Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-08-26

sockets 10 the fading day
Filled with an awful fear | tried TO hurry
on, but my feet refused To move tried 10
shrek. but my lips gave forth no sound /
could not lift my eyes from the road before
me Then bouy finger moved, shriveitd
hand unclasped aud beckoned 20 me. then
another and another. until the whole for
est awakened bnlefni lights CLEANED from
the hollow skulls, the rustiing leaves woke
weird melody, multitude % grisly arms
waved me "A greeting awoke 10 hear
the noises OF the street beneath my win
dow and see the morning sunlight making
quaint mosacs on the iloor
A package from Dr Max was handed TO
me AN hour later hook less than mn
inch IN thickness. fell from the newspaper
wrapping between heavy OK hide covers
each crossed with three parallel brass
bands. found ffty sheets OF heavy parch
ment The sheets were hard and brittle
and coarse, indicating great age There
was no exterior symbol but knew that
the manuscript was copy OF an older
work. II was IN early Greek, and the
quaint characters. many Of them obsolete
forced the conclusion that my task would
not be AN easy one There was neither
preface nor Introduction The first page
began abruptly Ia hcNametcr a measure
that was sublime. IL GUIDED on the last
page ~ abruptly as II had commenced
did not waste precious time commenc
ing my work which promised great fas
cination for me The reverence the curl
osity which this relic Of lost age awak
ened within me was but the natural out
growth Of my biblophlism. fostered
through years Of study and research in the
old languages, touched the faded leaves
with caressng hand, and for brief IN
terval stepped from under the black shadow
that hung over me, | forgot the promised
reward. and the doctor OF Dutch Bottom"
was TO me, for the moment, as though he
had never been
est In the brass bound book held me to my
work, and unmindful OF repeated rings Of
the dinner bell ! kept on. Hour after hour
/ | wrote. until the floor about my table was
white with the shower of leaves
! The original manuscript had been the
work Of Delphian priestess, and was
sacred TO her offices IL was "a treatise on
\ the oracle. the functions Of the priestly
order. the secrets Of the temple and the in
cantation spells. IL was In three parts
The first fifteen pages held the rhythmic
/ measure OF poem Of indescribahle beauty
\ Il was an appeal to the highest intellectual
powers OF mana leading string thrown
out To draw him TO a consideration OF the
unseen and the unknown This, in the
succeeding fifteen pages, embraced, IN
prose, a treatise on elemental mysteries
the necessity Of inward purity 20 a perfect
knowledge OF the sublime and the control
ling forces in nature The remainder oi
the strange TOME, until 1t broke abruptly
on the last page, detailed the external and
purely ceremonial rites requisite to inyok,
the appearance and control OF elementals
their complete subjngation. for evil OF
for good. To the rule OF the master mind
Wrapped up. fascinated under the spell
Of the book. the tea hour passed unhecded
and the day died with the red signals of q
storm flying in the eastern sky My eye,
were swollen with the hours u application
TO my task. The lids hung over the blood
shot orbs like canupies Of lead. But kept
on. pausing only at intervals 10 shut out
the light until the white film that gath
cred over the pupils had passed away.
The remembrance OF the eighteen hour,
spent AT that study table madicns me, ever
at this late day, The surge Of couticting
emotions, the uncertainty Of hope, the de
spnir born OF dread Of life Of darkness
were lulled into sudden sleep that bor
with IL nightmare more raCking than tn
passion that preceded H. | was chained 1,
my chair by some strange power that EN-
auated from the book The lamplight
falling upon the pages Of my work. tool, oil
the etfulgencc OF noon. that sCurChed tn
organs of sight until the blue lines on th
pages wayered under my weary PEN thel
faded entirely. aud my staring eyes locke,
helples-ly into space
Nothing but my indomitable viii sus
tained me To the end WAS conscious Ina
the secrets OF u priestiy race were mine
reached down the ages, past the crumblinl
, glcries of Attica aud the ruined monu
meuts OF Macedonia, into the very SHADOW
OF Parnassus aud tore the veil Asunde
, that shielded the secrets OF the pythaues
from the multitud-s that made her haun
their Mecca centuries before Judea ha
known the Nazarine What was mnler
thensophy aud the teachings ~ RLtyatsk
TO the secrets that we're Within my grasp
All suunds OF life had been hdshed 70
hours when reached the last line Trem
bling under the pressure Of emotions mel
In check wrote the final word aud three
my pen aside. A. ! rose from ny chair
faintness seized me. my brain reeled aud
knew no more
= The song Of bird. the creakiug {
. wheels and voices in the street fell on m
ear with confused murmur when | r
gained my senses IL was broad dayiigh
| walked to the window and threw up ii
! sash The warm mind. rich with the pc
] fume OF the autumn woods and fields, WI
: like IA balm To my aching brain. My bloc
r throbhed fercely through my hot veins +
: erything seemed unreal was All autom
{ ton In the center Of a painted landscape, #,
r the first time in my life | called for al
drank a heavy draft OF brandy. Il
e asleep again. but only 10 bring recurren
/ Of the dream torture Of the previous nigh
e Hour after hour went by, until finally
4 rallied from my semicomRtose eonditiS
Just as evening fell awaited the eemlf
e Of the dark ness with Ifeverish impatienC
for the curse Of the manuscript was up,
/ me
! Should ! test the secret Why might
!, not prove the whole thing TO be a cuunil
J fraud or II true, place myself ia poss,
y sion Of power that would bend to n
! wish the forces Of nstnrci
y could resist no longer GraSpng
i small night lamp and grotesque earth
i water bottle from my table rnshsd IN
: the night II was intensely dark, aud /
+ wind was rising The streets u the villa
a were nearly deserted. and the few peopls
&c met were passed unreeognized ! harri
on, driven by an irresistible Impulse a
u yet, above the chaos of my thoughts. Z
Is thst my brain was clear.
! paused on the summit Of hill ontsi
&c the town aud looked hack The lt2t
from the village dotted the low back grouI
Ike far Oft NutrhflraS a hell struck Z