The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1899-05-04
THE MUMMY
NECKLACE.

] 4 7 II
quaint. rough thing, more quaint
u than beautiful. yet with certain
picturesqueness, and an undeniable
fascination. alternate beads OF cornell
/ ian and gold and Two tiny hearts hang
ing from the three central beads.
NV father gave 1t me one day, know
/ Ing had fancy for these out-of-the-
way Jewels do not know its history,
but was told II had been taken of the
neck of = mummy.
From the moment 1t was given me
/ its curious fascination oyercame me.
wore It day and night. | fancled j.
would bring me luck. | certainly felt
/ tiny soft pinches on my neck nude by
I the beads. This | wondered at for II
time, but afterward grew too aceus-
toned to them 10 wonder. There We're
curious marks ON the beads; they were
Clipped OF or indented. Here and
there were dark stains.
From the moment began to wear
/ the necklace my heath failed. | grew
weaker and weaker and at last fell
seriously i'll. Naturally did not dream
Of connecting my illness In any way
with the influence of my mummy neck
lace. ON the contrsry, | chung TO ii
more and more, believing 1t 10 be tai
isman.
was lying on my sofa one day, when
friend who had observed my neck
lace then for the first time. said, Why
do you wear thatl 1t isn't pretty. Let
me look at 1t.
She held 1t moment and then shly-
cred.
20, It's a horrible thing. Don't wear
| 1t. 1t Will bring yGu dreadful ill-luck.
believe those are the marks Of teeth
and the stains OF blood"
I said. ut bewitches me. can't bear
TO part with 1t. and wear 1t day and
/ night
Another friend OF mine took a dislike
to It, She was believer In magic of all
sorts, and was persuaded that the neck
/ lace had made me i'll and was prevent
ing my recovery.
Yes" she said, cit has an influence
that l DtIleNt-Dul IDI evil.
/ At last she persuaded me to let her
take 1t to clalrvoyant. A certain cob
/ bier In suburb Of London was the
clalrvoyant we chose. He and ! had
had strange experiences some time be-
fore this. but as Rudyard Kipling says,
that is another story"
| parted with the necklace reluctant
/ ly. Ny friend promised TO arrange an
/ Interview with the cobbler the next
day. II possible.
That night fastened my pearl neck
lace on, missing the feeling of the
mummy chain.
| lay awake all night. | was not al
lowed a sleeping draft. and | had
coughed till was exhausted, but not
sleepy.
Towards dawn my nurse shut the
door between her room and mine | re-
member observing the light coming
through the empty keyhole of her door,
and each side OF my dark blinds.
The rain beat loudly on the windows.
| lay listening TO the weary sound.
tohhhNhia oiAsA NhH SttLtu anu
violently shaken; the bangles | wore
hung with talismans. ratified and jim
gled together. Another moment and
my throat was seized by tightly clutch
Ing. strong hands.
said TO myself: This Is death, and
II Is terrible"
Still the clutch frightened. My pear
necklace was shaken. Even then
thought The pearls viii be scattered. ,
Then the thought came swift and
horrible:
He has come for his necklace" (He
The next flash OF thought was. 'rhl.
Is a struggle OF thousands of years age
being re-enacted. Death is terrible. II
only | could call for help! II only
could speak, But the fingers eluteheC
my throat too tightly.
And then | opened my eyes and saw
n great gray formless thing. 1t In,
stretched out on my bed. and through
1t saw the light shining through III,
empty keyhole.
Even then, through my terror.
thought. shall | he believed when
tell them tomorrow? Yes. 1t must b.
true. because | hear the rain beatin,
On the window pane all the time"
: And all the time the clutchlng an,
the struggling never ceased upon m
! throat. | seemed to he so near 1
death that struggling on my part wa
useless. 1t was at that supreme me
, ment ! realized most distinctly tn
horror OF the great, gray. Transparent
: thing. Al my soul went out into a or
for help TO someone stronger than tn
thing; and then 1t moved. 1t liftet
: melted away into gray mlst-disaI
peared.
Then | sat up In bed; lit candle
which never dared put out again; oil
served the hour by my watch-betw9e
4 and 3; and lay back. stricken. eA
hausted, trembling longing for some
thing human TO come and draw up tn
blinds, and let in even the wet, disma
daylight, rather than lie alone with III
memory OF my midnight horror.
Two days after this my friend VIII
had taken the necklace TO the clairyoy
ant came, bringing 1t back with her i