Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-06-26


see these" And to aid me In discern
ing this imaginary object he rose and
went toward the window and looped
the blind still further back. There
see 1t nowr'
NO." l said, n don't see II YETI
and | hoped he would try TO pull the
curtain still further back, or pun II
down, or something anything to divert
his attention from me a moment longer,
that might leap from the bed and bolt
, out of the room.
! | was already sitting up, and to glide
down upon the floor was the work OF
an instant; but at that moment the
mailman, annoyed that couldn't see
, the church spire, dropped the blind,
turned round quickly, muttering,
Blind, blind, and instantly compre-
hending my intention TO escape bound
ed toward me with spring like n wild
cat. and catching hold of me with his
bony hand waved the cleaning knife
over me in such close proximity to my
face as to be anything in the world but
pleasant.
20 you will. will your Just lie down
there; still, now, still, or I'll kill you
before the half hour Is up. Lie down. Z"
And with herculean strength he
lifted me mp with his one hand-and I
was no feather In weight. | can tell
you-and bounced me down with a
force that shook the whole bed.
did lie down, and seeing that was
inclined to obedience, he direct "a my
attention to the window again by in
quiring:
do you see the church spire nowP'
D didn't see 1t any clearer than be.
fore, 1t being slightly impossible, as nc
church spire existed within ten miles
3 But | saw that the maniac was getting
> irritated at my want Of capability e
! see what did not exist, SO | thought Il
1 might be as well to keep upon good
terms with him, and to his question
this time admitted did see the spire
'Ah, good. good Well, under tina
y spire Is a church, and around tn,
church Is n graveyard. There liv
and there | came from. It's very lone
Q some sleeping there in the damp, COLI
! ground, and the grave worms-ughl :
y to feel them creeping along over one
l. skin, SO Shiny and slippery and cold
. banqueting upon the warm flesh of tn
n dead They say the dead are cold; it
lie, air, a liei Feel my flesh; Is |
It coldr
10 He barred his skinny arm and force
N me to lay my hands upon it.
10 There. is that coldr
v told him no.
as sis Il warm
Of l replied that II was. and he COZ
d tinued:
ID They make it cold, the grave worn
e; do. They make it cold and Shiny
OF the crawl over it, Did you feel I'll
i'll grave worms on your flesh3'
of shuddered with disgust as tol
Of him No"
tn You didn't, ehl Lucky dogl luck
dogl But you're not dead yet; wa
d. awhile, and you'll feel them just as
ly do. Pretty soon.
Dk And he whirled the carving knit
n round and round his head and the
TO brought it down with a sudden swoo
Iy till he grazed my throat.
ID With cry of agony, not for ii
ne slight scratch, but the horror of min
no under which was, recoiled from til
10 glittering blade, sluddering as IL
10 would have sunk down through I'll
Iy bed-down, down through the foo
re How | wished In my soul that coul
k have done so-down anywhere out {
I that horrible presencel With lou
laugh the maniac observed my terrol
"a and then he said:
g Frightened, ehl Frightenedi
E, won't kill you for half an hour ye
II TN going to experiment upon. you.
he think I'll bleed you to death, just
he try how long it will take you to di'
o En- what do you think of ite'
le What did think of iti My God
| thought nothing, only that would 500
Dy be dead, or as mad as my companion
fe II some deliverance was not soon opene
ne up. never prayed much God forgiy
OF mel--but just then | breathed SOM
no thing, | scarcely know what. for aie
n, for help for deliverance know tha
lie | dared not attempt to escape Ny fir
Mt movement would have been the signi
Id for my death blow, and If calle
as aloud | might not awaken any one
the house. but merely infuriate I'll
ne mailman TO such an extent that b
,k might Immediately butcher me. Win
I'd under heaven to do knew not, and
lis the maniac in his desire TO 'exper
] ment" should open n vein | must il
co evitably bleed to death. Meantime
e, was waiting for an answer to his que
y, ton, which he repeated rather angril,
4 What did think of his proposal
bleed me to deathf'
a. ] was about answering somethiI
Du desperate, and giving myself up (,
n. lost, when a bright idea flashed aero
NJ my troubled brain o how devoutiy
thanked heaven that had read Il
nd Arabian Nights" in my boyhoos
d, There was my idea, which as yet on
heaven knew whether il would be su
nd cessful or not; would tell him stori,
ON and beguile his fancy until morning
ht
| I and then. surely, would have som
,as means Of escape. answered his que'
70 ton by another.
Ir. Suppose ! tell you story abou