The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1889-12-20
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One midsummer night a farmers
boy living about ten miles from the
city of Cincinnati was following a
bridlepath through dense and dark
forest. He had been searching for
some missing COWS, and at nightfall
found himself long way from home
and in part of the country with
which he was but partly familiar.
The night was clear but in the
woods it was exceedingly dark. 1t
was more by the sense of touch than
by that of sight that the lad kept the
obscure path. He had gone into the
forest mile or more when he was sur
prised to sea feeble CLEAN of light
shining through the foliage skirting
the path on his left. The sight of it
startled him, and set his heart to beat
audibly.
"The old Breede house is somewhere
about here," he said to himself "This
must he continuation of the path
which we reach it by from our side.
Ugbl what should light be doing
there? | don't like it.
Nevertheless he pushed on. A mo-
ment later and he had emerged from
the fore t into small open space,
mostly ungrown to brambles. There
were remnants of rotting fence. A
few yards from the trail, in the middle
of the clearing, was the house, from
which the light came through an un.
glazed window. The window had
once contained glass, but that and its
supporting frame had long ago yielded
to missiles flung by hands of venture
some boys to attest alike their courage
aud their hostility to the supernatural;
for the Breede house bore the evil re-
putation of being haunted. Possibly
it was not, but even the hardest skep-
tic could not deny that it was deserted
which in rural regions Is much the
same thing. Looking at the mysteri.
GUS dim light shining from the ruined
window, the boy remembered with ap.
prehension that his own hand had as
sisted to break alike their windows
and their peace. Yet this stubborn
lad, shaking in every limb, would not
retreat. TIE blood in his veins was
strong and rich with the iron of the
He started to pass the
house at a run.
As he was going by he looked in at
the blank window space and saw
strange and terrifying sight-the fig
ure of a man seated in the center of
the room, at table upon which lay
some loose sheets of paper. His el-
bows rested on the table, his hands
supporting his head, which was un-
covered. On each side the fingers
were pushed into the hair His face
showed pale in the light of single
candle little to one side. The flame
Illuminated that side of the face; the
other was in deep shadow. The mans
eyes were fixed upon the blank win
dow space with stare in which an
older ard cooler observer might have
dlscerued apprehension, but which
seemed to tue lad altogether soulless
He believed the man to be dead.
The situation was horrible, but not
without its fascination. The boy
paused in his flight to note it all. He
endeavored to still the beating of his
heart by holding bis breath until half
suffocated. He was weak, faint,
trembling; he could almost feel the
deathly whiteness of his face. Never
theless he set his teeth and resolutely
advanced to the house. He had no
conscious intention-it was the mere
courage of terror. He thrust his
white face forward into the iluminat.
ed opening. At that instant strange,
harsh cry, a shrek, broke upon the
silence of the night-the note Of a
screech owl. The man sprang to his
feet, overturning the table and extin
gushing the candle. The boy took tC
his heels.