Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-03-18
A DISTILLERY GHOST.

am q tramp. ] had been walking
since sunrise.
Toward afternoon as l marched dog
gedly on | became aware of a sudden
cool laping of shadow over my shoul.
der, and glancing about | saw that a
storm was beating up behind me.
The clouds were gorged and purple
with destruction, and the lightning
whipped out its livid lash above the
horizon while the thunder chartered
sullsnlv.
By some m%alevolent inspiration | re.
membered having heard that on this
very road stood a disused distillery, a
tavorite roosting place for travellers of
my description.
Not far ahead was a clump of pine
trees, and behind them rose the out.
lines of an old chimney. l hurried to.
ward the place. %plunging through a
Ilngle of dusty weeds, and sure enough,
there stood the building of which |
was in search. its sagging roof and
bursting walls green with g
Phere were two holes ripped in the
roof, starting deep and empty as the
es es of II skull. | crawled under the
door just in time, for the next moment
the rain came roaring straight as
melt d lead. 1t must have been a dis
NAL place at best, but now, under the
thick sky and drumming raindrops, it
WAS particularly dispiriting. There
we're two rooms on the lower floor with
10 visible means of communication
tut a wide window set in the wall.
| lie glass panes we've unhroken, and
the room behind was perfectly dark.
Connecting these rooms with the attic
Was a rickety staircase. The earthen
floor was covered with a dark mesh of
pune needles and pale grass blades. l
covered against the wall while the
-torm doomed and cracked over Ivy
had, closing my eyes from time 10
time against the shock of white fire
mat darted through the chiuks and
under the door.
Presently, as sat with my hot lids
'rtNn down, felt a startling sense OF
'one n looking at me. | turned
"a ckly toward the window. of which |
I ave spoken, and there, pressed against
the dark glass, was a face, peering at
ne steadily. Oh. the horror of that
Iica. For as | looked the outlines be
ran to change and grow, like some
great colorless jelly "a soft, human Jelly
:" zing and spreading across the panes.
smut my eyes, and my heart battered
nv ribs. Again | looked; still the face
""s there, only this time the slack
mouth drew back in a s%ickening smile,
aud it ran out its blue tongue, licking
us loose lips quietly. | started to my
Ir-t with a cry, and AS | did so the
window began to slide up.
| dropped to the floor weak with
fear, and the sash fell into place again.
Fhen | realiz d that | must lie there.
"hs )lutely still, for if | rose the win
iow rose too-lie there and look, while
Tat face leered at me from behind the
glass. BY and by it began to move
with a haccld, gelatinous swaying. |
saw 1T bend over and raise something
from the floor, something that had
been a man, but now hung quite limp
Iy in its mouth. 1t pressed the body
against the window, laughing silently,
aud | saw-myself. God help me. For
he first time in this world | looked
lnt) my own face, My own face did |
say? No, no. Some bloated animal,
purple, pimpled, with eyeballs so
h~loodshot hat they seemed to be star
ing through a web of red lace.
How long | lay there | can not tell.
At last moved and my hand touched
something cold. 1t was my bottle, the
companion of my wanderings. | held
IT up aud saw that there was still a
drop or two in it. | drained to the
drrgs, and the glad fire warmed me
and made me strong.
At that moment the Ihing began to
raise its pallid, horrible feelers, twist.
ing them about the body it held, snap
nlng the limbs off and dropping them
into its mouth, where the blue tongue
caressed them h~ungrily.
1t had finished its meal, but il still
kept Its vague eyes on me, and then |
realized that was moving, slipping
quietly toward it. l clutched at the
rottlng steps, aud they crumbled to
brown powder in my hands. | ground
my fingers into the earth until there
rs a trail of bloody mud after me.
Then made n superhuman effort,
dashed up the swaying staircase and
broke into the attic.
slammed the door and threw myself
against it, for | had seen that accursed
window dart up with a crash as |
I'aped, and | knew that the thing
would follow me, and tear me to pieces,
nld plunge me into its mouth, and
mangle me between its toothless gums.
The'room where | found myself was
dim and wet. Between the cracks in
the wall a flaming strip of sunset
glowed like a forge in the twilight.
Every breath of nature was hushed
now, the rain came only in loosely
gusts and the thunder had shuddered
away into silence, but my hair rose
and my flesh grew rough and icy, for
on the stairway was IA soft, creaking
sound then u steady pushing against
the door.
L howled aloud in my anguish, and
the sound of my voice set the place
believing with echoes. Nv arms were
torn aud the bones nearly swapping
from the pressure, and still | felt the
door opening, oDening.
There was a crunch-oue rusty hinge
dropped gathering to the floor, another,
and for moment the door tottered
and fell forward, nearly crushing me;
but, no, | was too quick, l was mad
with fear. One instant only we stood
looking at each other, the thing framed
In the empty door space and Ia wild
beast crazed with the fiercest race In.
stinct, Then | plunged forward and
out through a rent in the torn clap
boarding. | felt the wood snap and
give and the awful swoop of my fall,