The morning times., 1896-02-23
>I>hs I


red handkerchief with the very frugal
supper which ii contained. He had made
up his mind To wait at this spot for the
advent ofthe dead coach"
Twilight came swiftly, as it does in
winter and early spring: the lights began
TO twinkle in the valley. First q great III re
on the opposite halI-that was Ca stle
Carney; then few scattered gleam from the
farmhouses; aud then a rest Of yariously-
sized illuminationS, which betOkened the
whcrea bouts Of tile
village. All was still Terry Grew
save for Il n occasional Very Lonely
watch dogs bay, or
The whisper OF the mastering night winds
in the mountain heather. Once Il belated
magpie flew across the road. That was un-
canny! Terry couId not help wishing that {
another magpie would appear but his
wish was left ungranted. Theto Of SLEEVE
carney hill at night wasunpIeasant enough
but when a single magpic came to taunt him,
his ardor for sight OF the dead COACH
grew suddenly cool.
There was Il slight touch of frost in the a ir,
and Terry, despite the warm sack ne had
wrapped around him, began toshiver. Just
for a minute he felt inclined TO give up the
adventure for that evening, at least, and
retreat to the warmth OF Mehaurs chimney
nook. But The idea Of the shcannachie's :
sly Jests at his timidity nerved the boys
heart for longer stay upon the roadside.
The lights were vanishing in the valley
now What had been a Ia ke of radiance at
the village seemed only a Tiny pool and the
farmhouSes were closing their fiery eyes,
one after the other. Overhead the moon
was steering her silver disc screnely through
the archi hipela 90 OF cloud; and the stars were
peeping out in twinkling thousands, like
the gnostS--as Terry quantity yIanCied- -Ofthe
extinguished lamps below.
Gazing up a The starry vault, Terry for
got for a space the object OF his vigil. But
the space was a short one. His earS-the
keenest in all the ountryside-warned him
OF Il sound, distant as yet, but surely ap-
pTOaching-a sound which sent the blood
pumping through its arteries. and caused
him 10 leap quickly to his feet.
If Mchaul's description had been correct,
| this was the sound OF the dead codchr'
II was very tight grip that Terry took
| Of the three slips Of yCw in his pocket, as
| he crOuCECd behind furZe bush, waiting
| for the coach. Well he knew that the
"Owid" road had been deserted by vebicuIar
| traffic Tor years. Only the dreaded car
riages Of His Satanic Majesty cOUrsed
over its dceply-ruttcd track.
There was a bend in the road at that
point, and Terry could not see the APP
proachiug horror. but he heard its rambIe-
the blood-clrdling rumble upon which
Mehaul had dwelt. He also thought that
there came waited toward him upon the
breeze mockiug burst of mhOly Tnerri-
meut-a laugh So Shrill ard Irightful that
II could emanate only from some creature
of the other world. With his eyes glued
upon the bend in the road, he watched and
waited.
"Ha, ha! har' rang out that wild, reck-
less laugh again; and "Ho! hol her' in
| deep, sonorpuS tones. another voice replied.
by the powers" muttered Terry. - 'Tis
more than one OF them, there is. l wish
| I'd taken MchaUl's advice"
The next moment he felt the hair
( bristling over his head and the sweat
| issuing icily from every pore. For, into
| clear light of the moon, black against
| the white roadside, rumbled the dead
| coach"
With never a horse TO draw its wfuI bulk
| the supernatural vehicle rolled straight
| toward where the boy lay, trembling and
| clasping his slips ar ycw. 4 fierce sight
blazed forth in front Ofthe coach, and behind
| il Terry could dmly discern two dark, for
/ bidding sbapeS-twO demons, without doubt
whose appalling shreks OF laughter woke
| the echoes of the lonely mountain.
Straight toward his protecting furze bush
| sped the spirit coach. 1t was clearly the in.
| tention Of the fiendS to crush his life out and
| carry with them 10
| Ghost Carriage the laud beyond the
| Did Not Stop. rave his shuddering
soul. The magic slips
of yew did not seem TO avert the onward