The rustler., 1891-11-20
PURSUED BY A PHANTOM.
Story Told by tho Inmate of n
Prison Cen.

AANeAA NeHrAaf
II what / am about 90 tell you makes
you smile with incredulity. Il i no
more than expect ann used to rest
ing under the imputatiou Of being
either romanticist or madmun
July z, ls7a The date Is indelibly
branded into my brain. II was "a chill
windy evening remarkable night for
midsummer Before leaving the house
] had donncd my overcoat, and it was
buttoncd up 90 my chin The street
was travcrsing was ordinarily a much
frcqucutcd one but the chilliness of
the night and the clustering wind had
driven pedestrian within doors, and
the sidewalks were almost deserted
] was walking rapidly, thinking in
tentiy OF the nczt days business en-
Eagcmcnts, but still with every faculty
thoroughly awake, when my right
hand, involuutariiy gcsticulnting. came
In contact with some object beside me.
looked up quickly thinking ] had
accidentally struck some passing stran-
ger.
There was NO one ncar-not single
living soul was within hundred Yards
of whore / stood.
! stopped. startled The thing WAS
incomprehcnsiblc Had ! unconscious
~ struck my hand against the fence?
No; impossible ] was standing close
10 the curb, and the fence was nearly
a dozen feet away. Had the wind
caught the skirt of my coat and blown
F..r.rn.ft .fr..
that was uutcuahlc Every button
was fastened, and the coat fitted so
suugIy rs 10 preclude the possibility OF
IL being blown aside. 1t was evident
Is, ] concluded, case of exaggerated
imagination, startling and uncommon
ly acute and realistic, but imagination,
for all that.
resumed my walk. A moment later
] was conscious of Il strange presence
beside me; of other footsteps beside
my own; of something that lived and
breathcd at my side but which was
totally invisible.
stoppcd. and IL paused. ! could feel
It's breath in my face cold, grave-lilSc.
terrifying. ] strained my eyes.
looked here. there. cverywhcre-
rubbed my eyes wildly and looked
again but mol there was nothing there
no human being near mel was
alone-alone except for that invisible
Thing chat seemed breathing its un-
seen life beside me.
With a frightened cry turned and
started back. | had taken only "a single
step when ! violently collided with the
invisible Thing; my hands, instructive
ly endeavoring 10 thrust IL away, felt
what seemed to bc the flesh of bu-
man being-not warm and lifelilSe, and
yet sentient with life and feeling
With n frantic effort pushed the
form aside and lied toward home-my
heart heating with uncomfortable ter
ror-while close behind me, its breath
on my neck, its footsteps ringing IA
sharp accompaniment Ia mine, came
that awful Something that no human
eye could see, but which my touch and
hearing told me was always there.
reached the steps, inserted the key
in the lock and turned it. With IA
strength that seemed herculcan.
thrust my invisible pursuer aside, and,
springing inside the vestibule slammed
the door behind me. Then ] sank help
less on the floor. do not know how
long / remained there It may have
been minutes or hours My watch had
stopped My first thought was of my
invisible pursuer. Had | shut 1t out,
or was II still with me? reached out
in the dark, but felt nothing more
aln Ls /
the doors of the vcstibule. Benumb
and exhausted ] dragged myself up to
my room, threw myself on the bed
without disrobing, and sank into a
heavy unrestful slumbeg
cannot adequately describe the eff
feet of that night of terror upon my
mind and life. From being a man OF
iron nerves, became nervous and
sensitive TO the point of actual cow
ardice. was afraid to walk in the
open air at night alone started at
every shadow-every football had a
terror for me until [ could see its
owner. When | reached home, after
being abroad at night, | unlocked the
door, sprang within and hurriedly
closed IL, us though the invisible Thing
was still following upon my footsteps
Toward the close of September an
old school chum who had been at an
eastern college making physician of
himself, and who was about TO estab-
1ish his practice In New York. came
home for brief rest and for week
or more, beside being my guest. shared
my bed, 80 tha without interruption,