The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-07-21
A TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE.
BY ALEXIS KRAUSSE,


while it lasted that l have ever gou,
through. Indeed, so vivid was til,
sense Of horror which filled me, tina
though il is more than ten years since
the event am about to chronicle oc
CURED, | have never referred to it from
that day to this. But time heals even
the most acute wounds, md now thai
l ain retired and settled in the old
country, | can regard my night oil
terror with comparative equanimity
My sufferings endured but for q few
moments, it is true, but they were mo.
ments that seemed years, and as l.
but am anticipating.
1t was in tie fall of 49,. A wet year,
indeed, when thousands of acres of
! crops lay rotting by the wayside. |
was bound for Carson City, and as
rode through the sierras of Nevada
was constantly delayed by floods and
quagmires. 1t was late one afternoon,
twilight had set in. 1t was Sunday
Sunday, the Goth of October, to be pre-
else. The rain had been pelting down
the whole day, and l was about to re-
sign myself to a night in the open,
wheIi | sighted few dim lights
straight ahead. 1t was settlement
of some sort, and felt quite sprightly
as l realized that there was a good
prospect OF sleeping in bed after all.
And, to make matters more hopeful,
found on reaching the wooden town,
that it comprised quite twenty log
buildings and an iron church; that it
also boosted a saloon, in the window
of which appeared the motherhood
Accommodations"
l entered, and was greeted by an
evil-lookiug six foot of humanity in
jack boots, who combined the
characters of host. waiter and barman,
in one person. In reply to my in
quiries he responded sourly that l
could put up, his exact reilly to LII in
terrogation being. "You bet" Hav-
ing myself tied up my tired horse in a
shed, and seen him fed and watered, l
returned to tie ill-lit saloon, where l
managed to make q meal of canned
salmon, sour bread, and fusel oil.
Mine host then showed me a small
room opening off the saloon. 1t was
like the rest of the place, roughly built
of logs, and its furniture consisted of a
homemade bedstead of deal, an empty
cask with a basin of water Oh top, and
kitchen chair with three legs. Rough
as it was, my bedroom" appeared
luxurious to me. for l was dog tired
and anxious to get rest before resuming
my journey.
l end favored to draw mine host out,
but without effect. He was taciturn
and sulky, and beyond vouchsafing
the information that the town was
called lie Diabolo, he refused to hold
communion with me. So l nodded
Goodnight" and he took the hint
and left Inc to cogitate over the sug.
gesti eness of my new address, and TO
turn in. And then l discovered that
there was no fastening on the door
| knew that | was in a rough coun-
try, and | had not come unprepared
for emergencies. examined the room
carefully, and balanced the chair with
three legs up against the door. Then
| placed my revolver under my pillow
handy for emergencies; undressed, and
got between the blankets-sheets were
unknown in that district.
But couldn't sleep, tired though !
was | had been in the saddle for ten |
weary wet hours / could not control |
my thoughts, which went straying,
and l kept picturing to myself all sorts |
of horrors, with the firm conviction |
that chance had thrown me amid queer |
and that ! had better keep |
on the alert. And SO l thought and |
thought, going over in my mind every |
tragedy l could remember. l tossed |
about until felt quite worn out, and
finally sunk into sort of waking doze. |
/ am not sure, to this day, what it |
was that woke me, but l rega ned con-
seriousness with the feeling that l had |
heard q sound of something moving in
the room. 1t was still quite dark, and
the little glimmer that came in through
the uncurtaiped window, against
which the rain was beating, seemed
but to define the barest outlire of my
l listened intently, not daring to
move. But nothing happened, and
feeling more secure-1 had probably
dreamed that something had happen
ed slowly raised my head to get a
better view.
And then l saw the shape of some
thing on the top of the wooden foot of
the bed
felt my heart cease beating. The
silence was death-like as gazed, not
daring to move.
There were four little protuberances
just showing n the edge of the boards.
They were fingers
And as l gazed l saw, further along |
and by their side, four more,
| believe that my hair stood erect. |
one thing to be done. Slowly and |
silently drew up my right hand, until |
had worked it under the pillow and |
grasped my six-shooter. Still careful |
ly silent. and not daring to remove my
eS es from the bands which yet grasped |
the bedstead, l brought the thing over |
the blanket and covered the space in |
which momentarily expected to see
a mans head appear. Still nothing
happened.
l must have lain like that for a
couple of minutes. 1t seemed ages,
and | was beginning to get cramped.
But the mysterious vi itor made no
sign, and the hands were immovable.
Then | resolved to assume the often
sive.
"Stand and hold your hands up"
| exclaimed in tones of assumed cool
ness. You are covered, and if you
move an inch I'll let daylight through
you"
Still no sign.
Perhaps he was only larrikin, or a
coward. decided to sit up.
Quietly l drew up my legs, and as
did SO the hands disappeared. My
finger was on the trigger, but it struck
me that l had the advantage. l
scrambled to my feet, and remaining
ON the bed, sprang towards the foot
and pecred over.
saw nothing.
Then got out, and looked under the
bed. Nothing there, either.
Then understood.
had be en- within an ace of shooting
off my toes But it nearly turned me
grey at that time.