Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1893-04-07


seizod on me were drawn from the su.
p~ernatural
In the vast savernof tic bell hideous
faces appeared and glared down on me
with terrifying frowns or with grinning
mockery still more appalling. / found
] was becoming d%elilious, and tremblcd
lest reason should utterly desert me. /
feared lest, when utterly deprived Of
my senses. 1 should riso-to do which /
was every moment tempted By that
strange feeling which calls on u man
whose head is dizzy from standing on
the battlement Of a lofty castle to pre-
cipitato himself from it-andithen death
would be instant and tremendous.
When / thought Of this / became dcs-
porato. / caught the floor with a grasp
which drove tho blood from my nails,
and ! yelled with the cry Of despair. l
called for help, / prayed, 1 shouted, but
oil the efforts Of my voice were Of course
drowned in the bell. AS it passed over
my mouth it occasionally echoed my
cries, which mixed not with its own
sound, but preserved their distinct char
acter. Perhaps this was but fancy. To
me, / know, they then sounded as If they
were the shouting. bowling or laughing
Of the iends with which my imagina-
ton had peopled the gloomy cave which
swung over me.
In twenty minutes the ringing was
done. Half of that time passed over mo
without power Of computation-the
other half appeared an age. When it
ceased l became gradually more quiet,
but a new fear retained me. l knew
that five minutes would elapse without
ringing, but at the end Of that short
time the bell would be rung n second
time for five minutes more. Icouldnot
calculate time. A minute and an hour
were of equal duration. 1 feared to rise
lest the FIVE minutes should have ELAPSED
and the ringing be again commenced,
in which case ! should be crushed before
l could escape against the walls or
framework of the bell. 1 therefore still
continued to lie down, cautiously shift
ing myself, however, with a careful
gliding, 80 that my eye no longer looked
into the hollow. This was Of itself a
considerable relief.
The cessation of the noise had in a
great measure the effect of stupofying
me, for my attention, being no longer
occupied by the chimeras 1 had coniured
mp, began to flag. All that now dis
tressed me was the constant expectation
Of the second ringing, for which, how
ever. / settled myself with a kind of
stupid resolution. l closed my ewes and
clinched my teeth as firmly as if they
were screwed in a vice.
At last the dreaded moment came, and
the first swing Of the bell cxtortod q
groan from me, as they say the most res
dilute victim screams at the sight Of the
rack to which he is for q second time
destined. After this, however, l lay
silent and lethargic, without b thought.
When it ceased l was reused q little
by the hope of escape. I did not, how
ever, decide on this step hastily, but
putting up my hand with the utmost
caution / touched the rim. Though the
ringing had Ceasedit was still tromulous
from the sound and shook under my
hand, which instantly recoiled as from
an electric jar. A quarter Of an hour
probably elapsed before 1 again dared to
make the experiment, and then l fOuud
it at rest. l determined to lose 10 time.
fearing that l might have lain then al
ready too long and that the bell for
evening service would catch me.
This dread stimulated me, and /
slipped out with the utmost rapidity and.
arose. / stood, l suppose, for u minute,
looking with silly wonder on the place
Of my imprisonment. penetrated with
joy at escaping, but then rushed down
the stony and irregular stair with the
velocity of lightning and arrived IN the
bell ringers room. Ny hands were torn
and bleeding; my hair dishevelod and
my clothes tattered.
leaned against the wall, motionless
and deprived Of Thought, in which pos
ture my companions found me when in
the course of q couple Of hours they re-
turned 10 their occupation.-Black-
woods Magazine.