The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-11-20
Horror SYen Hours Long (,
An Exhibition Of Cou-~x~ By q Yankse
echoolNz'xnz-

L ID MdAQr lELuhLk fu the OlU
doctor, "that a person can't
live and retain his senses in
state of blind. animal terror for
more than a very few minutes at time.
Either nature will take refuge in her
cyclone cellar, Inconsistencies, and
the person will faint; or the brain ten
sion will get beyond the swapping point
and he will become insane; or the heart
will collapse under the strain, and
death will follow. Or any two or all
of these things may occur at once. So
say the authorities. / was of the same
opinion once, but I've known better for
a good many years. although I've never
seen second case to disproye the rule
Did il ever occur to you when some
long-standing record of courage or en-
durance, or the ability TO bear pain has
been broken. how often It is Woman
that breaks it?
This was a young woman, New
England school-teacher by the name of
Mildred Wicks. She had been invited to
pay visit TO two elderly maiden
aunfs who lived on the outskirts of an
old town in the central part of Yir-
ginia, where / began the practice Of
medicine. The house was one of those
three-storied southern colonial struc-
lures with broad verandas and futed
columns the entire height of the front.
From the left. in the rear, there extend
ed a considerable wing which. in some
former period of prosperity, had been
given over to the guest chambers, but
which now for years had been little
used.
by some misunderstanding the
young woman arrived just week ear
ljer than she was expected, TO find her
aunt's house in the midst of prepare
tory housecleaning. II consequently
became necessary, until the room in
the main part of the house could be
prepared for her to put her in one of
the wing chambers. and in one of these,
on the third floor. she was duly in
stalled. II was one of those enormous.
high-studded rooms that have entirely
gone out of fashion nowadays. even in
large houses. There was great fire
place in it and solid mahogany furni-
ture of somber, oldfashioned type
The elderly aunts were somewhat
apprehensive lest the remoteness and
long disuse of the chamber night cause
their niece some uneasiness. but she
was healthy young person not given
TO nervousness. and scoffed at the idea
1t was arranged. nevertheless. that the
housekeeper. who ordinarily slept in
the main division of the house, should
occupy, that night. a chamber adjoin-
ing the visitors for the sake of COM
pany.
AT bedtime. however. an unexpected
difficulty arose. 1t was suddenly re-
memoered that the keys to both the
young woman's and the houSekeeper's
chamber had been missing for mum
Der of years, and the doors were also
unprovided with inside bolts. The only
duplicate keys were in the housekeep
er's bunch held together by a solid
brass ring. from which they could be
removed only by breaking or filing the
brass ring. Leaving the young WON
ans door entirely unsecured was. OF
course. not TO be thought Of Tbs
housekeeper finally proposed that she
should lock the door for the night from
the outside. taking the keys with her
into her own room and unlocking il
again early in the morning. The win
dows of the chamber being three
stories from the ground there was no
possibility of intrusion from that
source, and should the housekeeper's
presence be needed al any time during
the night il needed only few vigor-
our raps on the wall TO summon her.
The young woman found no objection
to this plan. and the housekeeer. after
bidding her goodnight, went out and
locked the door after her.
Left 10 herself, the young woman
tired from her journey, lost no time in
undressing and getting into bed. and
once in bed it was very few moments
until she was sound asleep The nex'
she knew she found herself sitting W
staring out into the room. How Long
she had been asleep she could not tell;
hours. she thought. since there had
been no moon when she had gone &c
bed and il now shone in her window
from well up in the sky.
Then with a start il came 10 hel
that she had not awakened naturally;
that there had been some sort of {
noise. She peered around the room
but could see nothing alarming. and
save for the sound of the insects, tbs
night was as quiet as the grave. Sc
finally she lay down again and in few
moments was halfway in a doze. Their
suddenly she found herself sitting VI
! again, her heart throbbiBg wildly
Something was moving along the bass
of the wall opposite her bed. AS il
moved there came series of gurgling
suffering. sterterOus sounds. exactly
as though some one was choking. The
/ young woman clutched the bed clothe:
and tried TO pierce the darkness. But
she could distinguish only the vagu,
outline of crouching form. The chok
ing. gurgling sounds. however. contin
ued. and then suddenly she heard tn,
clsnk of chain being dragged along
the floor.
The thing reached the corner of tbs