The Meeker herald., 1892-07-09
had rendered me incapable of motion.

Do uot 'hhh- ~ ""' '''''N
There could he no Imagination aoou'
sound so distinct The low. wall
ing groan. like that oil man III ms
death agony, roso slowly on the sun
moss again; followed. as before by tho
harsh. dcv.lish cracking laugh ana
the words Joe" joe repeated us
imagined In my horror ny my own
father voice.
This time tho light did not appear
but IL new terror had boon added to
the scene. j fnnclcd heard crehk-
Ing sound. and. straining my ears III
my brain seemed TO crack. made out
rs ] imagined quito distinctly Tho
sound OF footsteps creeping toward
me across the bare plansing OF the
| i.oor
nm honest enough to comics, That
In striking another match my hands
shook like those Of man with the
pa.sy. Again everything was quie'.
Nothing visible except tho horses
with heads thrown back. covering
against each other.
was relieved by the reflection that
no material danger ut least threatened
mo; but u new trouble now overlook
mo. spilled my matches on tho Wet
hay.
sat down now In despair ana NJ !
leaned my faco upon my HAND could
7 feel tho arteries In my temples throp
l bling like triphnmmerA lett That
could never live through the romnln'
der OF that nwiul night and preserve
my REASON
rs pressed my hanis upoh my
ihrobbins tomplc, aud Nninly s'roVo
to mitigate with reason The pima Fio-
icnct OF my terror ] suddenly uttered
IA Wild cry oil horror rs i"ns wei
I cln'nmy arm or wha' ! TOOK 'or one
In III" ihrNne's wa, thro"n N"hty
around IN meek WIN 'o'u ''h'P
tina, nearly 'iransIed mo
A. struggled d" pern'oy' wan +"
sicsonlns san,' oil horror 10 release
myself from tho Shiny coils OF what !
thought must DC some sighnt'r f1plH"
that same low. mockinI deN19ish
laugh came c'c"lihs ihroHSh Va"
darkness aga n
The plunginG OF tho horses iho
h.ndish laughter groan, ANA Gaining
OF ''Joc, Joo grew louder anu NOR"
dcmoninc Till maddoncd WIN lao ror
by superhumnn effort ! Hung tho
Internal thing. whatever II Wa from
me-. heard II -,rlgc with the proven.
b!al dull ,hud ngain,, th, I'D. oi the
barn. and forgetting horses storm
darkness. di.,anc, and everything
else. I rushed from tho Internal place
aud with hair erect and the clauor
still ringing In my ears He'd, nor
paused 10 breathe I'll I had covered
the entire distance between there and
home. whor- ] arrived hnggnrl aud
ba.pn,,.r-i. "a, til. Gr,, streak. Of tho
grAy dawn tho white. winged angels
of glad drliy-ipnc.. came to meet
mo from tho east.
Quickly told my story. With every
detail and touch OF coiorins possible
you may be- .ur-. mud having succeed,
I'd by tho .srnc.,nc,, Of my manner
In suitably inpru..in. til. mind. OF
til. cn,lrc fnmiiy-n circumstance. In
View Of the character tho piac, nj.
ready bore no, n, all difficult
hi,rh-d up another horse aud. In com.
pnny with ms father mud younger
brother returned 10 tho scene. o' my
horrible ovpcri.,c.s and tho isy..,i.
cation, Ne. 10 i. thor. ia r.i.r.s.. Ia
tho noise. ana Other Ph-n"muns Viii
] nm AFRAID only disgust those i'm
aginailyc mind. which nr- always on
the alor, for startling d-nou-mcn's
Tho rnnWing sounds We found had
been produced by Tho rhahns OF tho
wagon hub against loose board IN
the hay NOW. and every time the ant
mails I.aoh-i forward after 'heir Tod
der the movement carried ru',f.
gu,,-tai .-rsring 81 ito turn Table
which simulated the sound jos
.icc. with .uilcicni holrn"s' TO niis'
lead n clearer head than iiiinr was ~.
that time
Tho d-mouiac laughter which had
.o horriHrd mo ~n' ol equally absurd
origin being simply IN" ralNinE ana
cla,irrin. "' thin loose clhpb"ir,l
high up in tho gable Whenever gust
stronger than usual struck IL For
tho Ugh, could ind no other "S-
PLANTATION other than III" only posi-.
bic fact that !, was simply ph.s.
phor.-c-ni rshslniica from iiulo
swamp near by one 81 those lum.
iuon. mc,hylic varors y.fiofsiy
snown "a. vii % the Wis.,, Jack .
Lantern ignis faiugs .ir.
Tho place was infested with rata
md 1, was doubtless their s-urr ing