The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1889-02-21
THE BLACK BESS.
Dy HARRIEl PRElOOTT RPOFTORD.

Of meroyl she ROOthed mo- Rplaeel me-
aud We took counsel together how behl
20 overcome nay difficulties but inally,
when all our eXpedienis seemed futile,
she impeatIyely hade me resign my altu'
alton, FOR Hhe felt that We were muir
dereTs, thousand times multiplied, ~
continuing % hold 90 many llyea IN risk
with the possibilities 90 which might DO
driven by my mad fantasies,
This command and enlrcaly or hefa
was after time when ! had seen tho
face moro yIyiily than before, more
beautiful, more human, more plteoua,
We were coming along an Inclined
plane, with the brakes down. AZ tho foot
Of Il tho track ran Gurylng over tho
mighty treatlo work Of tho Wlndriyer
valley. 10 was impossible 20 stop tho
train, for Ii descended already without
gteaml and ahead Of w lay tho long,
slow curve ot the trehtle work, asa
sheer abulment ot 600 feet, lllled IN with
aiding sand d-lt rose above Tho low broad
fields that 6lept oil purple aud peaceful,
IN tho silver flood Of moonlight at that
fearful depth beneath us,
There was hut a single alternatives /
could throw the hlacl, Bee and her train
from tho track No We touched tho curve,
aud we should bo dust before tho valley
could feel u5 OF the river cover uai OF,
with the face before mc, ] must crash
over and through that ono dear thing Of
oil my heart
! knew, In an Intimate and uudor con-
Ecl0umcsH, that / was deceived, but, do
what / would, u came 20 mo aB II were
eXprrieneIug II myaelt, all The uuulhllat'
Ing terror that must OVerWhclm tho Hut'
foTer a8 thut black monster and 10 rcd
hot owe advanced with the laundering
tread and shook her frame bodily aud her
aoul with vast fear / heard, Ia my
fancy, her amill Hhrieka, ua she struggled
valnly 10 rise, and escape, Hud ilee, ana
know that it was ynlnly, ! ielt-NlmoHl
with positive and phyhlcOl pHin OF my
OWn-tho brouklug and grinding Of the
bone, and thcn-l should have done It.
ihad reached out my hand 10 do It.
when, suddenly, the fair, pale i0co rose
Om tha way like u dow cloud, tho lloat-
n garment, Of the late PROSTATE form
ore gathered together, all had dihfap'
pclrcd--and We flid gently upon tho
trcFtlc-wurk, and wound our way over
itB spider line, dll kindly woods beyond
took ua intomfcty and shelter,
IHtoOd, then, powCrleEl, and could not
have lifted my hand 70 my face 70 wipe
OF tho beads Of cold sweat there II
6eoma, pcrhOpa, IN the rehearsal, little
thing 10 have endured, but can toll you
that II was the tOrturoa Of the damned,
Tho mon and women who had given
their lives into my hand that night,
mover know how, for one moment, that
hand lo0scnlng ila grasp, cltUtcd, ana
held thcm over the prccipicc and Eulf OF
death, while they gn2cd out and down,
and admired the beauty Of tho world,
and fclt their lilo and enjoyed their
breath,
Il was then Margaret said must leave
the railroads l had no right longer 10
play 40 fast and loose with the dustinio8
OF others each time / stepped upon my
platform was 70 Hlu, The wear Uul tear
Of travel and night travel 0t that, gh0
said, had hru0uu up my nervous HYalem,
which al,.l q, uay .Ursvl"l'- -luNk al
ready sustained might produce uTppOr'
able mNIortmca, " / did not leave
everything, and como down and rest
with her 40 her mothor'B
Thu last was pleasant Cuough==rcst IN
that happy house, the luwIoolCd old
farmhouse standing ON g. vcrdOut knoll,
that alwayu Ghunc HE some broad carpet
Of grocucst velvet embroidered with oil
the golden sunshine OF summer, the
house yhoro everything wUa ordered 10
tho music of peace and qWcupa5-but
thcn, hy and by, thorc was timo for
that
Was Il doyil driving me on TO st0yy
or was Il my natural manlingss refusing
10 yiold 10 n doyil and begging for one
moro uialj-l declined 90 30; stu said
nothing, and took nay train out Of Wutor-
wcy / was SO thoroughly myself on
every other topic, thnt ! could not be.
liuyc IN "a munumunia upon this one, /
invented an apology 10 myself for oyory
tlmu that | yielded 10 my puruOr-tho
reelection Of the moon IN some ditch Of
still water tho lantern Of o crossing IN
the woods tho round, white gignboard
OF q switch, the signal ballsupon draw
bridge-l affirmed that IN similarly dc.
coptyo lights aud shadows they would
havo affected every man In the samo
way as that IN which / was affected
But NJ last, the tormcntor grow inup-
portabloi II followed me from station TO
station, Os somo great, winged, singing
thing pursuos o racer, rs play on my
emotions being all the moro forciblo that
1 could mover entertain any sentiment Of
anger toward it-for there IL always 10y,
lovely, appealing and piteous, only the
face Of Margaret 10 grew plain 20 me,
and reluctantly, / was forced 20 nc.
knowledge either that my vision was
distorted and ruined, orthNt somo nccos.
aary spring IN my mechanism had be.
come lOosencd,
determined then, at last, that Iwould
consult physician, % sec II there were
any balms IN Gilc0d for my healing /
shuddcr now ut remembrance Of my
solnsh Criminality- | reasoned that
/ could do this the moro readily, rs |
knew that by tho laws Of his profession,
ho would DO obliged 10 keep my upplic0.
ton secret, aud could mako no report 10
my employers, j needed not have
foarod, as II cndsd, Old DR., Blanchard
had no time for mischief, and had, more
over such professional curiosity and
searching into things, that, II my gymp-
toms had been at all anomalous, he would
have suffered lno TO launch loaded train
Of my fellow creatures into eternity, In
order that ho night study their doyelop-
ment. However, be assured me that
II was very simple and frequent
form Of disease with which was ahlict-
cd; one taking its variation according
10 the idiosyncracies OF the patienti and
being entirely upon tho nerves. there
was no medicine 70 reach II but my own
will This was cheerful after my OK
perience. II my spiritual identity, he
Baid, was weaker than that Of my body,
II must uccumb into hopeless insanity
but, could rouse It's tagging courage
and whip II into action, all was safe and
sure, The one, the only thing, for me
10 Go was, when tho next time saw the
face before mo, to run over II, boldly and
without remonstranco-remorsolessly,
IL ] could, but 10 run over it--and l
should be well.
It WINS mn pngy thinn 10 order--but,