The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-24

each vista in the hope Of convincing
myself that there was nothing to be
seen, straining my ears in the vain
hope of hearing the sound of footsteps
on the stairs, cannot tell, for although
/ tried again and again to read the fig-
ures on the dial plate of my watch |
could never satisfy myself that I had
succeeded. Had there been a hope of
q seat anywhere / might have sought
II, but there was none, and indeed /
was afraid to lose sight of the gigantic
figure which 1 felt instinctively to be
connected with the discovery 1 was
waiting for.
1 was standing opposite the figure
now, and, as / peered upwards through
the darkness at the face that held me
with an almost hypnotic spell, some
thing happened. / could not have said
what 1t was that chained my attention
and made the blood run coldly through
my limbs, but there was something
the face had changed. Its expression
had changed or seemed to change,
dozen times before, but 1 knew that
this was different-it had really
changed this time. What was it?
1 gazed fixedly at the great, calm,
features till suddenly 1t flashed upon
me. 1t was the eyes. Till that moment
the great orbs had looked out fixed,
and rigid, with a dull stare into the
dim shadows that surrounded them,
but now they woke to life-a strange,
pale face. l stared; ] rubbed my eyes
to make sure that 1t was not another
trick Of the fancy only more vivid than
any that had gone before, but when
looked again the impression had only
grown stronger. From the centre of
each eyeball a dim, ghostly ray of light
was cleaning, and moment by moment
it was growing brighter. 1t struck
downward, and I could trace it's path
through the gray shadows like the
flight of a phosphorescent arrow. My
eye followed the two slender lines as
they fell, and 1 noticed that they in
clined to one another till at last they
Joined and as a single ray of light set
tied upon the right knee of the sitting
figure. Upon that knee the giant right
hand of the image lay, not fiat. but in
an easy posture that brought the fore
finger slightly over the thumb. 1t was
here-here, on the inner edge of the
thumb, that the united ray of silver
moonlight fell.
Hitherto I had followed it mechan-
ically, curiously and wonderingly, but
without connecting it intellig, otly with
anything else; but now it appealed to
my mind like q revelation, and the
words of the Pail writing seemed to
throb in my ear once more. 1.-The
glance of the Queen of Night shall rest
upon the secret place where lie the hid
den treasures of the beloved ones
1t was here, then, here that the treas
ure lay! 1 forgot my weariness; ]
ceased for the moment to feel the pair
of my disabled ankle; 1 sprang for.
ward and laid my hand on the spot
where the silver arrow of the moon.
| light fell. AS l stood my shoulder was
| just on the level of the massive knee
of the great figure on which the hand
rested. Following the glance of the
moon l laid my hand on the giant
thumb. 1t yielded to the pressure, and
moving aside as If on a pivot, showed
that the hand was hollow, aNi as tn,
pale shaft Of the moon light fell upor
| it's contents there was flashed back 6
reflection of many-colored lights.
was the treasure!
| For a moment I paused and almos
gasped for breath. My eyes seemed
dazzled by the sight, and the surprls,
of the sudden discovery was like
shock to my nerves. Before / hat
time to recover, or indeed to think
before I could make up my mind t
stretch out my hand and touch tn
glittering prize, something like gra.
shadow fitted past me. At the sam
moment there was a strange, grasping
cultural sound close to my ear, and
felt my throat grasped by long, bon.
fingers, that felt like those of a skele
ton, and sent a thrill of superstition
horror tingling through every nerv
in my body. 1 staggered and graspet
wildly at my assailant, but the sud
denness of the attack and the smooth
ness of the rock floor on which 1 stoo
caused me to lose my balance. M
desperate clutch closed upon some
thing, indeed. but it felt unsubstantia
and yielded no support-and then
fell.