The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-01-30

ton, I saw that the autumn winds had
been making very free with the trees
while we had been AWAY. and the brown
leaves strewed the gravel walk and were
scnrrying along on their thin edges
IKE little hoops driven BY children.
smoky blaze lay over the wood and
along the plain, and the hills beyond
were deep init. The low-lying SUI was
blood-red and sent a siclly yellow glow
over the place. Driving rather keenlY,
the wind set me a-shivering. I had
never known 'sthe ranch" when it
showed so bleak and f%orbidding a face
Not caring to enter the vacant house,
/ strobe quickly down the path into the
hollow, which lay darkiy in the shadow,
and, hurrying on to my little studio,
L pulled out my keys before the door.
Not finding the right key, it came to me
Of q sudden that 1 had left it III the lock
inside on going to town, and, turning
the handle of the door, I saw it had not
been locked at all. This was really of
little consequence, as "the ranch" was
not near the road, and / had often
boosted that a lock meant apJthfhg
there anyway, tacugmiGetrie dark room
it had probably saved a negative or two
on eceasion.
went in and from pure force Of hab
It turned the key, leaving it in the lock.
Then I struck a match, found my lamp,
lighted it and poured my chemicals out
into my graduate and tray. Then,
wiHsfthe lamp covered and only the thin
stream of red light coming duly forth,
I opened a double-back and pulled out
a plate. 1t was ssAriadne and the Pan
Their" for which / hoped great things.
, AS I put the plate into the developing
tray and picked up my graduate to
pour forth the developer I was startled
by a rustling that seemed to come from
the corner where I kept my printing
stuff. It sounded like a movement Of
the stiff curtain that hung there, but it
occurred to me that the strange sound
could rave come from a wind puff
among the leaves outside. So 1 poured
the developer upon the light yellow
: plate and began to rock the tray gently.
! Nowhere, except probably on your
wedding morning or on getting a
{ wrapped copy of your first book does
4 the charm of expectancy get such a
hold upon you as it does on watching
4 for the image of an exposed object to
appear upon a Photographic plate.
Out of the yellow blank before me
now came, softly and silently, the fig
ure Of the smooth-limbed Ariadne, sit
ting her panther with the majesty
had seen in the marble. But she was
I looming on rather too quickly because
i Of oyertiming, and I rapidly reached
back for the bottle of bromide. As ]
4 measured off four crystal drops that fell
i splashing into the developer, 1 heard
q a slight grating sound, as of a key be
4 ing taken from the lock. Surely the
/ charm of Ariadne must have been
i strong upon me. for the incident did
ii not excite so much alarm as j t,did mere
annoyance.
n MUST have been in rather loose and
h just dropped ou4." was my Illogical
10 thought; but whb can be logical con
a corning things external when snug in
r his own tight little world Of photog
a raphy?
it Ariadne came on beautifully, and
lie laid her in the water. near my right
lie hand to gain detail before fixing. Their
u I took out Venus and began to develop
Of her. She came on well enough, and
k dipped her into the water, too. Every
ed thing was going well, and I should hav'
ID a fine set if this kept on. Being my frs
" rial with such a hard lot of subjects,
a was rather proud of myself.
At Then my fingers grouped for Ariadne
who was now ready for the fixing bath
ID But though l felt all about in the water
re my finger tips never touched the glass
~ 1t was a hard situation to sense bu
"a Ariadne was gone.
/ leaned back in my chair in a stat
bordering in utter collapse. Water
AZ doesn't melt solid glass, and an eight
by-ten negative doesn't get up and wall
% out of a tray. What in the name of tn
We great Daguerre did this thing mean?
a Looking at the tray in vague distress
2 1 saw a great black hand steal silentl,
~ into the circle of the dim red light
q grasp the Venus negative, and as silent
ly dart back into the thick, impenetra
I'M BILE gloom of the darkroom. 1 woul
M have jumped up if / could, but the ugI
mi circumstance weighed me down. The
mi l heard the negative strike the Zoo
MI and SILVER into little bits. This starte,
MI me up. I grasped the over of the re-
W light, and was about to lift it when tn
whole continuance was wrenched froI
al the table, and the ruby glow was turne
M full upon my face. Behind it IAcoul
I'M see nothing, but the handle at the boi
nj tom was cluched by that same blac
" hand. The lamp was raised high, an
M then down it came, crashing agains
the floor. the light blotting out in th
. heavy blackness.
Isprang for the door, and, missing i
. grasped something soft and slipper
d that slid from my grasp. 1t was lI
a clothed arm, but it was so cold an
Shiny that it seemed hardly humal
At the same time, a form full of burl
strength knocked harshly against m
m whether accidentally or not 1 could NJ
of tell. A slight mass of cold slime Thu
a reeked horribly came off the form an
adhered to my face and the side of m
nd neck. That was more than 1 coul
ak stand. Ny clogged throat opened an