The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-07-24
PRIZE NOVELTIES, No. 10.

me. Yet II seemed that i must have
heard IL in my dream, for only the echoes
OF IL fingered I'm my ears when i sat up
i'm bed, trembling, and with my night
gear damp about me with the alright
ment.
Never had j heard so great and fearful
crying. IL seemed TO me like the crying
of demon from whom one stronger has
snatched a prey. But with the perturba-
ton in mine own head, and the dashlng
OF my spirits by the unearthly cry whlch
awoke me, i could not tell whether the
noise was in mine own imagination or
" neither / really had heard it. But 1t
was soon clear to me that the confused
din about the house which went and
came like a titful wind was not imagina-
ton, but proceeded from the maehtna-
tions OF the evil spirits which Mr. hen-
wick had presaged would follow me.
Then indeed, i was in a terror 10 which
all that had gone before was as nothing
Sometimes the noise seemed like the
confused sound OF many persons walking
and struggling together. Whereat knew
that the fiends strove TO be at me, but
were restrained by some One that for the
moment was stronger-as il might be, my
good guardian angel. So endeavored TO
fall TO the praying. But such was the
power of Satan, and such the tremor OF
my spirit, that all the prayers l knew OF
departed from me. No words came 10 my
mind save some old babbles OF the mathe-
matics / had learned long ago when was
at the Edinburgh College, which now
stood me in no stead at all, for the least
little imping devil cares no jot for all the
mathematics of Euclid.
Then there came again the din of voices
louder than before the tramping OF many
feet in the rooms above me, and along
the transe. At last i heard them come
through the passage, as IL had been 10
enter at my door, then at last got
strength enough to leap from my bed, and
make a shift to bolt my door, which may
we'll seem daft-like thing 10 do. For
what would evil spirits care for bolts,
whose ordinary way OF entering room
| is through the keyhole.
When / had locked the door l fell on
| my knees, and, mine eyes being oppo-
site TO the latchet hole / looked through,
| and saw what seemed TO me very terrible
the form of a man, all black, and with
| a light behind him, and with bare
shining sword in his hand that pointed
straight at my chamber door. And all the
| house about me and the dense air were
filled with the sound of groaning and
little sharp shrieks of ultimate agony, as
of some one that wished 10 die but could
not. Whereat for very agony, tainted
| away.
When came to myself / lay along the
wall by the door, vigorously cold and as
| il had been stark frozen by reason OF the
| bitterness of the night. The house was
silent within, and the latch-hole dark.
| But about the house and about there went
| the same whispering and crying OF fiends,
rising and falling-now sharp aud quarrel
some, now more laigh ana fearsome, till
| in little time the crying came again
| worse than ever below my chamber WIN
| dow. So, before i dared TO look out, not
knowing but what might see the devil
and all the angels carnival, made
| chi tf, nd ma for ryati A
| protection to the majesty OF God.
At last manned courage TO go to the
window, and looking out, saw upon the
| thin sprinkling of snow that had fallen
| i'm the night, the veritable resent alliances
of evil spirits, dragging away that which
seemed to be heavy burden. And once
more, even as looked forth, there came
| the terrible crying voice that awakened
/ me, as high as before, so that again i fell
| down as a dead man.
| Nevert heless, though j own that in
| things which are SO counted OF the flesh,
| am far from being brave man. yet now,
| from very desperation, and because i
| feared that the evil spirits would come
and take me away IN like manner when
| they had disposed OF their present burden,
| gat courage TO rise and do my breeches
| upon me. Then i went out and fol-
| lowed on to see what the spirits might
| contrive. But because by their master s
arts they were invisible, saw no more OF
them till had stumbled down the steep
| bank to the river side.
tits an i'll place thus 70 adventure into
under silence of night, for the trees grow
close together, so that Knocked and
| bruised myself as i went. But TO my
| great Joy came, by-the-way, to little
| burn with water still running in il in
! spite OF the frost. So this i crossed, and