, 1890-09-25
ORDINARILY I'm not easily
disturbed, as any Of the boys

Idaho, sometimes not seeing white
face for days I've got used to odd
things happening. But heretofore
all my experiences have been of an
explainable kind.
| possess little imagination, and
my romnncing, If written, would
not cover small page. You see,
my life has been too hard and prac-
tical for fostering unhealthy senti-
ments. The everyday world re-
qured all the thought could mus
ter. However, this first weird epi-
Bode suffices to convince me of the
power of the unseen. l can only
make of 1t that "there are more
things In heaven and earth than
are dreamt of in philosophy" But
I've concluded that II the being /
saw Is In the flesh, and should he
cross my path, instinct will tell me
he is poor Toms murderer
had done n great deal Of run
ming about that day, and was so
tired that Immediately after re-
tirlng I fell into heavy, drenmless
sleep. Suddenly / awoke with n
start, nameless, indeiinable dread
expressing me.
In n flash / seemed as conscious as
though sleep were to man an un-
known state. Every sense was OH
the alert, strained to the highest
tension, as If expectant Of danger.
My limbs were rigid, my blood
turned to ice, while the frightfully
loud thump, thump of my heart ap.
peared to fill the whole chamber
with sound.
Swallowing the lump which on
my awaking had risen in my throat,
/ tried with starting eyeballs and
uplifting hair to pierce the solid
blackness which surrounded me. l
could see nothing, could hear moth
ing. l reasoned with myself that |
had probably been dreaming, and
that the overtaxed condition of
body and brain accounted for the
singular manner of awaking, rs well
as for tine nunibness of my limbs. |
mentally asked and answered all
sorts OF questions, doing my very
best to overcome the peculiar dread
which still hung over me.
Then | thought I'd light the gas
but, rs / reached for the matches
some impulse held back my hand, !,
my mind acknowledging there was
no one in the room, and certain ~
nothing which l should fear.
When I had retired, my room
was partially lighted by the moon,
which sent pale glow through
the one large window, which was
covered with naught but fiimsy
lace curtain. At this time it was so
dark that knew the moon had
gone down. Some of the stiffness
began to leave me, and turned
partly over OH my right side, already
beginning to call myself harsh
names for being 30 foolishly dis
quieted, when | fancied / heard n
peculiar, cracking noise, just as
though some one were rattling II
newspaper, or turning the pages. i
listened for repetition OF the
sounds. Then / distinctly heard
the clock In an adjoining room strike
Q, and, thinking that i was acting
very much like II girl who'd read n
ghost story before going to bed, | con-
cluded I'd be more comfortable II i
got up and took smoke. Once
II
which were on the washstand, when
that rustliug sound again flied the
room. A chill wind passed over me,
all my energies collapsed, and l
again felt myself becoming rigid. /
tried to move, to cry aloud, but in
vain. The mad leaping of my heart
and the anguish of my mind We're
immcasiirably beyond anything l
ever felt, and, but for these and
the sitting at my mouth. L might
have been dead, 80 helpless was l,
or chained by an incomprehensi BILE
passiveness. My eyes were staring
toward the spot from which the
sounds seemed TO issue, but all was
inky darkness; soon this began to
dissolve, leaving luminous, circu-
lar space whose diameter might
have been six feet.
AS gazed this pale circle seemed
to grow in depth until 1t assumed
the proportions of u cylinder whose
surface was opalescent, and whose
farthest base was formed of the
luminous space first behelf. The
light In this circle began to condense
itself, to culver and shift like the
moon when clouds are passing over
it; tremulous shadows formed and
became distant objects. The circu-
lar luminosity was now sleeping
chamber of medium size and mod
ern character. A bed, bureau and
trunk stood on one side, and, as l
thought, parallel to my own bed:
On u line with these things, and
facing me, was a door; between the
door and wall, diagonally opposite
me, stood large wardrobe. In the
corner, between the wardrobe ana
door, was O space which held some
dark object that gradually shaped
itself into large man, whose lace
and head were hidden by thick
blackness. He was tall, over six
feet broad shouldered, muscular,
and clothed In white under gar
ments of n common kind; his large
feet were bare and his arms folded
across his chest. Whenever the
cracking noise was heard he would
bend forward, and, as the arms
unfolded i noticed that one hand
held large and peculiar dagger.
AT this stnge of my trapce, spell, or
whatever scientific persons choose
to call 1t, though III take my oath
/ was wide awake, | heard the wind
shake the house and the rain patter
on the roof. Were / asleep l could
not have heard this, nor could l
state the time Of the clocks striking,
which, as before said, was at 2. l
tried harder than ever to break the
thrall which bound me, yet