Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-04-11

armed and some Of them bearing torches
Cosno turned and ned swiftly. but be-
himself in its tortuous streets. Seeing a
light in window and observing a vine
that trailed from the balcony before 1t, he
climbed up boldly, and found himself face
TO race with gray-haired lady, whose
visage was beautiful and kindly and noble.
In few words he told her his plight and
besought sanctuary. She listened to him
in silence, with exceeding courtesy of man
ner, as though she were weighing his
words before making up her mind. She
raised the lamp on her table and let its
beams fall on his lineaments. And still
she made no answer to his appeal.
Then came glare of torches in the street
below and q knocking at the door. Then
at last the old lady came to a resolu-
ton; she lifted the tapestry at the head Of
her bed and told him to bestow himself
there No sooner was he hidden than the
tall, thin man In the long black cloak en-
tered hastily. He greeted the elderly lacy
mad been set upon by a stranger in the
street ana had been slain. She gave a
great cry and never took her eyes from
MS face. Then he said that servant lad
cony of her house. What if 1t were the
assassin of her son? The blood left Ter
race and she clutched at the table behind
her, as she gave orders to have the house
searched
When the room was empty at last, she
went to the head Of the bed and babe the
man concealed there to come forth and be-
gone, but to cover his face that she might
not be forced to know him again. So saw
ing, she dropped on her knees before a
crucihx, while he slipped out of the window
again and down to the deserted street,
He sped to the corner and turned it I'M
discovered and breathed sigh of relief and
OF regret He kept on steadily, gliding
stealthily along in the shadows, until he
found himself at the city gate, as the bell
OF the cathedral tolled the hour of mid
night.
How 1t was that he passed through the
gate he could not declare with precision.
for seemingly mist had settled about him
Yet Few minutes later he saw that in
some fashion he must have got beyond the
walls Of the town, for he recognized the
open country all around. And oddly
enough he now discovered himself to be
astride bony steed. He could not say
what manner of horse it was he was rid
ing, but he felt sure that it was not the
faithful charger that had saved his life in
PERSIA once upon time, in days long gone
Dy' as 1t seemed to him then. He was not
IN Persia noW-of that he was certain, no:
IN Japan, nor in the Spanish peninsula
Where he was he did not know
IN the DEAD hush of midnight he could
near the barking of a dog on the opposite
shore OF dusky and indistinct waste of
waters that spread itself far below him
Inc night grew darker and darker the
stars seemed to sink deeper in the sky, and
his sight. He had never felt so lonely and
dismal. In the center of the road stood an
enormous tulip tree; its limbs were gnaried
ana fantastic, large enough to form trunks
LOT ordinary trees, twisting down almost
10 the earth, and rising again into the air.
AS he approached this fearful tree, he
thought he saw something white hanging
IN the midst Of it, but on looking more mar
roWly he perceived it was a place where
1t had been scathed by lightning and the
white wood laid bare. About two hundred
yards from the tree a small brook crossed
the road; and as he drew near he beheld-
on the margin of this brook, and in the
dark shadow of the groye-he beheld some
thing huge, misshapen, black and towering
II stlrred not, but seemed gathered up in
the gloom like some gigantic monster ready
to spring upon the traveller
he demanded In stammering accents
w no are you?" He received no reply. He
repeated his demand in a still more agitat-
ed voice. Still there was no answer. And
then the shadowy object of alarm put it
self III motion and with scramble and a
bound stood in the middle of the road. He
appeared to be a hOrseman of large di-
mansions and mounted on a black horse Of
powerful frame. Having no relish for this
strange midnight companion, Cosmo Wayn-
nete urged On his steed in hopes of leaving
the apparition behind; but the stranger
quickened his horse also to an equal pace
ana when the first horseman pulled up,
thinking to lag behind, the second did like
wise. There was something in the moody
and logged silence of this pertinacious
companion that was mysterious and appal-
ling. 1t was soon fearfully accounted for.
On mounting rising ground which brought
the figure of his fellow traveller against the
sky, gigantic in height and mufTled in a
cloak. he was horror-struck to discover the
stranger was headless!-but his horror was
still more increased in observing that the
head which should have rested on the
shoulders was carried before the body OIL
the pommel of the saddle.
The terror of Cosmo Wayn1ete rose to
desperation and he spurred his steed sud
denly in the hope of giving his weird COM
panion the slip. But the headless norseman
started full jump with him. His own horse
as though possessed by demon plunged
headlong down the hill. He could hear
however, the black steed painting and
blowing close behind him; he even fancied
that he felt the hot breath of the pursuer
When he ventured at last to cast look
behind, he saw the goblin rising in the
stirrups, and in the very act of hurting at
him the grisly head. He fell out of the
saddle to the ground: and the black steed
and the goblin rider passed by him like a
whirlwind.
How long he lay there by the roadside,
stunned ard motionless, he could not