Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-27

on their rusty hinges as swung them
open and got my team as quickly as
possible under the leaky cover.
Striking a match Just to get my bear
ings, unbitted the horses and supplied
them with hay, of which there was
quantity in one of the mows; and then
lighting my pipe, that Incompatible
solace of the solitary, l began to take
stock of my surroundings.
The storm showing no sign of abate-
ment, the thunder crashes following
each other in quick succession, and the
lightning playing wildly through the
chinks and broken shingles, began
with as much stoicism as could assume
making preparations for my present
comfort.
Selecting dry spot in the haymow,
i removed some of my wet outer gar
ments, and with the aid of horse blan-
kets succeeded in improvising a tolerable
bed; but not, assure you, with the re-
motest idea of sleep.
Nevertheless, in an hour or so, the
thunder and lightning having almost
died away, although the rain still came
down in torrents; worn out with fatigue
and soothed by the odor of the hay, !
fell into deep and quiet slumber.
How long slept I know not, but I
was suddenly wakened by the snorting
and stamping of the horses, and starting
up, became Immediately conscious of
faint blush light floating in the air di-
rectly over the seat had so lately occu-
pied.
1t resembled no other light had ever
seen, but seemed to be simply ball of
blush or amethyst colored fire, which
circled about through the air with q
queer undulating movement 1t i'm
parted to me as l looked at it strange
feeling of dizziness and nausea.
While sat staring, fascinated by the
mysterious light, was Mortified to hear
a long, low groan, coming seemingly
from the body of the wagon, followed
almost instantly by the sound of my own
name, repeated as distinctly as l had
ever heard it in my life-"Joe! Joe!
With the cold perspiration beginning
to break from every pore sprang to my
feet, and as l did so the light floated
slowly up to the rafters and disappeared,
while low, rattling laugh echoed
through the darkness.
All doubts as to the truth of the stories
l had heard about the haunted barn were
now pretty fully dismissed. 1 felt that
l was fairly in for it.
BY the feeble glare of my matches,
which only seemed to intensity the dark
ness, l strove to penetrate the wall of
blackness about me, but not thing
could see.
My heart was chilled, my blood frozen
in my veins, and l was only prevented
from dashing open the doors and escap-
ing into the more friendly darkness
without by the simple fact that terror
shall | say it?-had rendered me in
capable of motion.
Do not think it was imagination.
There could be no imagination about a
sound so distinct. The low, wailing
groan, like that of man in his death
agony, rose slowly on the stiffness again,
followed as before by the harsh, devil
ish, cackling laugh and the words,
"Joe!' "Joe!" repeated, as l imagined
in my horror, by my own fathers voice.
This time the light did not appear, but
q new terror had been added to the
scene. l fancied I heard creaking
sound, and straining my ear till my
brain seemed to crack made out, as I
quite distinctly the sound of
footsteps creeping toward me across the
bare planking of the floor
am honest enough to confess that in
striking another match my hands shook
like those of man with the palsy.
Again everything was quiet. Nothing
visible except the horses, with heads
thrown back, covering against each
other.
was relieved by the reflection that
no material danger at least threatened
me, but new trouble now overlook me.
l spilled my matches on the wet hay.
l sat down now in despair, and as I
leaned my face upon my hand I could
feel the arteries in my temples throb-
bing like trip hammers. l felt that I
could never live through the remainder
of that awful night and preserve my
reason.
AS pressed my hands upon my throb-
bing temples and vainly strove to miti-
gate with reason the blind violence of
my terror, Isuddenly uttered wild cry of
horror as long, wet, clammy arm, or
what took for one in the darkness, was
thrown tightly around my neck with
cold clasp that nearly strangled me.
As struggled desperately, with
sense of horror, to release my
self from the Shiny coils of what I
thought must be some gigantic reptile,
that same low, mocking, devilish laugh
came cackling through the darkness
again.
The plunging of the horses, the iend-
ish laughter, groans and calling of "Joe!
Joew grew louder and more demoniac,
till, maddened with horror, by super
human effort flung the Internal thing,
whatever it was, from me, heard it
strike with the proverbial dull thud
against the side of the barn, and forget
ting horses, storm, darkness, distance
and everything else, rushed from the
place, and with hair erect and
the clamor still ringing in my ears, fed,
nor paused to breathe till l had covered
the entire distance between there and
home, where l arrived, haggard and be-
spattered, as the first streaks of the
gray dawn, the white winged angels of
a glad deliverance, came to meet me
from the east.