Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-08-08

lcnly on my ears startled me-one!
two! three! 1 counted the strokes up
to twelve. 1t was some church bell
tolling the hour. My pleasing fancies
dispersed. again faced the drear
reality of my position. Twelve o'clock!
Midday or midnight? I could not tell.
I began to calculate. 1t was early
morning when 1 had been taken i'll:
not much past eight when had met
the monk and sought his assistance
for the poor little fruit seller who had
after all persisted alone in his suffer-
lngs. Now supposing my illness had
TASTED some hours, might have fallen
into trance, died, as those around
me had thought, somewhere about
noon. In that case they would GER
tainly buried me with as little delay as
possible; before sunset at all events.
Thinking these points over one by one,
1 came to the conclusion that the bell
had just heard must have struck
mldnight-the midnight of the very
day of my burial. l shivered; q kind
of nervous dread stole over me. have
always been physically courageous,
but at the same time, in spite of my
education, 1 am somewhat super
stitious; what Neapolitan is not? it
runs in the Southern blood. And there
was something unutterably fearful in
the sound of that midnight bell clang-
Ing harshly on the ears of a man pent
up alive in a funeral vault with the
decaying bodies of his ancestors close
within reach of his hand! l tried to
conquer my feelings-to summon up
my fortitude. l endeavored to reason
out the best method of escape. l re-
solved to feel my way, if possible, to
the steps of the vault, and with this
idea in my mind l put out my hands
and began to move along slowly and
with the utmost care. What was
that? l stopped. listened, the
blood curdling in my veins! A shrill
cry. piercing, prolonged, and melan-
-choly, echoed through the hollow
arches of my tomb. A cold perspira-
ton broke out all over my body-my
heart beat so loudly that could hear
1t humping against my ibis. Aglin-
again-that wierd shriek, followed by
whirr and flap of wings. l breathcd
again.
ut is an OWL" said to myself,
ashamed Of my fears; "a poor, inno-
cent bird--a companion and watcher
of the dead. and therefore its voice is
full of sorrowful laJnentation,-but it
is harmless, l crept on with in
creased caution. Suddenly out Of the
dense darkness there stared two large
yellow eyes, glittering with tiendisn
hunger and cruelty. For a moment L
Was startled and stepped back; the
creature flew at me with the ferocity
of tiger cat! fought with the Tor
'aiole thing in all directions; it wheeled
round my head, it pounced toward my
face, it beat me With its large wings
wings that I could feel but not zee;
the yellow eyes alone shone in the
thick gloom like the eyes Of some vim
dictive demon! I struck at it right
and left. The revolving combat lasted
some momeEts-I grew sick anl .lizzy,
vet battled on rccklessly. At last,
thank heaven! the huge owl was van
pushed; it fiuttered backwards and
downwards, apparently exhausted
giving one wild screech OF batt1rd
fury, as it's la1np-like eyes disappeared
IL the darkness. Brcathless. but not
suhdued,-eyery nerve in my body
1'ivariEg Will, exc;tement-I pursued
my way, as I thought, towards the
stone staircase. feeling the lir with
my nutstrctched hands as I CROPPED
along. In little Willie met With an
obstruction. 1t was hard and coda
stone wall, surely! I felt it up and
down and found hollow in it. Was
this the first step of the stair? won