The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1897-01-15

H##H HAH hN VS. HNNNNN NNAH HHHNA HHHlH# HAaH
door. but 20 feel Ia vain.
j vas locked mp Ia tho dark with a
namolom creature, sinister aud power.
ful, from whom there was no flight,
for tho dark room had but one exit
tho door. There was no window nor
any hole, save tho small ventilation
traps, through which not even SO much
as "a hand might be thrust
While thoro was any hope by way Of
the door, / had net been more than
commonly fenrsomc, but now my
fright was moro than mere alarm. II
way o steady growth Of torror-tho
kind OF terror that makes the scalp
feel prickly and the breath como hard.
II was chill, palpilating fear Of the
kind that makes you turn sick and
sets your shoulders twitching. And
the chief Of Il was q pallid dread Of
something unspeakably uncouth and
loathsome-actud contact with the
thing In tho dark room. ] believe /
could have borne a stroke from any
weapon IL might have in hand better
than q touch or close meeting with the
body OF the repulsive creature.
crawled into tho corner nearest
the door, and waited with strained
ear. Presently / heard q low shuf-
ding, and then apatting along the wall,
and a scraping along the door. He Of
tho black hand was feeling for me Of
that was certain. Ny ear is good,
and, judging the location OF tho pat.
ting and scraping. as we'll as Of anoth.
or sound, like the dragging Of some
small, soft body upon the floor,
moved without noise around the edge,
away from my pursuer. Though
shaken and fevered, / kept out OF that
dread clutch.
IL was nerye.straining work, and the
tension was something frightful, but 1
kept it up until fell over a box and
went sprawling right into the arms Of
the creature. Ny head fell upon its
clammy shoulder, from which oozed
the noisome moisture, and its wet and
illSmelling arms closed upon me,
bringing TO bear such force that I
thought they would crush my very
breast bone. At the same time there
came out a low, throatY laugh-a
laugh so uncouth and lacking in levity
as to DO positively narrowing.
There was fight in me yet, shaken
and crushed as l was, and, getting one
arm loose, l hammered with all my
force upon the creature, striking
where 1 judged it's head should be.
My blows slid Off because of the slime
that enveloped the face, but once
struck full hard upon a solid jaw, and
before 1 could pull my hand back my
thumb was bitten nearly in two. And
then the hand of the creature--that
great black hand that ] had seen in
the low red hght-stole up to my
throat, and, clutching it in mighty
grasp, shut of my breath and made
me grow dizzy and faint there in the
dark room. My own hands, flying
about wildly, now struck an iron hat
hook in the wall. Wrenching this
hook of, drove it so deeply into the
hand at my throat that, breathing
very hard, almost gasping in pain, the
creature suddenly let go its hold upon
me, and l was free.
Now 1 was furious-frenzied ]
darted at my assailant with the hook
in my hand, and presently I dealt O
vicious blow full in the face.
The creature butted forward with @
head so hard that when it struck me
in the breast I thought my breath was
gone. fell over and it came upor
me again, its blood falling on my face
and its breath hot on my forehead.
OF q sudden there was a shock as o.
the solid earth bursting asunder, ant
Isped off into space and oblivion.