The Afro-American advance., 1900-08-25
Horror Seven Hours Long
AnE1hibition OF Courage by Yankee
school-AA'am

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hYT IS said" remarked the old
doctor. that a person can't
I'VE and retain his senses in a
state of blind, animal terror for
more than a very few minutes at time.
Either nature will take refuge in her
cyelone cellar, unconsciousness, and
the person will faint; or the brain ten
sion will get beyond the swapping point
and be will become insane; or the heart
will collapse under the strain, and
4 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
good many years, although I've never
seen a second case to disprove the rule.
Did il ever occur TO you when some
.ong-standing record of courage or en-
durance, or the ability TO bear pain has
been broken, how often it is a woman
that breaks it?
This was young woman, n New
England school-teacher by the name of
Mildred Wicks. She had been invited to
pay a visit to two elderly maiden
aunts who lived on the outskirts of an
old town in the central part of Nir-
gina, where l began the practice of
medicine. The house was one of those
three-storied southern colonial strue-
lures with broad yerandas and futed
columns the entire height of the front.
From the left, in the rear, there extepd-
ed a considerable wing which. in some
former period of prosperity, had been
given over to the guest chamb bers. but
which now for years had been little
used
by some misunderstanding the
young woman arrived just a week ear
lier than she was expected, to find her
aunt's house in the midst of prepara-
tory housecleaning. 1t 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.
hgh-studded rooms that have entirely
gone out Of fashion nowadays, even in
large houses. There was a great fire.
place in it and solid mahogany furni-
ture Of a somber, old-fashioned type.
THE elderly aunts were somewhat
apprehensive lest the remoteness and
ong disuse of the chamber might cause
their niece some uneasiness, but she
was a healthy young person not given
10 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, 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 a num-
ber 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 wom-
ans door entirely unsecured was. of
course, not to be thought Of. The
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 it
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 at any time during
the night il needed only few vigor-
our raps on the wall TO summon her.
The young woman found no objection
10 this plan, and the housekeeer, after
bidding her goodnight. went out and
.oeked the door after her.
Left TO herself. the young woman.
tired from her journey, lost no time in
INTERESTING and getting into bed. and
onee in bed Il was very few moments
until she was sound asleep. The next
'ae knew she found herself sitting up
staring out into the room. How long
sae had been asleep she could not tell:
aours. she thought, since there had
been no moon when she had gone to
bee and II now shone in her window
ifoEn Well up in the sky.
Then with start II came TO her
that she had not awakened naturally;
ihat there had been some sort Of a
hoise. She peered around the room,
ost could see nothing alarming. and,
saFe for the sound OF the insects, the
ght was as quiet as the grave. SO
nhaily she lay down again and in few
moments WAS halfway In a doze. Then
suddenly she found herself sitting MP
sgaip. her heart throbbirr wildly.
senethiag Was moving along the ba u
q the wall opposite her bed. A. II
moved there came series OF gurgling,
suffering. sterteFoBz sounds, exactly
a. shough some ore was choking. The
soshg woman elufchea the bed clothes
~ tried 70 pierce the darkness. But
sAs could Distinguish orlv tho v.wtse