The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-03-21

came very active.
"My first plan was to throw my
apples at the beast, make dash for
the stairs and so escape, shutting the
door after me with the whatever-it
was on the downstairs side OF it; but
there were too many risks to this
scheme, for how effective would an
apple be against an animal, no mat
ter what size, especially as the ami
NAL in all probability had the advan-
tage of me and could make out the
outlines of my figure, whereas l
could only see the two cleaning,
glaring eyes in the darkness before
me. | had not even jack-knife
with me, which seems strange, too,
as most boys carry one.
at is hardly necessary to mention
the fact that ever since | had first
caught sight of the eyes had stood
perfectly still, without moving
muscle, scarcely. l did not dare to
move, and I do not think it sounds
cowardly to say so, either. I in turn
kept my eyes strictly on the eyes in
front of me, having read that this
fixed stare had certain power over
some animals.
"Why didn't I call for help? Well,
it is true I did think of that, but there
was only my grandmother in the
house, and even if she could have
heard me, which was doubtful, as
she was upstairs in her own room, |
would hardly have been selfish
enough to have wanted her to run
any risk, which she most certainly
would have done had she opened the
door to find some wild animal before
her, providing that said animal
should keep still during my efforts
to make myself heard. No, calling
for help was quite out of the ques-
ton.
"Unless one has been in some such
position, one can hardly know how
much thinking can be done in few
seconds of time. But to go back to
my story.
~ had nothing to do but to keep
perfectly quiet as long as the beast
did, or as long as the eyes kept in the
same position; for | could not discern
any form at all, and had not the
faintest idea what sort of an animal
was watching me so closely.
"My only hope lay in the fact that
l would hear my grandfather when
he came in. None of the outside
doors were locked, nor closed, / guess,
for the locking up Of the house was
always left for my grandfather to at
tend to. He would go right into the
kitchen first, I knew, and | was quite
sure | could almost hear his foot
steps.
II had no intention of calling to
him, and I give myself that much
credit in telling this story, for l had
no more desire to let him run any
risk than l had for my grandmother
to do so.
"How long I waited l do not ex-
actly know, not more than ten OF
fifteen minutes at the most, and yet
it seemed at least an hour. think
in my few moments of enforced quiet
| remembered every mean act | had
committed during the past six
months; and still | stood in that
strained, unnatural position, fearing
to breathe least | arouse the animal
still staring steadily at me.
"Once the eyes disappeared, which
seemed like the going out of two
lights, and yet the absence of the
eyes caused me even more discomfort
than their presence, and my breath
came in quick gasps, as | waited fol
some sound that would indicate that
the animal had moved toward me
but no sound came, and soon the
eyes cleaned forth again in about the
same position as before, telling me
that they had only been closed dur
ing the few seconds o. time when
could not see them.
81 wondered in a rather vague way
what would do when l did hear my
grandfather's footsteps, but coulc
only think of one thing-to give one
wild war whoop, as near like that o.
an Indian as possible, which | sin
cerely hoped would at least startlt
the beast, and dash at the same time
upstairs past him, and trust to lucl
to get the door open in time to evadt
} his clutches. My throat seemed Sc
! dry, however, that it seemed doubtful
|, if could utter even whisper.
"But the minutes seemed to drae
Al I..or a11rc. ond tho ;ntaoaa O.;