The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-10-16

. All at once Ramsay fancied he heard
Pedro's voice crying out in a tone of
desperation--or was 1t terror?-"Me
voyl I'm Off to bring you helpl"
The sick man did not heed, though
vaguely conscious he was left alone.
1t seemed to him that he was in a hos
pital The doctor would come round
presently; II not, it was peaceful to lie
still. Was that his mother lifting the
hair on his fevered brow?
Then he started awake as a horrid
cry reused his dulled ears. ct was the
scream Of horse!)
What was this well-known valley?
Where was he? For, raising himself
weakly on one elbow, Ramsay saw q
stream running past rocks which were
strangely familiar-and yet when had
he seen them? The river emptied itself
in marshy land. The dawn showed a
dark gray surface beyond, like a sea-
or lake.
With a cold terror the sick man rec
ognized that he lay not two hundred
yards from the marsh of the lampara-
qua; that headland; the water All
night they must have ridden in a circle.
The horrible stream was already fad
ing from his sick memory like a dream,
when snorting and scufling noise
caused Ramsay to turn slowly his weak
head. He saw his horse stamping,
pulling back from its halter, and with
distended eye-balls staring terrified at
a tree, to a root of which it was fas-
tened. What was wrong? The tree
had two bare topmost branches like
horns, and some lower ones also with
out leaves, yet this was summertime;
in December. 1t was with
cred! And, there about its onion
shaped bole was, surely a dark scar.
crack! Oh, horror! the top of the
tree was that of the lamparagua, in
the marsh. And now, as Jock stared
with fever-awakened eyes through the
aim daybreak, the lower branches
moved slowly downward, clutching the
horse's halter with claw-like twigs:
the crack in the side of the Thing was
widening. Again a fearful sound woke
the sleeping glen; the horses cry of
terror. Jock tried instinctively to find
his revolver but his senses reeled as
the tree aperture gaped. openfng up
ward. The horse was drawing toward
t-nearer!-fighting, struggling. Then
two shots rang out, and a man tainted
and knew no more.
When Jock Ramsay came to himself
the sun was high in the heavens. He
was sheltered by wild myrtle from its
heat, and though very weak. his senses
had come back. Memory was slower
Ah-he remembered! Opening his eyes
in wide stare of apprehension, Ram
say saw himself lying alone There was
thicket near, but not the awful tree.
Pedro was gone; so were the horses.
But perhaps-perhaps- that last vis-
ion of the Thing engulfng the poor
roam cob had been a nightmare q
fevered frenzy. Feebly reconnoitering
the ground, the sick man noticed that
ne lay on grassy slope between the
stream and the rocks where the foxes
hNed' small cape. Behind his head
the ground must be open up the val
ley Ihere lay safety, away from the
horrible marsh and the lampara gua-
II there were such a hideous dream,
Drawing the myrtle leaves aside, as
one might curtain, Jock feebly turned
himself to examine the glen. Then his
fingers clenched, his breath stopped,
and thrill of horror froze his spine.
The Tree was there! Out in the open,
on the grass, with not a bush near it,
right between himself and safety.
Take it quietly! For manhood's sake.
think out this business, and don't turn
faint like school girl seeing a snake.
First, was the whole affair a dream?
was that withered tree out yonder on
the sWard the very lamparague? For,
II so, there were several, or it could
change its situation. 1t was neither in
marsh, nor by the fuchsia thicket, II
o God!
For, as he peered, Ramsay believed
that the tree was moving. It was hor-
ribly near, and it was surely creep
ing forward by inches. He held his
breath and marked a grass tuft at its
bulbuos base.
NoW-now it had passed beyond the
tall silvery grass plumes and spear
leaves, and was close by a stone-was
stealthily rounding it. Yes, the Thing
was approaching him; doubtless it had
stayed quiet till now, gorged with its
morning meal, but it was slowly near
ing its next victim. With eyes fas-
cinated by fear Ramsay saw it's roots
moving forward like giant knotty suck
ers that gripped and held fast in the
herbage, noiselessly moving with the
motion of tortoise.
The hair of the young mans flesh
stood up an icy coldness numhed his
blood. Then with a strong effort he
gathered his senses to think out es-
cape. The rocks ahead were his only
chance. There among the crannies
where the foxes had their dens and
hid in safety, he could hide. But he
could not rise! His head was dizzy with
fever; his strength was as running
water; his legs and feet seemed not
his own, mere useless weights to be
dragged on by sheer pluck. For he
had alraedy started
Grasping the myrtle stems to give
himself an impetus, Ramsay was
crawling away toward the rocks, foot
by foot. He lay outspread like a liz
ard, for his only strength remained in
his arms and chest. Inch by inch, he
crept onward as fast as he could go.
clutching at the grass tufts, at the
sage bushes, drops of Precipitation run
ming down his face.
Faster, faster if it could only be
done! The man had covered some
yards; surely the tree moved more
slowly. All!
blast blew backward over Ram
says head raising his hair. BY in
stinct he dug his nails into the ground,
1attened his body as much as he pos
slply could. The indraught was if air
had rushed by into a deep cavity,
while a sound like that of an escape
pipe Kissed in the air. Then it was
over
AS drowning men are said to see a
thousand past scenes in a few mo-
nlnnIs 50 In a u q nnnnizirrrl.. l..l.l IL