The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-04

as a mill and was turned into an inn. /
clambered down the side of the wheel,
and slippery, and peered through the pad
! dies.
AS was making my examination a voice
| suddenly startled me.
What are you doing down there?"
! 1 looked up-old Bindloss was standing
! on the bank looking down at me. He was
| alone and his face was contorted with a
| queer mixture of fear and passion hasti-
| ly hosted myself up and stood beside MIN.
What are you poking about down there
| for?' he said, pushing his ugly old lace
! into mine as he spoke. You fool If you
/ had fallen you would have been drowned:
! No one could swim stroke in that mill
! race. And then there would have been an
other death, and all the old fuss over
! again. Look here, sir, will you have the
| goodness to get out of the place? 1 don't
! want you here any more.
Il intend to leave tomorrow morning, L
answered in pacifying voice, and [ am
really very much obliged to you for warn
ing me about the mill"
You had best not go near it again." he
! said in a menacing voice, and then he
| turned hastily away. l watched him as ne
climbed up a steep bank and disappeared
| from view He was going IN the opposite
! direction from the house. Selling the OPP
| portunity of his absence, l once more APP
! preached the mill Was 1t possible that
| Wentworth had been hurled into it? But
| had this been the case there would have
! been signs and marks on the body. Having
| reached the wheel, clambered boldly
! down. 1t was now getting dusk, but l could
| see that a prolongatiOn OF the axle entered
the wall Of the tower. The fittings were
also in wonderfully good order, and the bolt
| that had held the great wheel only required
| to be drawn out TO set it in motion.
That evening during supper l thought
very hard L perceived that Bindloss was
angry, also that he was suspicious and
| alarmed. l saw plainly that the only way
! to really discover what had been done to
! Wentworth was to cause the old ruttan
to try similar means TO get rid of me. This
! was a dangerous expedient, but l felt des-
! perate, and my curiosity as well as interest
/ lroap finished
! supper. / went into the passage prepare
| tory to going into the kitchen. l had on
! felt slippers, and my football made no noise
| AS l approached the door heard Bindloss
| saying to his wife
He $ been boxing about the mill-wheel;
1 wish he would make himself scarce"
"Oh, he can't find out anything" was the
reply. You keep quiet, Bindloss; he'll be
| of in the morning."
| then there came a harsh and very disagree
| able laugh. l waited for a moment, ana
| then entered the kitchen. BindlosS was
alone now; he was bending over the IRE
! smoking
i shall leave early in the morning. l
| said so please have my bill ready for me-"
| l then seated myself near him, drawing up
| my chair close to the blaze. He looked as
| if he resented this, but said nothing.
Il am very curious about the deaths
which occur in this house" l said, after
pause. How many did you say there
were?"
I'VE never wanted you here; you can go
when you please"
Il shall go tomorrow morning, but I
wish to say something now"
And what may that Beg
II don't believe in that story about the
place being haunted.
his pipe, and his glttering eyes gazed at
me with mixture of anger and 1l-con-
! cedled alarm.
No" / paused, then said slowly and
emphatically Il went back to the mill even
after your warning, and.
hot hl tod or a re-
Nothing" | answered; only l don't be-
His face turned not only white, but livid.
] left him without another word. L saw
| that his suspicious had been much strength
ened by my words. This 1 intended. To
induce the rufian to do his worst was the
only way to wiring his secret from him.
v
My hideous room looked exactly as it had
done on the previous evening. The gro
tesque pattern on the walls seemed to start
out in bold relief. Some of the ugly lines
seemed at that moment, to my magma
ton, almost to take human shape, to con-
vert themselves into ogre-like faces, and to
grin at me. Was 1 too daring? Was it
wrong of me to risk my life in this man
ner? 1 was terribly tired, and, curious as it
may SEEM my greatest fear at that crucial
moment was the dread that L might fall
any repose and felt that at any moment.
Notwithstanding all my efforts slumber
might visit me. In order to give Bindloss
| full opportunity for carrying out his
scheme it was necessary for me to get into
! bed and even to feign sleep. In my present
! exhausted condition the pretense of sum-
Der would easily lapse into the reality. This
risk, however, which really was a very
grave one, must be run. Without undress-
ing, I got into bed, pulling the bed clothes
well over me, In my hand | held my re-
| volVer l deliberately put out the candles,
and then lay motionless waiting for events.
| The house was quiet as the graVe-there
was not a stir, and gradually my nerves
| excited as they We're began~tO calm down
| AS l had fully expected, overpoWering
| SeepineSS seized me, and, Notwithstanding
| every effort found myself drifting away
| into the land of dreams. L began to wish
| that whatever apparittOn was to appear
| would do SO at once and get II over. Grad
ually but surely seemed to pass from al; al
! memory of my present world, and to live
! in a strange and terrible phantasmagoria.
| In that state | slept, in that state also
! dreamed, and dreamed horribly
l thought that was dancing a waltz with
| an enormously tall woman. She lowered
above me, clasping me in her arms, and
| giddy speed. / could hear the crashing
| music of distant band. Faster and faster,
round and round some great empty hall
! was I Whirled. / knew that | was losing
| my senses, and screamed to her to stop and
| let me 60 Suddenly there was a. terrible
| crash close to me. Good God! l found my
| self awake, butt was still moving. Where
was !? Where was l going? l leaped up
| on the bed, only to reel and fall heavily
! backwards upon the floor. What was the
matter? Why was l sliding, sliding? Had
| suddenly gone mad, or was l still suffer-
| ing from some hideOus nightmare? / tried
! to move, to stagger to my feet. Then by
! slow degrees my senses began to return.
and l knew where | was. / was in the cir
| cular room, the room where Wentworth
| had died. but what was happening to me
| could not divine. only knew that | was
! being Whirled round and round a a velocity
that every moment increasing. By the
moonlight that struggled in through the
window l saw that the floor and the bed
| upon it was revolving, but the table was
| lying on its side, and it's fall must have
! awakened me.
1 could not see any other furniture in the
! been removed? Making a great effort,
| craWled to the center of this awful cham
! Der, and Selling the foot of the bed, strug-
! gled TO my feet. Here | knew there would
! be less motion, and J could just manage to
| see the outline of the door. ] had taken
| the precaution to slip the revolver into my
| pocket, and l still felt that if human
| agency appeared, / had a chance of sell
| ing my life dearly; but surely the horror
! was passing through was invented by no
! Volved in the direction of the door made
! a dash for it, but was carried swiftly past
! and again fell heavily. When l came round
| again | made a frantic effort to cling to
! one of the steps. but in vain; the head of
| the bedstead caught me it flew round
| ment l believe | should have gone raving
| mad with terror. My head felt as if it
| would burst: l found it impossible to think
| consecutively. The only idea which really