Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1897-08-05
\ ALMOST .pERSuADfD"


tney intend to drive him to madness?
He began to suspect that the king had
discovered his natural superstition and
had decided to put it to test. What he
had undergone SO far he felt was but
the introduction to greatest terrors in
store for him.
There was a sigh far away In the
darkness, then a groan that seemed to
fit about in space, as if seeking to es-
cape the dark, and then died away in
low moan of despair. Before him tho
blackness seemed to hang like dark
curtain about ten yards in front of him,
and in it shone tiny speck of light no
larger than the head of pin and which
was 80 bright that he could not look at
It steadily. It increased to the size Of
pea, and then he discovered that at
times it would seem miles away in
space and then again to draw quite
near to hand. Glancing down, he no.
ticed that it cast bright round spot
about an inch In diameter on the floor,
and that the spot was slowly revolving
in a circle so small that its motion was
hardly observable Surely the mind of a
superstitious man was never so pun
ished. When Thorndyke looked steadily
at the spot, the black floor seemed to
reccde and the spot to sink far down
into the empty darkness below like Il
solitary star. So realistic was this that
the EngliShman could not keep from
fancying that his chair was poised in
some way over fathomless space. Pres
emily he noticed that the spot had ceased
its circular movement and was slowly
almost as slowly as the movement Of
the hand of clock-advancing in
straight line toward him.
No such terror had ever before pos
scssed the stout heart of the English
man. As the uncanny spot, ever grow
ing brighter, advanced toward him, he
thought his heart had stopped beating.
His brain was in whirl. After a long
while the spot reached his feet and be-
gan to climb up his legs. With a shud
der and smothered cry, he tried to
draw his feet away, but they were toe
firmly manaclcd.
ut is searching for my heart"
thought Thorndyke. "My God, when it
reaches it, l shall die!' AS the strange
spot, g!caming like burning diamond
in whose heart leapcd thousand differ
cnt cOlOrcd flames and which seemed
possessed Of some strange hellish pur-
pose, crossed his thighs and began to
climb up his body, the brain of the pris-
oner seemed on fire. He tried to close
his eyes; but, horrors Of horrors, his
eyelids were paralyzed. 1t was almost
over his heart, and Thorndyke was faint
ing through sheer mental exhaustion
when it stopped, began to descend slow.
ly, and then, with rapid, wavering
motion, it fell to the floor, flashed about
in the darkness and vanished.
An hour dragged slowly by. What
would happen next? The Englishman
felt that his frightful ordeal was not
over. To his surprise the darkness began
to Tighten till he could see dimly the
outlines Of tho chamber. 1t was bare
save for the chair he occupied against
the wall and couch Oh the opposite
side of the room The couch held some-
thing which looked like human body
covered with white cloth. He could
see where the sheet rounded over the
head and rose sharply at the feet.
Something told him that it was q
corpse and new terror possessed him.
For several minutes he gazed at the
couch in dreadful suspense; then his
heart stopped pulsing as the figure OH
the couch began to move. Slowly the
sheet fell from the head and the figure
sat up stitliy. There was faint hum Of
hidden machinery at the couch, and
flashing blue and green line running
from the couch to the wall betrayed the
presence of an electric wire.
Slowly the figure rose and with creak-
ing, rattling joints stood erect. Pale
lights shone in the orbits of the eyes and
the sound of harsh automatic breathing
came from the mouth and nostrils. Slow
ly and haltingly the figure advanced to-
ward Thorndyke. The poor fellow tried
to wrench himself free from the chair,
but he could not stir an inch. On came
tho figure, its long arms swinging me-
chanically, and its feet slurring over the
stone pavement.
When within ten feet of the English
man, it stopped, nodded it's head three or
four times and slowly opened its mouth.
There was sharp, whirring noise, such
as comes from phonograph, and a
voice spoke:
my voice shall sound on earth for
million years after my spirit has left
my body, and shall wander about my
dark dungeon as a warning to men not
to do as l have DONE"
The voice ceased, but the whirring
sound in the creatures breast went on.
The figure shambled nearer to Thorn
dyke, and the voice began again:
II disobeyed the laws of great Alpha
and her imperial king and am to die.
Beware of the temptation to search in.
to the royal motives or attempt to es-
cape. The fate of all the inhabitants Of
Alpha, the wonderful Land of the
Changing Sun, is in the hands Of its
ruler. Beware! My death torture is to
be lingering and horrible. I sink into
deepest detection. Twas eager to return
to my native land and tried to escape.
Behold my punishment Even my bones
and flesh will not be allowed to rest or
decay. Beware! The king is just and
good, but he will be obeyed."
Slowly the figure retreated toward
the couch and lay down on it. The
whirring sound ceased, the light along
the wire went out, and the darkness
thickened till the couch and the out1ines