The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-01-23

i'ftSl tiiiie oi III my ilic, anu we ciiiile
back TO the house.
We spent a happy hour or two at the
piano, and about half past ten / said,
''I'l take my pipe outside"
/ strolled ont of the front door, leav-
ing il unlatched. What night il was.
The jagged masses Of heavy clouds
were rolling at intervals from horizon
t. horizon, and thin white wreaths
covered the stars.-Across the mead
ows / could see the church tower stand
ing out black and gray against the sky.
l walked there thinking over our three
months of happiness-and of my wife,
her dear eyes, her loving ways.
/ heard bell beat from the church
Eleven already! | turned to go in, but
the night held me. could not go
back into our little warm rooms yet.
/ looked in at the low window as |
went by. Laura was half lying on
her chair i'm front of the fire. l could
not see her face, only her little head
showed dark against the pale blue
wall. She was quite still.-Asleep no
doubt, My heart reached out to her
as | went on.
l walked slowly along the edge of
the wood. A sound broke the stiffness
of the night-it was n rastling in the
wood. l stopped and listened. The
sound stopped To. | went on and ROW
distinctly heard another step than
mine answer mine like an echo. 1t
was poacher or wood stealer, most
likely, for these were not unknown in
our Arcadian neighborho0d. But
whoever ii was, he was a fool not TO
step more lightly. l turned into the
bier-walk and passed through the
eorpse gate between the graves 10 the
low porch. paused for moment on
the stone seat. Then | noticed that
the door of the church was open, ard
| blamed myself for having left il un-
latched the other night. | went in. Ii
will seem strange, perhaps, that |
should have gone half way up the aisle
before / remembered-with a sudden
chill, followed by as sudden rush of
self-coatempt-tha this was the very
day and hour when, according to ira
dition, the shapes drawed out man
size in marble" began TO walk.
Having thus the legend, could not
do otherwise than walk up toward the
altar, just 10 look at the figures-as |
said 10 myself; really what | wanted
was to assure myself, first, that | did
not believe the legend, and second,
that it wa not true, With my hands
in my pockets ! passed up the aisle.
In the gray dina light the Eastern end
of the church looked larger than usual
and the arches above the two tombs
looked larger too. The moon came out
and showed If7e the reason. / stopped |
short, my heart gave a leap that near
IL choked me and then sank sicken- |
ing.
''The bodies drawed out man-size'
were gone and their marble slabs lag |
wide and bare in the vague moonlight |
that slanted through the east win
dow.
Were they really gone? or was |
mad? Clenching my nerves, | stopped |
and passed my hands over the smooth
slabs and felt their fiat, unbrokcn sur |
face. Had some one taken them away? |
Was it some vile practical JOKE? |
would make sure, anyway. In an in
slant | haG made torch of a newspa-
per which happened 10 be in my pock-
ct, and lighting il, held il high above
my head. Its yellow glare iiluminat-
ed the dark arches and those slabs. The
figures were gone.
And then horror seized me, hor-
ror undefnahIe and indescTihabie.
flung down the torch and tore al5ng
the aisle and out through the porch. i
ieaped the churchyard wall and took
the straight cut across the fields, led
by the light from our windows. Just
as got over the first stiie, a dark fig
ure seemed to spring out of the ground.
Mad still with that certainty of mis-
fortune, | made for the thing that
stood in my path, shouting, ''get cut
of the, can't you?'
But my push met with a more Wig
orous Resistance than ! had expected.
My arms We're caught just above the
elbow and held as in vice, and the
Irish doctor actually shook
me.
''Let me 90, you fool" | gasped.
''The marble figures have gone from
the church; | tell you they've gone"
He broke into a ringing laugh.
"I'll have to give We a draught to-
morrow, / see. Yc've bin smoking too
much and listening TO old wives tales.
Come back with me, we'il look at the
church, and lei NE see the bare slabs y
'You go if you like" | said, a little
ess frantic for his laughter; I'm going
nome to NY wife"
Rubbish, man." said he; are We to
% saying all yer life that ye've seen
olid marble endowed with vitality,
md me to go all my life saying ye
we're coward? No, sir, We shan't do
TT
The night air, human voice, and l
hink also the physical contact with
his six feet of solid common sense,
,rought me back a little TO my ordina-
y SELF, and the word coward was a
mental shower bath.
'Coms on, then,r | said, "perhaps
-ou're right"
He II held my arm tightly. We
-ot back to the church and walked up
he aisle. | am not ashamed To con-
ess that | shut my eyes; | knew the
igures would not be there. L heard
Kelly strike match.
Here they are, We see, right enough; .
eve been dreaming or drinking, ask
ne your pardon for the imputation." ,
/ opened my eyes. BY Kelly's ex-
iring vesta, | saw two shapes lying
in their marble" on theiF slabs.
rev a deep breath and caught his
Iand. ,
81 am awfully indebted TO you" /