The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1900-04-26
sell. nay dssrl replied the old l.5y, psl
,ias tbs sirl'. cheek sa,etionsteiy
ysnaaIsh,a /. spsah

!, Nsnaaishtd spsak
Very ies stosu up people kBes VIA
A dresms, ssid To. quietsst man 10 u
!, group tha he'd bsso spinning ysrDs 4
the hotel corfider. When | spesk o
flight, he continued, ! don't mean alarm
. 10 any Of ils ordinary senses Il meso ths
. sort OF brute psuie that fobs . mao o
speech. though, and volition; thai tara
bin ,ick aud cold; tha, leaves tnoh deei
snd indelitle sesr 90 bis whole retyoul
!, system, thai the very memory Of Il yesr'
sitetuara, will make him qa,il and skud
der. II is impossible, 10 my opinion fol
mere danger to produce that feeling, ever
ia the raukest towards, Tor yon must besi
10 mind /, is net fear that / an ipdesyoi
ipg TO describe. but somsihius entirely
difihebt, something ssAinst which persoa
81 courage furnishes no immapily vhal
ever When 9 msu Is afraid, bis inslinoi
is TO run away, TO escape; when be IL
heightened, be has no such impulse--be
simply snfi 10, never bad but oue ell
periencs OF that Kind In my life, and the
circumstances OF the place we're very com
N mopplsce. III tell yoa about i. in IS few
words IS possible,
10 1889 | ives holding = Job s proof
reader in . big printing establishment 10
Chicago. The building thea occupied by
the concern was rambling cid barracks
OF . place. and the little inolosure where
| worked vas In the extreme rear OF the
upper floor, which was ssed ss . com
posing room: NeIt to my cubby bole wss
smother and considerably larger inclosure
where 81 religious weekly was set up on
special contract That second room had
sinister reputation, for the sufliciently
startling reason that it had been the sceue
OF two suicides, A former collector for
the firm, who was short 10 bis accounts,
had gone there to blow bis brains out
and later on poor, old printer, broken
down and desponden,, had ont his throat
10 front OF the cracked looking glass Which
hung over the sink. All that happened
Ioog before my time, bat the memory Of
ii abided, and il seemed to invest the place
with peculiar air ot sloom.
have gooe ito these details to give
you an idea OF tie lay OF the premises.
and now I'll gel to this poiat. OIe night,
10 the fall OF the year, l had az uuususl
lot OF proofs to read and d eIded to go
bsck, sitter q late supper, aud finish them
up before goins t, bed, WhenI reached
the building on my relUrn from the
restaurant, ever body Lad Rote, and the
place was ss black and silent rs cave,
but let myself in At side door and
groped my way up stsir', fumbliDg 10 my
pockets for . match. To my annoyance
didn't have single one, but l remem
bered there was boxful on tsblein the
office OF the religious weekly, and
knowing the composing room pretty
thoroughly. l started without hesitation
for my den,
The sky was stormy and overcast that
Disht, and inside the building it Was per
fectly dark, so dark that l literally could
not see my hand before my face. Never
the less reached ths proof room without
any mishsp and had jast opened the door
OF the adjoining inclosure to get the match
es when the thought OF the two suicides
flashed through my brain and sent an 10y
shiver down my spine. For a moment
had sn impulse TO back out and beat re
treat, and while l put that aside, won't
deny tbstI was considerably uDnerved.
The Loneliness OF the place, the pitoh
darkness, the wtisperiog noises one can
always hear 10 big empty building at
oisht snd the memory OF that ghsstly
story OF self murd'r, all made my heart
beat like drum, and i. required every
particle OF resoluiion possessed TO ensbls
ne to ttke step iorwsrl.
mONcu eiUWiy sua oauhpuo'yt WIN
my right arm extended TO wsrd oh obstA
cles, and had advanced perhaps . dozen
psces " hen my clutched hand was laid
4 a,ly uI on & Lrmsn ftoe. ! could feel
The nose and eye sockets sgsinst my fingers
and q stubble OF beard pricked my palm.
Nov, gentlemen, this msy seem like
nothing % tell it here, with the incsn
iescsnts sbl z, and people psssiog to aud
iro, bat 10 that tlsck. deserted rooksry it
vas the iucsrustion OF horror. | realized
then and there for the fret time 10 my
Lille. the rssl meaning Of the word fright.
II had actually seen g ghost, 1t would
have shsken me less, but that face sgsinst
my hand 10 the datk-sh. will never
forget IL, never - long ss lIvel
1 reooiled, and as did go my fngers go
couptersd the match box. BY pure 10
stinct snstcbed out . dozen mstches aud
struck them on the table. A gas jet was
ball foot away. and 10 90 instant | bad 1t
IN, Then / understood the situstiop,
and you will emile, no doubt. whsn ex
plain. A printer whom ! knew very well
snd Who was the sot OF the Office, was
.tsnding beside one OF The Gases 10
drunken dcz,. He had been on spree.
md when the ofiice was closed be was
yipg s.leer, unno,ic.d, behind spils OF
nsner Nv sieps on the stairs had srons
ID him. aud be staggered to bis feet and
stood there. silent and stupid, until /
sssins, bin 10 the dark.
Thsts the story. snd, ~ lead bsiors,
i seems like nothing to tell, yel tie bare
.A.1. - a. -. h,nno Nj the sUsat To nv