The state herald., 1893-04-28

spider. I sec about tho youths eyes
traces OF coming disease. He will
sicken with foyer ere the new year.
a month gone. We must have tho
spider really. You will kill him. will
you; and break the maids hearth"
"Torture him; tho maid is naught
to me-" growled the gobel;n. Death
to them both. Bit look you here,
imp. Why doth the record say /
must make two spidcrs?'
He reached for tho book TO find the
words. and tho dwarf replied with
solemn insolence:
There must be two, Hargon, be-
cause--there must b, two.
"You have not answered my ques-
tion," growled Hargon.
mo, l have not, have n" tainted
Grissilsin. But of that anon. Now to
work. 1t requires AZ grown spiders
and ninotecn young, with ninety mine
cockroaehes for each death spider.
These may be caught The task will
not be hard. They are to your hand
hero. These must be pounded into u
pulp Out of this pulp you must
fashion two spiders like that" reach
ing out his pointed toe and tapping
the book. They must then DO dried,
and at the proper time my mpster
will give them HE. lio! no! then,
10 the glorious task"
We cannot describe the creation OF
the Death Spider; the deftness OF
tho imp in capturing the insects
Hargon's disgu t at tho loathsome
task. or Grissikin's jesting impudcnce
in keeping his bloodthirstincs to
the working pitch. Nor can we stop
to toll how, when the spiders were ut
last fashioned, tho dwarf simply
struck the wall sharp blow, and tho
glowing mouth Of furnace opened,
into which the insects were thrust to
dry: nor how. in timo. they came
forth, terrible, grewsomo objects,
lacking only the venomous life for
which Hargon had called them into
being.
Neither can wo detail Grissikin's
numerous visits Of cspial upon the
doomed youth during tho period of
preparation. nor the gloniing reports
he brought bach OF Fithington's
beauty; how 1t would be dimmod and
his radiant prospects OF happy and
prosperous life cut short; nor the
leering delight with which he Told
how he had heard the maids sweet
confessions OF her happiness and her
precious hopes OF the joy OF their
coming marriage; nor how ho finally
brought back word to the triumphant
lIargon that tho young man had been
stricken with dangerous fever.
The tale must leap oil these TO
bitter January night, when n furious
wind reared over the great city and
whirlcd snow-nakcs down into the
streets. seeming In wil'ulness I'd drive
them In donses, clouds into Seven
Dials. hs II 10 render more bewil,lcr.
ing and awful its surrounding neigh.
borhood, In his filthy apartment
Hargon sat at his table. with the obi
Gus insects before him. their black.
polished backs titfully rejecting the
rays OF the nuttering cIndle--a pic.
turc of n grizzly, marderous human
iicnl,
A neighboring clock struck eight,
and instantly Grlssikln appeared in
his favoriie place and posture upon
the table, lcorlng at llargon and
wriggllng his tapcr foot forward as II
to prod the og'c. Then, picking Up
one of the spiders AMI squirting at
II, he said:
The night is here. We must call
my master to make these beautiful
creatures crawl and one OF them spin
its deaths web Fithlngton lies III
and his maid win be heart-brokc ere
the dawn. Say you sop
Yes" 1largon assontcl. deep In
his hcartless chest
"lio. thea. master. scni life TO our
SPIDERS cried tho imp. In thin.
piping voice, In which now rang sub
tie impudence toward the demon be.
fore him. and placing the spider upon
the table beside tho other
Instantly there came u pnlsaiing Of
the thick. rcdolent AIR Of the room, u
swaying OF the house Us II the earth
We're sinking. The candle fame fiica-
cred into n tiny bluc point. aal from
the ceiling directly above tho table
two tiny globes, spinning rapidly an
she ldiny incan1osccnt light. fell. one
upon each of the spiders. where,
after few moments o, rotation, thcy
sank into the bodies of the insects
Thon the candlcllgh, burs, TO It's or.
binary flame. and the spiders, crook
ing tholr long legs were seen TO bs
crawling upon the table.
beautiful. arc they not7" joerod
tho dwarf. pointing 10 them. "And
think how they will spin tho lie from
that youth, and break the maids
heart! Glorlously beautiful, llargon.
Are you rcady?"
"ReadyP--cager." snarlcd tho COB
olin..
Walt.
lie snnlS from sight, but rcappcarcd
In few moments.
you must bc about tho task" he
said. 'Fithington's fever Will reach
It's crisis ere midnight SGT tho
Spider spinning
(Which ono?" asked llargon.
(which ono9' echoed the imp. with
the exquisite mockery Of fclgncd sur.
prise,
"Ycs; asked which one"
Either" replied the dwarf.
EITHER" ronrcd Hargon II asked
which
4 II,