The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1891-07-17

%ANh'AA AAAAS NhAS ~
their ghost stories, the wind howled
without, while the city church bells
rangin the distance.
One, two, three hours had passed;
midnight had arrived, and Inez re-
turned to her boudoir; Bernino did
not retuIn-hed did notcome, although
he might have been back in less than
an hour.
''He must surely have been too
cowardly to CO." cried the girl, as,
closing the book she had in vain en-
deavored to read, she went to her
couch.
After turning out the lamp and
drawing the heavy curtains she fell in
a s~lumber-a light, uneasy slumber.
The clock struck ~ in the tower.
Inez heard in her sleep the slow mors
otonous deep strokes and half opened
her eyes. She thought she heard, to.
| gether with them, her name uttered.
but distant, very distant, and by ar
anxious, stihed voice. The wind was
bowling without the window,
cit was but the wind" she thought,
and with her hand pressed upon her
heart she endeavored to calm herself.
But this beat louder and louder. The
oak doors to her chamber seemed to
turn upon their hinges with a creaking,
piercing sound.
First one, then those more distant,
all in order, some with a faint, short
sound, others loud andlong, hair-rais-
ing-then silence-a terrible silence,
filled with strange sounds; the silence
ofmidnight, with the monotonous rush
ofwater far away, the distant bark OF
dogs, strange voices, unintelligible
words, the echo OF steps that came
and went, the rustic OF sweeping
draperies, stif1ed signs, together with
painful shudderings of horror, all in
dicating the presence Of something
which can not be seen, but whose
presence is known Notwithstanding
the deep darkness.
Trembling, Inez put her head out OF
the curtain and listened an instant
she thought she heard a thousand diff
ferent sounds. She passed her hand
ove her forehead and listened again
nothing, deep silence.
She thought she saw shapeless fig
ures move in all directions, but when
she fixed her attention upon onepoint
-nothing-deep, impenetrable silence,
BAH" she exclaimed, and again
placed her fair head upon her pillow.
cam l as easily frightened as those
poor fools, whose hearts quicken when
they hear a ghost story?"
She again tried to sleep, but in vain.
She lifted her head from her pillow,
paler, more uneasy and fearful than
before. Now it was surely no longer
a fancy. The heavy brocaded curtains
had surely rustled as they parted and
slow steps were heard approaching
upon the carpet. The sound Of these
steps was muffled, almost inaudible,
but continued; andtogether with them
was heard a rafting, as of wood or
bones. They approached nearer,
nearer-almost at the side of the
couch. Inez gave a shrill shrek, threw
herself under the quilt, hid her face
and held her breath.
The wind howled upon the balcony,
the water, in the distant fountain fell, |
and fell with the same monotonous
sound; the bark of the dogs was
brought to her ear by every blast,
and the eity's church bells far and
near rang, with their deep sound, for
the souls of the departed.
Thus passed an hour, two, the night,
a century for this night seemed to
Inez an eternity At last day broke,
and Inez, calming her fears dared to
open her eyes asthe sunbeams enter
ed the room After a whole, long
OF watching and horror the
clear and bright Light of day is very
beautiful. She stepped upon the tloor,
and vas ready to- laugh at her fears,
when, suddenly, a cold sweat broke
out over her body, her eyes stared
and a deathly paleness over
her c~ountenance, for, out OF
the window she saw, lying at the gate,
covered with blood, with the trinket
his hand, Bernino-dead.
When the frightened servants a lit
lie later entered to- inform her OF the
death which her cousin had met with
lis fight with the. wolves, they found
Ter neutrality-suspicious., gripping
With both hands, the ebony bedpost,
With white lips. and stitfened limbs,
lead.