long In
his parental home ere 3 sensational
rumOr coneeI ming him was afiOat on
the Wlltonvllle air. Starting from
the upper end Of the village, where
Miss Patience tireen, q -gossiping
spinster, kept n vocal telegraph
station, ID flashed through the main
village to the extreme lower end,
tn vocal station number two. in the
small, tlIne-stslned cooper shop.
wherein Mr.. Bill Virgins, shaved
hoop poles, and, after divers zIgEag-
inRs and gyratiOns, finally brought
up ut grand station number three,
the post office. where all local gossip
Was pretty sure, like Noah's dove,
to find . Judgment. Yes, IL was "a
positive fact" so Dame RumOr
asserted, that HerbertLane had fallen
In love with Miss Nellie
Barrett, the pretty school mistress
from West Chester, who was teach
ing the Wiltonville school; that he
was spending most his evenings ut
Col. Armstrong;, where she boarded;
that he had visited her school three
times; and folly" said the two
were engaged. Aud the veraciOus
Bill Virgins added what he termed
"a clincher," to the effect that last
Sunday, when passing Colonel
Armstrong; on his way home from
the corner" he saw q light in the
parlor at precisely twenty minutes
OF twelve. All the various evidence
vas duly weighed, aud compared by
the self-constituted grand Jury AZ
their customary session In the post
office; this aud that were put
together; the chain was considered
;aUd accordingly an indiet-
ment was found against the said
Herbert Lane.
However, In Justice to the Wilton
Vile grand jury, u must be sd.
mitted that Mr. Lane was decidedly
attentive to Miss Barrett. Aud
when, Of . certain afternoon, aoou
after the Indictment by the grand
Jury, ~ Mr.. Lane and Miss Barrett :
were seen walking leisurely together
down the path from the main road
20 Bernard usher's meadow of Judge ,