Telegram-herald., 1891-11-14
A NIGHT OF HORROR.


Have yoa never read Of . persons
hair turning gray IN . single aight9
of course you have The cid story
books are fuu Of such tales can re-
mem Der aszsas Of them. stories rsek-
ing with gore aud dsnk with dungeons
and grewsome with ghosts or other rn-
eanny thinga The hsroine and some
times the hero goes to bed At night
With hair - black - tae ravens wing
and along In the night come the hor-
rers. whatever they are. and in the
morning the raven hair has turned .
snowy whftA
can remember. too that I never
used To take any stock in such storieA
! used 70 hear them read and get up
quite . respectable thrill Ut the most
horrible portiopA especially when tho
candle fickered awhile with Q ghostly
nght and then went out. leaving every
BODY In total darkness just a. deep
groan Was heard or long shuddering
s,gh ike tho wind through the weep
ing willows In . graveyard Oh. yes!
I was quite susceptible to touching
passages like those: and q sed To hurry
up TO bed aud tuck my head under the
clothes and shiver with the most timid
Of them But somehow or other could
not accept the hair-trrning part Of tho
story l knew that hair. black or
white. could stand on end. but that .
good head of black hair would bleach
itself out between dark and daylight
was a little TOO much 10 swallow.
know better now. have had liz
tie experience Of my own which-but
per ps IL is best 70 tell the story Just
as IL occurred
II was on tho roof Of the cathedral
At Milan. We had climbed the stairs
In the late afternoon OF . beautiful
spring day after paying tho custodian
the insignificant price he asked for all
the glorses visible from the elevated
position We looked through the telc-
scope-for another fee-aud had each
assured the othcrs that we saw Mount
Blanc perfectly we'll. without for q
moment believing what the others said
or convincing them that we told the
truth. And We had ended our climbs
BY ascending to the highest point under
the lantern-if It Is . lantern-by tho
cork-screw staircase. which viii scarce
ly permit any but the thinnest persons
70 pass when one is going up and the
other coming down.
We were = party Of four. and when
the roof was reached tho youngest pro-
posed ram bic over that portion of tho
structure. To this all but myself as.
sented was tired and proposed TO
rest awhile at the foot Of the tower
stairs. where tho others were 10 pick
me up on their return. 90 that wc
might ali descend together. This was
satisfactory and OF they started
For time was quite comfortable
and paid no attention to the passage Of
time, but I suddenly noticed that 1t
was getting dark and that my COM
panions had not returned. I called to
them frst in . moderate tone of voice.
then more loudly. but received no
answer. Fearing that they would be
belated on the roof started in search
of them. walked the entire length Of
the ridge Of the main roof and peered
down all tho side passages in the gath
ering dusk, but caught no glimpse OF
my companions Then descended to
the roof of the sisle and made search
there. which was also fruitlcsa be.
came alarmed a. the light failed and
ran from one point TO another. calling
ont Is ran. until I found TO my grea,
distress that I had lost my way. !
could SEQ far below me tho lights OF
the great city and hear the distan,
rumbling OF tho carriages as they
drove past on the stony streets But |
was a. effectually lost for the moment
as IL had been In tho heart Of az
African jungle without a compass ana
no Stanley on the alert to hunt me up
In the excitement and despair whici
the consciousness Of this fact produced
I rushed about so wildly that slipped
and fell on long flight of stone steps
wet with the dew which had begun TO
fall l was not conscious of any sc
rious injury from the fall, but when |
brought up 1t the foot of the stairs and
tried TO regain my footing found tc
my despair and horror that I was ut
terly unable to move my limbA was
paraiysed
The mental agony suffered is In
conceivable. Yet curiously enough ]
spent the first moments in specializing
~ TO the exact nature Of the injury ]
had sustained had broken my back
or simply injured my spinal cord? !
tried to recall what had heard my
doctor friends say about injuries OF
similar character. but could not seem
TO remember anything definite Tho
words The 9th pair" Eashcd into my
mind and appeared TO connect them
selves IN some way with my conditions:
but whether IL was the fifth pair OF
nerves or ribs or Of something else ]
could not make out ] could not un-
derstaad either how I could havo been
so seriously injured without any sensi-
bic shoek; but that my power OF loco
motion was gone there was no doubt
! could move my hand. and began to
speculate on the number OF things one
could do with ore's hands alone. This
occupied me for what seemed 70 be IN
hour: but as the train Of thought was
interrupted by clock striking the
hour Of midnight concluded IL must
have been much longer and wondered
had not heard the preceding hours
suddenly the full horror Of my con-
dition flashed upon me-. was not
only doosacd to remain whore ] WA
helpless aud alone, during The long.
chilly hours Of The night but there was
no certs,nty that ] would ever get