The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-17

down it came, crashing against the
floor, the light blotting out in the
heavy blackness.
I sprang for the door, and, missing
it, grasped something soft and slippery
that slid from my grasp. II was like
a clothed arm, but it was SO cold and
Shiny that it seemed hardly human
AT the same time form full of burly
strersth knocked s1ershly against me
whether accidentally or not I coul1 not
tell. A slight mass of cold slime that
reeked horribly came off the form and
adhered to my face and the side oe my
neck. This was more than I could
stand My clogged throat opened, and
I yelled like a demon:
Out of thisl Out of this: whatever
you are!"
Then was forced upon my mazed
mind popularity that 1 had not noted
before. L did not speak, Tor growf
nor utter any sound. 1t would have
been a relief even to have heard ii
hiss; its silence was more awful than
any sort Of utterance.
Flattening my quick-moving harGs
along the side of the wall. I touched
the door at last, and, feeling for the
knob, I turned it and tugged at it like
a young giant. But the door did not
move, and the key was gone. Of course
that was what ] had heard when be-
ginning my work-that dropping out
of the key. So down l dropped to feel
for it all abount the floor near the
door, but to feel in vain.
I was locked UP in the dark with a
nameless creature, sinister and power
full, from whom there was no flight,
for the darkroom had but one exit
the door. There was no window nor
any hole, save the small ventilation
traps, through which not even so mucn
as a hand might be thrust.
While there was any hope by way
of the door. I had not been more than
commonly fearsome, but now my fright
was more than mere alarm. It was a
steady growth of terror-the kind of
terror that makes the scalp feel prick
ly and the breath come hard. 1t was
chill, palpitating fear of the kind that
makes you turn sick and sets your
shoulders twftching. And the chief OF
it was a pallid dread of something I'M
speakably uncouth and loathsome-ac-
tual contact with the thing in the dark
room. I believe I could have borne a
stroke from any weapon it might have
in hand better than a touch or close
meeting with the body of the repulsive
creature.
l crawled into the corner nearest
the door, and waited With strained
ear. Presently l heard a lew shuf-
fling, and then a patting along the
wall, and a scrar}tng along the floor.
He of the black hand was feeling for
me; CT tina: l was centain. My ear IS
good. and. judging the location of the
p5'tting and scraOng, as well as Of
another sound, like the dragging of
some small. soft body upon the floor,
I moved without noise around the edge
away from my pursuer. Though
shaken and fevered, 1 kept out of
that dread clutch.
1t was neTvs-ss-raining work, and
the tension was something frightful,
but 1 kept it up until 1 fell over box
and went sprSlyling rfgtt into the
arms Of the creature. My head fell
upon it's clamUny shoulder, from which
COED the noisoGne moisture, and its
wet and iil-smellrg arms closed upon
me. bringing 70 bear such force that
1 thought they would crush my very
breast-bone. At tine SEINE time there
came ut a low, tdlgOaty lausfl-a laugh
SO uncouth and lacking in lev:ty as
to be positively narrowing.
There was fight in me yet, shaken
and crushed as l was, anti, getting
one arm loose, I hammered with all
my force upon the creature, striking
where 1 judged Is head should be. My
blows slid off because of the slime
that eveloped the face, but once
struck full hard upon a solid jaw, and
before l could pull my hand back my
thumb was bitten nearly in two. And
then the hand OF the creature-that
great black hand that I had seen in
the low red ligkt-Stole up TO my
throat, and, clutchfng 1T i'm mighty
grasp, Shut off my breath and made
dark room. My own hands. flying
about wildly. now struck an iron hat
hook in the wall. Wrenching this
hook off, 1 drove II SO deep into the
hand at my throat that, breathing very
hard, almost gaspfng in pain, the
creature suddenly let go its hold upon
me. and 1 was free.
Now I was furious-frenzied 1
darted at my assaflant with the nook
in my hand, and presently 1 deaf. a
vicious blow full in the face.
The creature buitted forward with a
head so hard that when IL struck me
in the breast thought my breath was
gone. l fell over and IL came upon me
again, It's blood falling on my face
and its breath hot on my forehead.
OF a, sudden there was a shock as
of the solid earth bursting asunder,
and l sped off into space and obliv :on.
When next I knew the world the
door of my darkroom was open and
the morning sun was shining in upon
The floor where 1 lay, with aching
head, and a soaring sense of pain in
my throat, while my bitten tlhunao
family throbbed. My face, hands and
clothes were nearly covered VITA
blood, green slime and muddy ooze,
and all about the studio the walls and
floors were streaked and daubed with
the plain imprint of five long fingers.
I doubted no. that ii had been made
by the grea- black hand that had
clUtched at my threat in the dark
ness.
I crawled 20 the sink and washed
myself and took a good drink. after
which I made my way out of The
darkroom into tine house where
changed my clothes and bandaged my
thumb.
Al my gate I saw two men on horse
back.
seen anything of a big buck mig
ger going by here?" asked one of
them. Hes got big hands and feet
and is perfectly dumb. We tracked
him down to the slough, where he
probably waded across"
1 stared at ttRe men.
Yes replied, "Fve seen him, or
at least, I've seen his hand. Where
is he from?"
''Napa insane asylum Broke loose
yesterday morning"
EnvOi.