Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1892-07-21


around. What | expected to soc
can say. but something horrible
The match lasted so short a time
1t was necessarily a brief and i'm
perfect SURVEY, and / struck another
and another, bat could see nothing
There was an end of tallow can
die on the unpainted wooden tabl,
which did duty for washstand
But that was at the other side o.
liss rsosn, and 70 save niy life
could not summon courage to ger
out of bed. | am ashamed to con,
fess it, but an absolutely paralyzina
terror had mastered me. literally
could not stir. l lay still, with
closed eyes, trying desperately hard
to 60 to sleep, but try as hard as
might that touch reused me again
and again.
What was it?' | asked over and
over. | could not be dreaming.
knew | was not asleep. Twas broad
awake, and every nerve in me was
twitching and quivering with ex-
citement. And now, as I opened
my eyes and looked fearfully at the
corners OF the room, trying to pierce
the shadows as people will do when
badly scared in the dark, a strange
thing happened, which l don't sup
pose anybody will believe, but it's
rs true as that I'm living.
The room, as / have said, was
intensely dark, but as l looked
toward the outside wall, it seemed
to me it was not quite so dark there
as elsewhere. A faint, luminous
haze seemed to grow out of the
darkness, and as | gazed at it breath
lessly, it gradually took form and
substance, and. grew into the pale
likeness of a human being, with
something, but could not see what,
crouching at its feet. / rubbed nv
eyes hard and stared at these
strange appearances until / seemed
crouching on the floor was the
shadowy presentment of dog. AT
the moment / fancied / had made
this discovery, long, low, mourn
full howl sounded through the room
the most doleful and lugubrious
wall l ever heard. At the same
instant, shodowy hand from the
human figure seemed to point to
spot on the floor over which it
lowered. Then the apparition
and all was darkness.
AS will sometimes happen, ex-
tremity of fear now gave me courage.
With a desperate determination to
fathom these mysteries, if possible,
! leaped from the bed, huddled on
my clothes, and, lighting the can
die, l approached the spot where l
had seen, or fancied / had seen,
these strange appearances. After
as close scrutiny as the wretched
light would allow, / found some
thing that looked suspicious.
In the floor, close by the outer
wall, a space had been sawed, large
enough to admit the body of a man,
and the planks fitted in again close
ly enough to avoid attracting notice,
yet SO as to be easily raised from
beneath. Locks and bars were use
less with such a means of ingress
as this, and my late supernatural
terrors were now succeeded by more
reasonable bodily fears. l recalled
the villainous countenace of my
landlord, the still more repulsive
look of his wife, thought of my val
liable possessions, and decided Twas
fairly trapped in murderous den
where, probably, many an unfor-
tunate traveller had perished before
me. Just as make this pleasing
discovery, the remnant of candle
expired and / was left in total dark
ness. | am not a coward, though l
don't set mp for hero, and. like
many others who find themselves
in a strait from which nothing but
courage and presence of mind can
deliver them, l suddenly developed
hitherto unknown reserves of those
admirable qualities, / resolved
that, if must be robbed and mur-
dered, / would at least die hard.
Among the goods purchased in
Norfolk was a hunting-knife bought
on commission for a planter near
Staunton. 1t was splendid wea-
pom, with richly carved handle and
sheath, and a short, strong blade,
sharp and true as Toledo steel.
Luckily, had not packed it in my
to1n- h,A IaJ rlanal - -. fr,a x-al.y.