The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-12-04
BEYOND THE VEIL.

If I were in your place, I would
not 60" advised friend to whom /
had announced my intention of visit
ing Nine. de Strang, fortune-teller
whose strangely worded advertise
ment had reused my curiosity.
'.And why notP" I asked.
Because" he returned, thought
fully, from what | have heard about
her. I am sure that her exhibitions
and so-called revelations are simply
the results of skillful legerdermain
designed to appeal to the superstition
in our natures. We all are sufficiently
superstitious, why should we seek to
be more so?''
I laughed. johnson" / said. lido
l look like superstitious man?"
set out that bright afternoon alone.
The address l had written down led
me to a tall, red-fronted brick build
ing in squalid street in the northern
part of the city. The locality was any
thing but inviting. Invent up the steps
to the stoop, and pulled at the bell l
listened for ring, but no sound came
from within. The door opened sud-
denly. A little. brown-faced man,
with repulsive features and head
shaped like a keystone stood bowling
in the dark hall. He motioned me
rather impatiently to enter, saying. in
broken English:
you must not stand there the door
will close"
l stepped inside and the door in
stantly shut without particle of sound,
making the hall so dark that l could
not see an inch before my eyes. 1t
was as silent as a grave, not sound
came in from the street. which was
roaring with traffic and vehicles.
"Well?" said the man, half-inter-
negatively, and from his voice knew
he was near me- l replied that I had
come to consult Nine. de Strang.
.'You can not see her now" he re-
piled in a very low tone; 'she is busy"
Il will go then and come back
again. said conscious of a certain
feeling OF relief, and desire to reach
the light. To my surprise he did not
reply. waited moment and, step
ping backward, put out my hand to the
door. A cold thrill of horror quivered
over me. There was no knob, latch,
or key-hole and felt the soft padding
into which the door closed to keep out
sound. heard him laugh softly.
The door can not be unlocked
here" he said, and I could see his
eyes in the darkness, like Goals of
fire; madame opens and closes it by
electricity in her apartments. You
will have to wait-it is the rule"
Il will return for you in moment"
said the unseen attendant indifferently,
and he went from me, trailing his
hand in a ghostly way along the wall.
Then I essayed to fight down my fears.
tried to convince myself that this was
designed to brighten and unfit me for
but it only intensified my terror. Have
you ever been where dead silence and
awful darkness make occasional sound
terrifying? 1 quaked to the core OF
my soul at the echoing of my CHASTITY
laugh. It seemed to go up, to come
down, to traverse the long hall and
bound from side to side, growing
weaker and weaker. It seemed to be
my own soul trying to desert me in the
horrible darkness. trying to leave my
material self in it's hunger for light
and freedom.
sprang toward the attendant when
I heard him returning. [ wanted to
take him in my terrified embrace, and
plead with him to open the door, but
my pride prevented it. He led me
down the black hall and into still
darker apartment the carpet of which
felt as dark and uncertain under my
feet as a pillow of down, and gently
pushed me into chair with his hands
on my shoulders. Then, with his lips
to my ear. he whispered:
''Sit perfectly still; do not stir un-
der any circumstances till madame
speaks to you, and keep your eyes in
front of you. for it is there you will
see her."
I heard him leaving. Again that
weird trailing of his hand along the
wall till the sound dies out. Then out
of the curtain of darkness before my
eyes sprang what appeared to be a
dazzling star. It was no larger than
a penny, but its briIliancy panied my
eyes like looking at the sun. Hooked
down and saw that ithad cast round,
bright spot about six inches in diam
eter on the black carpet about a yard
from my feet I could not take my
eyes from it. 1t fascinated me for sew
eral minutes; then every particle of
blood in my veins ceased to flow, for I
discovered that it was slowly moving
toward me. l tried to rise to scream,
but was powerless. It reached my
feet and slowly climbed my legs and
then my body. When it was travers-
ing my breast / felt as if its weight
would crush me to death. Presently
it encircled my face. ] was blinded
for an instant, then sprang to my feet
As / did SO it fell and ran in a waver-
ing way across the floor and vanished.
BE still" musical voice caution
ed. l looked in front of me. The
darkness was beginning to grow light
er, as dark night melts at the ap-
proach of dawn. At first it was gray.