Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-04-26

| it I'D again and renew the life you
| know me in. Till then. gOodby,' and
! the strange man folded his arms across
his breast and closed his eyes.
The savage glided noiselessly for
ward and bent over his master for a
moment, and then, with his long, black
| hands, waving slowly over the pros
trate man, he began to Groom some
strange song in a wild, weird key-a
song that almost made Moore's eyes
close themselves, so dreary-like and
dream inspiring was it. A moment
! passed, and then suddenly the saw
age Strengthened up, with a long, shrill
| call, as if to some distant fellow in
| his native forest and to MOOre's hor-
| ror and surprise the body of his
| friend stirred and rose slowly from
the floor as if lifted by invisible hands,
to the level of the incantator's eyes.
| Moore stared, with fast chilling
blood, at this weird spectacle, but the
native did not falter. Holding his
| hands high above his head, he backed
slowly toward the door, reckoning the
body to follow him. For the space
of a minute it remained mOtionless.
Then, like a thing Of the air, capable
of defying all the laws Of nature, it
f1oated across the room to where he
stood.
'HeeS- soul-gOne-in- WhiS-
pered the savage, grinning at the
spectator, as if it were a huge joke;
that why I spik English. If I die,
;,,+n
dead!' AS he spoke he touched it
with his hand contemptuously and it
swung around as if in a current of
water.
But the smile froze upon the saw
ages lips. With a cry Of anguish he
clutched at his throat as if something
were choking him, and a second later
he dropped to the floor an insensible
mass.
Moore, with the cold chills turning
his blood to ice now started to his
feet. lodging under the body of his
friend that remained swinging gently
in the air, he placed his hand over
the savage's heart. 1t was as he had
feared-the man was quite dead and
beginning already to grow cold Then
it was that the full horror of the
thing came over the one conscious man
in the room, and he turned and looked
across it. The body had drifted to
the other side and was humping gently
into a book case. With a deathlike
fear at his heart, the man crept to the
door and opened it, his eyes still upon
the other. AS the knob turned, it
seemed to pause, and before he could
wrench the door open and spring
through it all that was left of Venzeni
swung slowly about and started for
him. A strange giddy though not I'M
pleasant feeling came over Moore as it
did so, and for moment he paused on
the Threshold, while the light grew
brighter and brighter, and the fresh,
youthful feeling grew stronger within
him. Then, as that other approached.
he realized what had happened
my GOdr' he cried hoarsely sit
was his soul, and it has entered miner'
And, with a Mortified glance at the on
coming thing. he sprang out into the
night and ran for the forest that
spread far ahead of him in the quiet
moonlight.
But as he sped, with every muscle
strained to it's utmost with frenzied
fear, the body rushed silently after
him, like some awful thing from hell
He reached the woods, and with head
still bowed and arms clinched at his
sides dashed down a little path that
lay in the track of the moon, not paus-
ing to look back, and still the body
swept after him. On, on, on, deeper
and deeper into that quiet forest he
ran; on and on came his uncanny
pursuer-the body of VenZeni seeking
its soul. Once he glanced back UP to
the path that was running down
slight hill now, and he saw the awful
follower had gained upon him. With
starting eyeballS and frOthing mouth
he dashed on again, and nearer and
nearer swept the body. Not a sound
disturbed the peace Of the forest save
the rush of his flight and his hard
brea thing. but the race for life was
telling on him, and his steps grew
shorter and slower, until at last he
stumbled and fell to the earth. Yet
here even he pulled himself to his feet
again. and with his back against a
huge bowlder he waited for the end.
A hundred feet away, now; so, 20
-herei
The thing checked it's speed as it
came to him, and one cold hand that
had been shaken from it's breast swept
across Moore's wet, clammy face as
the body stopped beside him. He
pushed it frantically back with one
hand, while he held the other across
his eyes; it swayed for a moment and
then came back. He showed it away
again, and once more it returned. A
third time, and then, with a shrek,
he caught it by the head in both
hands.
"Down, down. he screamed. "You
wouldn't follow me, would you? Fol
low me and haunt me! | don't want
it, curse you, but yorktown, / say"
and he dragged it to the earth and
threw himself upon it. And then he
caught up the loose stones and pieces
of rock that strewed the ground about
them and piled them high upon it I'M
til nothing could be seen but the grave
like mound of cold gray rocks. Then,
! with fierce laugh, he sprang upon
| that and stamped.
II am the third-the final thirdr'
| he shrieked; II alonel Your soul
and his and mine! He is dead, and