Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-03-07

ness, saw two other eyes; and hot on my
cheek came the breath of something
man, or beast, or monster. drew nv
| head some inches bach. the eyes, to
which mine were riveted. advanced.
felt form bending over the side of the
bed. stopped. The eyes stopped, the
| form became motionless. In the pure
agony of the manufactured by that
alone-I rose little in my bed, and bent
my head forward; the form also rose,
and the eyes, which were still fastened TO
mine, retreated. As they did so, TO my
unutterable horror | .discerned the out
| line of human face!
| It was within a few inches of my own;
and now my eyes becoming accustomed
! to the darkness, | could see that it was
covered with hair. There was dreadful
/ gibber-such as might come from an ape
| or dumb man in pain-and before my
fascinated gaze flashed two rows of
shining teeth. The creature-monster or
maniac-was by my side, ready, waiting
! to spring upon me. Hot upon my face
came its breath, while the awful eyes
shone like the eyes of tiger. 1t was on
| the spring-to tear me limb from limb.
Just one thing stayed it Just one thing
was keeping off the awful death that
threatened me. In all the ecstasy of my
terror l comprehended what that thing
was. It was the power of my eyes. l
was fighting an eye-battle with the mon
ster!
Into its dreadful eyes gazed, as though
l were gazing into the very gates of hell.
Like the eyes of wild beast, they
seemed ever restlessly pouring forth
tumultuous torrent eff passion; and ever
restlessly in search of mine, which, yet,
they shrank from when they met. Con-
stantly, as they did so, there was the
same hideous inarticulate gibber of baff1ed
rage.
Thus some two or three hours, at least,
must have passed, until the daylight be-
gan to steal in through the curtains, which
were only partly drawn.
When the light came, the sight before
me was even more horrible than my
imagination had conjured in the dark.
Crouching by the side of the large bed,
between the window and me, was man.
But such man! A tall man in flowing
gown, with long matted, unkempt, yell
low hair and beard, his face deadly white,
but every muscle in it throbbing in con-
vulsive sympathy with the fires that
blazed from his wild and awful eyes
Minute after minute passed, though I
took not heed of them. All my thought,
all my strength was concentrated into
the one weapon [ had-my eyes.
Still, I felt at last that I could
not prolong the battle much longer.
What was I to do? My strength was
giving way. The monster or maniac
was becoming more and more excited,
foaming at the lips and uttering short,
sharp cries, while his long, cruel fingers
worked convulsively, as though they
were impatient TO be on their prey.
So long as I could ward him off with
my eyes, he dared not approach me
nearer; directly, through faintness, I
dropped them, he would fall upon me
and tear me to pieces. My strength was
going. A look of exultat1on came upon
his face. The daylight had lasted now
for a long time. Oh, God would no
longer. His glare of triumph increased.
My eyes were getting dim. His face was
getting nearer and more exulting.
1t seemed as though another spirit
came suddenly into my body-I was
hardly conscious of what [ did-looking
into his eyes with a strength that did not
seem to be mine, I rose i'll my bed, bent
forward my body, eye to eye, drove the
creature back till he was more than a
yard from the bed-slipped from the bed
gave one spring the handle of
the door, and was in the passage running.
There was an awful noise behind me of
wild yells and laughter and pursuing feet.
AS [ fed, screaming, down flight after
flight of stairs, it grew nearer and nearer
The monster was upon me. A number
of people seemed to be about me. I
heard shouts and blows-a confused
trampling, shouting and scuf1ing-and
then all was dark.
u *
When I awoke was in bed. I had
been very i'll for many days, they said.
1t was long time before I was allowed
to see a looking-glass; when did, I
found that my beautiful brown hair was
quite gray. 1t had changed its color in
that one awful night. The maniac was
Aunt Judith's only child, who had es-
capped during the night from the room |
where he was confined. Aunt Judith, |
and the baron when he was alive, had |
secretly kept the poor creature since it |
had been discovered during its infancy |
20 be insane. The constant sorrow and /
anxiety which it entailed was, 1 may add, /
the cause of most of what was strange !