Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-01-26
,mho, 2, said the httle man.

aughed laugh that was eltner the
,hatter Of banshee in storm or the
,attle of pebbles in a tin box. His
visitors flesh seemed ready to drop
from their bones.
They huddled together ard cast
fearful eyes over their shoulders. They |
"A vampire ! said one.
"A ghoul 2 said another.
"A Duid b efore the sacrifice, muir
INJURED another.
The shade OF an Aztec witch doc.
or. sal dthe little man.
AS they looked, the inscrutaoles
face underwent change. 1t became
a livid background for his eyes, which
bla2ed at the little man like impassion-
ed carbuncles. His voice arose to
howl of ferocity. Its your ante :
With santher ike motion he drew a
long thin knife and advanced STOPPING.
Two caday erous hounds came from no
where and. scowling and growing
made desperate feints at the little
mans legs. His quaking companions
pushed him forward.
Tremblingly he put his hand in his
pocket. -,
How much? he said with a shiver-
ing look at the knife that glittered.
The carbuncles faded.
Three dollars said the hermit, IN
sepulchral tones which rang against
the walls and among the passages,
awakening long dead spirits with
voices The shaking little man took a
roll of bills from pocket and placed
three ones upon the altarlike stone
The recluse looked at the little volume
with reverence in his eyes. 1t was
pack of playing cards.
Under the three swinging candles,
upon the altarlike stone, the gray
beard and the agonized little man
PLAYED at poker. The three other
men crouched in a corner and stared
with eyes that cleaned with terror
Before them sat the cadaverous, lick
ing their red lips. The candles burn
ey low and began to flicker The
first in the corner expired.
Finally the game came to a
point where the little man laid down
his hand and quavered: Il can't call
YOU this time. sir. I'm dead broke.
what ?'shrleked the recluse. Not
call me j.? Villain bastard Cur |
have four queens, miscreant' His
voice grew so mighty that it could
not fit his throat. He choked, wrest-
ling with his lungs for a moment,
Then the power of his body was con-
centrated in a word, go !
He pointed a quivering,y yellow ting
er at wide crack in the rock. The
little man threw himself at it with a
howl. His erstwhlle frozen compan
ions felt their blood throb again.
With great bounds they plunged after
the little man. A minute of scramo
| ling, falling and pushing brought
them to open air. They climbed the
distance to their camp in furious
springs.
The sky in the east was lurld
yellow. In the west the footprints o1
departing night lay on the pine trees
In front of their replenished camT
fire sat John Willerkins, the guide.
Hello = he shouted at their ap
proach. BE you fellers ready to g
deer hunting 2
Without replying they stopped anc
debated among themselves IN whls
pers.
Finally the pugy man came for
ward.
John he inquired, do you know
anything peculiar about the cave be
low here ?
yes said Willerkins. at once
Tom Ga, dnsr.'
What p said the pudgy man.
Tom Gardner P
'How's that p
well. you see,' said Wlllerkln
SLOWLY, as he took dlgnified pulls a
his pipe, Tom Gardner was onct
family man, who lived in these her
parts on q nice leetle farm. He uste
90 away to the city orften, and on
time he got a-gamllm in one OF ther
there dens. He wentter the dicken
right quick then. At last be kur
home one time and tol his folks b
| had up and sold the farm and all b
, had in the worl. His leetle wife, sh
died then. Tom, he went crazy, an
soon after
! The narrative was interrupted h
. the little man who became possesse
of devils,
!, I wouldt give cuss if he had le
:. me 'nough money to get home on, tt
) doggoned gray haired pirate
shrilled, in seething sentence. II
! pudgy man gazed at the little ma
= calmly and sneeringly. =,
oh, we'll, he said, 1--WE can tell
= = great tale when we get back to II
- city after having investigated tn
thing
!. "Go to the devil! replied the lit
;. man.