The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1889-09-06

cOat-sJIuCk Jne wall bne man was
gone
| stood stupidity. the passage was
dark as pitch. Could he have slipped
aside, and be waiting to strike
Then-then, with a revulsion that
sent the blood curdling back to my
heart, it shot through me
How did | see him, being in the
dark
That he was there for no good was
sufficiently demonstrated but how
could ! see him / experienced curl
Gus sensation as it broke upon me that
the man had beheld was not included
in the census of this planet l felt
tingling in my limbs and buzzing in
my ears. The sensation was physical
only-mentally, may say there was
complete aud instant blank.
AS the shock passed over / pulled
myself together and retraced my steps
down the passage and into the drawing
room 1t seemed strange, that lighted
room and the common place occupants.
My steps had been almost noiseless
on the thick carpet of the corridor, and
no one noticed my approach. stood,
perhaps, for FIVE minutes in the doorway,
shadowed by portiere, and gradually
the perfect natural and human express
zion of the room and the people, chat
ting pleasantly, with the clear lamp
light full upon their familiar faces, So
bered my excited sense, began to feel
that | had come very near making my
self supremely ridiculous. What saw
or rather what | now believed | had
fancied | saw-was one OF those
strange optical illusions, born of men,
tai exaltatiop, and taking as is usually
the case, a most unexpected and
Unfamiliar form. l had been car
ried away by the music-by the
presence and close sympathy of
the girl deeply loved and had seem
no heaven born vision-but something
directly opposite to every image which,
just then should have possessed my
mental vision. had seen stealthy,
creeping, lurking, murderous
murderous- 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 thankful that my return to the
drawing-room had been unobserved. l
determined to depart as quietly as l
had come. This l managed success
fully, 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 tempo
rary halluclnation, / felt by no means
comfortable My new accomplishment
was by no means an agreeable one, and
my nerves were badly shaken.
| "Fool I" / apostrophized myself po-
litely, and glad, after all, that / 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 ill looking
friend of the passage. The dressing
room was a queer little place-one of
the few rooms of the 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 i'm
, proved upon. 1t was curious enough,
and some of its old worm eaten oak
had stood since the earliest days
: of Ghalrlee.
went to bed aud very soon. it
seemed to me, / fell asleep. Very
soon, too, il seemed to me, / was awak.
ened by--I know not what
l sat up in bed and listened intently
} thoroughly 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 howls WEI e being
stifed. Suddenly this sound ceased, and
r then came stealthy, creeping sound
, and | saw crouching figure against
: my wall-the same figure, the same
4 evil face now turned straight toward
me, the same murderous expression =
Z all, as it had, just as suddenly, appear,
2 ed in the hall.
} And the room was in perfect dark
ness.
But though the man continued tc
= gaze straight into my eyes be moved
: from, not toward, me slowly and steal
thily until he reached the door leading
7 into the dressing room, and through
i, this he disappeared.
With one bound / followed him.
forgot the deadly fear that had seizec
. upon me at sight of this monster, as ]
] believed him, of my Imagination.
I rushed after him and would have thrwr
myself upon him in another instant, haC
s not something rooted me to the thresh.
: old powerless. In vain / endeavoret
to move hand or limb, in vain l attem
9 pied to cry aloud when | found myself
: incapable of motion--I stood as il
e Observation-Disclosures speechless
a And before me crept the man. always
5 skulking along the wall.
: Now my eyes Travelled beyond hin
r to divine his destination, and there
t before the mirror of the old dressin,
a table, with her bonny brown hair all
= unbound and her little, white bare feet
/ showing beneath her loose night robe
: and in her hands the old lutte with
1 pale ribbon wound about it, there---ot
g my Go l. stood Mavisl Kueeling besid
n her was an old waiting woman. Eve
h in my speechless agony | knew l paus
It ed, trying to place her, but she wa
some one IIcould not remember to hay
n seen about Ghairlee She stroked AM
d kissed her lady's hand-my lady's ham
y and seemed to say some soothing
t word, but though / saw her lips moye
y try as / would / could hear no sounds
J. struggled frantically for the powe
a to cry aloud but my tongue was hell
by some terrible force / could neithe
: save nor warn my darling of that ghas
r tly shadow that is creeping nearer, eve
= nearer.
o Merciful God!
g Without a sound-noiseless as fat
a merciless-death giviug-the fgur
n / soaa fron, ;ta apnuob;nn. ,noatura on