The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-06
THE SHY YOUNG MAN.

! Il the window wcnld rot open De W1nia
! smash IL He felt IN that sort OF Dooo.
His little schsme IVES easily map geo.
and half IN bonr later the resi- OF Tue p1e-
! nIckers tad come 10 tie e0ucius1eo LES
the little church with lis Norman aEee-
tecfure and ousinf, oid-fsshIObed pe~
! was rot half so II ieresIiDg after al IS sseb
efber's society. ard had left b020 alyee-
II was not long after o'clock, snQ The
shy youth made himself comfortable IN Z
pew with tremendously nigb SIDES T1sai
al the back Of the ehuTc3, Stuck Als loOi
on the hassoeks and III bis pipe.
Twas 2 terrible thing 10 GO. DIT De v -
in sscrilegious mood ana was Pre- pared 70
meet hundred sections ard NarwieEshlTe
yeonen Father than drive home again On
the back seat Of the dogesTf arc pfeIeD9
be had enloyed himself I1s party Won-0
soon start for home DOW. and then be
would climb ont Of cDe OF the windows. IL
didn'. matter which, and SElE hoIae.
When be net tie Msyne-Smlih girls
again &c would say thai ne had started
before them and that be needed the eXer-
else. No cues iDBs would De ssEed ana
probably his absence would neFeE be No
ueed.
ANYHOW, the relief for the moment was
great, snd his pipe was sweet and the
niFdseye tobacco cooler and nicer than sny
he had ever smoked. He made himself
more comfortable in the pew and watched
the shadows deepen IN the old cnBreh.
High ND in the belfry tower be could hear
The swallows cbatteTiug and chirruplng
before going cut on their evening 1ighL
The slaniing rays Of the setting suD came
in through the richly coiored windows and
fell in glorious patches OF light On the
stone walls. The far part OF the cnorcDs
with the ehaneel and the steps leading Up
10 the beIfry tower was already II deep
shadow. aud overhead the rafters lay IN
impeBetrable blackDess. The Old nor
man churches never seem built for iignt.
hut oplv for beauty and pietuTesQueneS-.
Presently Hugo's pipe went out
He empiied il, filed i, agalu and III II.
The air in the church was warm an9
drowsy. The sound OF The sWalloWs
wings and the stirring OF the evening
breeze among the ivy leaves round the old
walls were soothing In the ear.
The sunlight faded from The walls and
the sofi-winged bats replaced the chatter
ing swallows. The evening, breeze died
away to mere Whisper, AID oGe or TWO
stars appeared overhead.
Presently Hugo's second pipe went out
Il dropped from between his teeth AID be
ola not replace il, for be was sound
asleep in the corner Of the old high-backed
pew.
When be awoke the. church was per-
fecIly DARK. He must have slept for an
hour and he felt stiff and little chilly.
He was hungry. too, and bis night arm. on
which ne had been Leaning, had gone 10
sleep. He stretched himself in his mar
TO pew aud bis loot kicked against the
Pew in front with bang thai sounded Ike
a cAnDon.shot. II echoed ell down the
body of the church from wall 70 wall, and
finally died away up in the belfTy-toger
IN a moan. What gbostly sounds! He
felt Quite creepy. And il was so dark that
now Il was i'm possible 10 make a ladder Of
the Big hassecks and climb I'D TO tie WIN
dow and jump out.
He felt tBaI be had made an ass Of him
self BIZ leaving the picnic az ali, and
especially By hiding in The church and
then going 10 SLEEP The place was so
dark and ghost5y he wished lie was well
Gu. Of il. There Was not sound but the
occasional eroak OF TIE old wooden pews.
Everything WAS dark and still There
was no light at al save I'D al the further
end Of the church, where . very faint
glimmer Of starlight showed the outline
Of tue cbaneel window.
Hugo sat for some moments without
moving. He did not want 70 start any
more echoes rolling.
Something WbiTred close past his face
and passed into the darkness. Ughi An
enormous bat that had got in through the
beIfrT. He sat STILL and waited. wonder
ing what 10 do. All Inclination 70 sleep
had left him. and he thought al emniy
church, especially z very cid one. was the
most dismal place be Lad ever been n al
NIGHT
He struck a light. not without misgiy-
ings, to see what time il was Instantly E
thousand shadows seemed 10 fiji hack
from him down the aisle, and as many
heads dropped down below the high backs
into the pews.
He felt as if eyes were peering at him
from behind. and the match went ont he
u
shyered, but struck another match On his
boot, Ii fred I'D for moment and went
out. He struck a third. Horrors. 4
face seemed 10 thrust itself over from the
pew In front of bin anu puiT il out, TOO.
The next mateh-his last-Was more sue
cessful, and he saw that IL was only
O'clock. The darkness Of tie church was
deceptive.
Shsdows seemed to pass up and down
the aisle and shift Boiselessly III and out OF
the pews. His eyes we're gradually be-
coming more accustomed 10 he darkness
by this time, and Hugo thought he could
distinguish something erouching down on
the low cushions before the altar :ail. He
sat up for half an hour without moving.
when suddenly he heard a sound hat first
made him start upward and then seemed
to freeze him 10 his seat.
Il was step coming down the stairs
from the belfry tower. He listened atten-
lively; il came nearer and nearer, one step
down at a time. Il was some one coming
down from the tower, Hugo StOrre was
not coward, yet he would rather have
driven hundred miles on the back seat
OF Miss Mayne-Smitb's dogcart than sit
where be was and wait for the unknown
walker to approach him. There was moth
ing for him to do but wait. make as little
noise as possible, to see what would hap
pen.
The step was light and uncertain. some
times besitating. It was the only sound in
the old church at this still night hour, and
II sounded weird and ghost!y enough.
Nearer and nearer ii came, till at length
the unseen walker reached the bottom OF
the stairs aud stood at the end OF the aisle
near the cbancel. Then for moment the
sieps.ceased, only. however, to commence
a moment later as they approached him
down the aisle, trsading stealthily on the
soft mating.
Hugo felt cold stream running down bis
back. He sat perfectly still, breathing as
gently as he could and not moving SIN
gle muscle of his body.
On 1t came till at length he could make
out short figure wrapped, it seemed, in
some sort of cloak IL walked very