Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1890-03-29
A TERRIBLE NIGHT.

,ouss and could not bear 10 be So near
Without looking into your sweet owes aud
rearing you say that you aru true 10 me SO
shall ride over Ia the afternoon und. Tod
silling, shall hold you Ia my arms tonight
ioUg Owa JACK
Having despateed my days BUSH
less and sent this letter To my sweet
leart, |, the Jack therein mentioned,
FASTENED TO hire horse for the pur-
pose OF riding the twenty miles which
separated me from Alice, my be-
srothed wife. As my business-which
vas that OF travelling agent for IA
prosperous house-obliged me to bs
often away from home u chance like
this to see Alice was very precious to
me.
1t was 6 O'Clock in the evening
when started out on my horse from
the door of the inn where had been
stopping. In vain was it that the
landlord tried TO dissuade me; his nc.
count ofthe lonely and desolate road
and OF the frightful things which had
happened on il, OF the murders and
midnight horrors which hung oyeFit,
,onia has turn me from my purpose.
Even the thought that | must pass
Oy the haunted rock, in the dark
alone and with no hope OF mid, should
| require il, that ! must ride through
passes which the village legends peo-
Piled with spirits and ghosts Of the
departed travellers, could not deter
me. lspurred onward, and the dark
forebodings Of those assembled to
witness my rash departure, my hand.
lords phrophecy Of sudden and
violent storm ringing In my sars as
I went. | treated the superstiti0us
tales as merely the invention %
ignorant villagers and the sounds
which were reported to issue from the
haunted rock, as at best, coming
from the throat OF some human
enemy, against whom u pistol would
be most effective,
There we're still two hours OF day.
light betore mo, and ~ | rode along
! was lost in thoughts 81 my sweet
heart. ] seemed To sec her standing
on her yins-covered porch, ready 10
welcome me with her bright smile.
The dainty figure, with it, blue eyes
| and waving hair, rose before nv
eyes, and 50 vivid was the vision that
/ spoke her name half aloud. The
sound OF my own voice startled me.
and, looking up for the first time, |
saw that the sky was growing black.
the wind was bowling and rumbilng.
distant thunder wns In the air.
u had c1ule-the storm which my
landlord had iorctpld. spurrpd on
my horse; big drop Of rain splnshcd .
over my face, the darkness thicksned. I
ana at tbs same instant through the /
gloom doomed up the outlines of the .
huge howlder, which turn M ths
road had before hidden from my sight 4
A slight shiyor crypt over me as nv. (
called tue tales connected with Il and
thought upon my own lonely situn.
ton. Something ofthis feeling seemed
TO enter into my horse, for IA ws
nehred the rock, shouded In darkness
he trembled from hend To foot
Using NIL my strength forced him
past II, and at the same instant
there sounded upon my ear n lnw
ourst OF laughter so peculiar In ita
tone az to send an icy shoulder
through me. A something that was
not human sounded In Il. II wnA
nendish-devilish. ConquertnV nv
momeutary weakness. strained me-
eyes To pierce the darkness. IN ths
nope OF discovering the shane from,
which those sounds pruccpded bnt
oil was silent and deserted M az
8raye. Inc form must have been
swallowed up in the darkness. for /
~" nothing. A strange feeling M
uread weighed on my heart. ynpue
ma indefinite, and the night grow
blacker and hlnckqr. -"
me storm grew nearer. md mo
enort was directed to Rain sn,no
place Of shelter from the min I
looked In vain for light in ths "a.
lance; all was black and desola.o. I
torrents ofrain poured down aoaL
ing me to the skin; thunder crushed
life. e"'''l'e'i W. u Tor
,,. once between the thunder peals
seemed to hear that same low mai
laugh IN my ear, and, shuddering
whlloly spurred my poor horse .Inst
then vivid fash Of lightning illnmi
mated the road, disclosing n bm,
apout 100 feet in advance. Il second
nash enabled me to reach the onan
ny which had once been a door bnt :
.ne whole miserable place was In
ruined condition. For years Il h,d z
oeen abandoned to wind and 2
,.I Fse,arfully entered and found nv. :
III u the largest of the two ronr,.
slllch The howell boasted. Tho coiI 7
~ was broke away, and the rain 7
'oured IN upon the rotting floor and {
'eht the broken windov ' u