Middletown transcript., 1898-03-05
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.
CHAPTER ".

L
CHAPTER ".
It is perhaps q singular thing that
this absence of the three men from the
feed box at the time of the sharp lieu
tenants investigation should terrify the
girl more than it should joy her. That
for which she had prayed had come to
pass. Apparently the escape Of these
men in the face of every improbability
had been granted her, but her dominat-
ing emotion was fright. The feed box
was mystic and terrible machine, like
some dark magician's trap. She felt it
almost possible that she should see the
three weird men floating spectrally
away through the air She glanced with
swift apprehension behind her and,
when the dazzle from the lantern s light
had left her eyes, saw only the dim
hillside stretched in solemn silence.
The interior of the barn possessed for
her another fascination because it was
now uncanny. 1t contained that extraor-
dinary feed box. When she peeped again
at the knothole, the calm gray prisoner
was seated upon the feed box, humping
it with his dangling, careless hee's, as
if it were in nowise his conception of
remarkable feed box. The sentry also
stood facing it. His carbine he held in
the hollow Of his arm. His legs were
spread apart, and he unused. From
without came the low humble of the
three other troopers. The sharp lieuten-
ant had vanished.
The trem mbling yellow light of the
lantern caused the figures of the men to
cast monstrous wavering shadows.
There were spaces Of gloom which
shrouded ordinary things in impressive
garb. The roof presented an iIscrutable
blackness save where sm"ll riffs in the
shingles glowed phosphorescently. Ere
quently old Santo put down thunder
GUS hoof The heels of the prisoner
made a sound like the booming of
wild kind Of drum. When the men
moved their heads their ewes shone
with ghoulish whitenesa and their corn-
plexlons were always waAen anu unreal.
And there was that profoundly strange
feed box, imperturbable with its burden
of fantastic mystery.
Suddenly from down near her feet
the girl heard a crunching sound, sort
of nibbling, as if some silent and very
discreet terrier was at work upon the
turf. She faItered back. Here was no
doubt another grotesque detail of this
most unnatural episode. She did not
run, because physically she was now in
the power Of these events. Her feet
chained her to the ground in submission
to this march Of terror after terror. As
she stared at tn" spot from whence this
sound seemed to come there hoated
through her mind vague. sweet vi
sion, vision of her safe little room in
which at this hour she usually was
sleeping.
The scratching continued family and
with frequent I:sla4s as if the terrier
was then lisiclihg. Hhen the girl first
removed he. err, from the knothole
the scene agEeared enc CT velvet dark
ness Then gradually objects loomed
with dim lu4tor. She could now see
where the tops of tho trees joined the
sky, and to t.yt.i q the barn was be-
fore her, Gyed i'll heavy purple.
She was even about to shrek, but no
sound came from her CONSTRUCTED throat.
She gazed at the ground with the ex-
preston Of countenance Of one who
watches the sinister moving grass where
serpent approaches.
Dimly she saw piece Of sod wrench
ed free and drawn under the great foun-
dation beam of tho barn. Once she i'm
agined that she saw human hands, not
outlined at all, but sufficient in color,
form or movement to make subtle sug-
gestion.
Then suddenly thought that illumi-
mated the entire situation flashed in her
mind like light. The three men late
Of the feed box were beneath the floor Of
the barn and were now scraping their
way under this beam. She did not con-
slider for moment how they could come
there. They were marvellous creatures.
The supernatural was to be expected Of
them. She no longer trembled, for she
was possessed upon this instant Of the
most Interchangeable species of conyic-
tion.. The evidence before her amounted
to no evidence at all, but nevertheless
her opinion grew in an instant from an
irresponsible acorn to rooted and i'm
movable tree. It was as if she was on a
jury.
She stopped down hastily and scanned
the ground. There she indeed saw pair
Of hands hauling at the dirt where the
sod had been displaced. Softly, in
whisper like breath, she said, Hey i'
The dim hands were drawn hastily
under the barn The girl reflected for a
moment. Then she stopped and whis-
pered: "HeyI It's mep'
After time there was resumption
Of the digging. The ghostly hands began
once more their cautious mining. She
waited. In hollow reverberations from
the interior of the barn came the fire.
quent sounds Of old Santos lazy move
ments. The sentry oonversed with the
prisoner.
At last the girl saw head thrust
slowly from under the beam. She per-
ceived the face of one of the three mirac-
ulous soldiers from the feed box. A pair
of eyes glinted and wavered, then finally
settled upon her, pale statue of girl.
The eyes became lit with kind of hu-
morous greeting. An arm gestured at
her.
STOPPING, che breathed, "All right?''
The man drew himself silently back un-
der the beam. 4 moment later the the tfsss4iifr pair
of hands resumed their cautious task. |
Ultimately the head and arms Of the
man were thrust strangely from the
earth. He was lying on his back. The
girl thought of the dirt in his hair.
Wriggling slowly and pushing at the |
beam above him, he forced his way out |
Of the curious little passage. He twisted |
his body and raised himself upon his |
han Is. He grinned at the girl and drew |
his feet carefully from under the beam:
When he at last stood erect beside her. |
be at once began mechanically to brush |
the dirt from his clothes with his hands. |
In the harm fbo confrv and tho Y1riconor |