The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1897-02-13

twitchIng. And the chk-f OF It was n
nallid dread OF something unspeakaDiy
uncouth and loathsome-actual contact
with the thing in the darkroom. De
lieve | could have borne a stroke from
any weapon 1t might have in hand De.-
ter than a touch or close meeting with
the body Of the repulsive creature
| crawled into the corner nearest tue
door and waited with strained ear.
Presently / heard a low shutting ana
then a patting along the wall ana Il
scraping along the floor. He OF the
black hand was feeling for me; oil that
| was certain. My ear is good, anu'
judging by the location Of the pairing
and scraping, as well as OF another
sound. like the dragging of some small
soft body upon the floor, | moved WITH
out noise around the edge. away from
my pursuer. Though shaken and FEVER
ed. kept out Of that dread clutch
II was nerve-strainlng work and the
tension was something frightful, out
kept 1t up until fell over box ana
went spraying right into the arms OF
the creature. My head fell upon us
clammy shoulder, from which oozed the
noisome moisture, and its wet and III
smelling arms closed upon me, bringing
TO bear such force that thought they
would crush my breast-bone. AT the
same time there came out low,
throaty laugh-a laugh so uncouth and
lacking in levity as to be positively har-
rowing.
There was fight in me yet, shaken ana
crushed as | 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 envel-
oped the face but once / struck full
hard upon a 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, clutch
ing 1t in mighty grasp, shut off my
breath and made me grow dizzy and
faint there in the darkroom. My own
hands. flying about wildly, now struck
an iron hat hook in the wall. Wrench
ing this hook off, / drove it so deeply
into the hand at my throat that, breath
ing very hard, almost gasping in pain,
the creature suddenly let go its hold
upon me. and l was free.
Now was furious-frenzied. ! dart
ed at my assailant with the hook in my
hand. and presently | dealt a vicious
blow full in the face.
The creature butted forward with a
head so hard that when 1t struck me in
the breast | thought my breath was
gone. fell over and 1t came upon me
again, its blood falling on my face and
its breath hot on my forehead.
or sudden there was a shock as of
the solid earth bursting asunder, and
sped off into space and oblivion.
When next knew the world the door
Of my darkroom was open and the
morning sun was shining in upon the
floor where lay, with aching head and
soaring of pain in my throat. while
my bitten thumb fairly throbbed My
face, hands and clothes were nearly
covered with blood, green slime and
muddy ooze, and all about the studio the
walls and floors were streaked and
daubed with the same offensive mix
ture. In one place there was the plain
imprint of five long fingers. doubted
not that it had been made by the great
black hand that had clutched my throat
in the darkness.
l crawled to the sink and washed my
self and took good drink, after which
| made my way out of the darkroom
into the house, where l changed my
clothes and bandaged my thumb.
At my gate | saw two men on horse
back.
seen anything Of a big buck Niger
going by herer' asked one of them
Hes got big hands and feet and is per-
fectly dumb. We tracked him down
to the slough. where he probably wad.
ed across"
! stared hard at the men.
Yes replied, 1--WE seen him. or Mt
least I've seen his hand. Where is he
FROM
"Napa insane asylum. Broke loose
yesterday morning. San Francisco
Argonaut.