The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-10

leaned back In my chair In state bor-
dering on utter collapse. Water doesn't
melt solid glass, and an BY 10 negative
doesn't get up and walk out Of q tray.
What In the name of the great Daguerre
did this thing meant
Looking at the tray In vague distress,
saw a great black hand steal silently into
the circle of the dim red light, grasp the
Venus negative, and as silently dart back
into the thick, impenetrable gloom of the
dark room. would have jumped up II ]
could, but the ugly circumstance weighed
me down. Then I heard the negative
strike the floor and shiver into little bits.
This started me up. I grasped the cover OF
the red light and was about to lift 1t when
the whole contrivance was wrenched from
the table and the ruby glow was turned full
upon my face. Behind 1t could see moth
ing, but the handle at the bottom was
clutched by that same black hand. The
lamp was raised high, and then down 1t
came, crashing against the floor, the light
blotting out in the heavy blackness.
1 sprang for the door, and, missing 1t,
grasped something soft and slippery that
slid from my hand. 1t was like clothed
arm, but 1t was so cold and Shiny that Ii
seemed hardly human. At the same time a
form full of burly strength knocked harsh
ly against me, whether accidentally or not
l could not tell A slight mass of cold
slime that reeked horribly came of the
form and adhered to my face and the side
of my neck. This was more than / could
stand My clogged throat opened, and l
yelled like demon:
"Out of this! Out of this, whatever you
are!''
Then was forced upon my maZed mind
popularity of the creature that l had not
noted before. 1t did not speak, nor growl,
nor utter any sound. 1t would have been
a relief even to have heard IL hiss Its ST.
lence was more awful than any sort of ut
terance.
Flattening my quick moving hands
along the side of the wall, touched the
door at last, and, feeling for the knob,
turned it and tugged at 1t like young
giant. But the door did not move, and the
key was gone. OF course that was what 1
had heard when beginning my work-that
dropping out of the key. So down drop
ped to feel for 1t all about the floor near
the door, but to feel In vain.
/ was locked up in the dark with a
nameless creature, sinister and powerful,
from whom there was no flight, for the
dark room had but one exit-the door.
There was no window nor any hole save
the small ventilation traps, through which
not even SO much as a hand might be
thrust.
While there was any hope by way Of the
door had not been more than commonly
fearsome, but now my fright was more
than mere alarm. 1t was q steady growth
of terror-the kind Of terror that makes
ho IL <oav oil ov,A hr~a
hard. It was chill, palpitating fear Of the
kind that makes ytu turn sick and sets
your shoulders twitching And the chief
of It was pallid dread Of something un-
speakably uncouth and loathsome-actual
contact with the thing In the dark room.
believe could have borne stroke from
any weapon it might have In hand better
than a touch or close meeting with the
body of the repulsive creature.
I orawled into the corner nearest the
door and waited with strained ear. Pres
emily heard low shuffling, and then a
patting along the wall and q scraping
along the floor. He of the black hand was
feeling for me; Of that was certain. My
ear is good, and, judging the location OF
the patting and scraping, as well as OF an
other sound, like the dragging of some
small, soft body upon the floor, moved
without noise around the edge, away from
my pursuer. Though shaken and fevered,
/ kept out of that dread clutch.
1t was nerve straining work. and the
tension was something frightful, but
kept it up until I fell over box and went
sprawling right into the arms Of the crea-
ture. My head fell upon it's clammy shoul
der, from which oozed the noisome mois-
ture, and its wet and i'll smelling arms
closed upon me, bringing to bear such
force that thought they would crush my
very breastbone At the same time there
came out allow, throaty laugh-a laugh
so uncouth and lacking in levity as to be
positively narrowing
There was fight in me yet, shaken and
crushed as l was, and, getting one arm
loose, hammered with all my force upon
the creature, striking where / judged its
head should be- My blows slid off because
of the slime that enyeloped the face, but
once / struck full hard upon solid jaw,
and before / could pull my hand back my
thumb was bitten nearly In two. And then
the hand of the creature-that great black
hand that had seen in the low red light
stole up to my throat, and, clutohing 1t
in mighty grasp, shut of my breath and
made me grow dizzy and faint there in the
dark room. My own hands, flying about
wildly, now struck an iron hat hook in
the wall. Wrenching this hook off, l drove
1t so deeply into the hand at my throat
that, breathing very hard, almost gasping
in pain, the creature suddenly let go its
hold upon me, and was free.
Now was furious-frenzied. / darted
at my assailant with the hook In my hand,
and presently dealt u vicious blow full
in the face
The creature butted forward with head
80 hard that when 1t struck me in the
breast thought my breath was gone. l
fell over, and It came upon me again, its
blood falling on my face and its breath
hot on my forehead.
OF sudden there was shock as of the
solid earth bursting asunder, and I sped
of into space and oblivion.
When next knew the world, the door
of my dark room was open and tho morn
ing sun was shining in upon the floor
where lay, wieh aching head and scar.
ing sense of pain in my throat, while my
bitten thumb fairly throbbed. My face,