Cochise review., 1900-11-03

J Something was moving alorg the base of the wall opposite her bed As it moved there came series of eurgling, sputtering, sterter0us sounds. exactly as though some one was choking. The young woman clutched the bed clothes anS tried 10 pierce the darkness. But she could distinguish only the vague outline of crouching form. The chok- ing, gurgling sounds, however, contin- ued, and then suddenly she heard the clank of chain being dragged along the floor.
 "The thing reached the corner of the wall and paused there for moment. Then it emerged and began to creep slowly along the base of the second wall. which would bring it within 6 yard or two of the post of the bed. The youlN' woman got as far as to her knees and remained there watching its progress. There was no question of shrieking for help. She was locked n with the thing, whatever it was, with the key of her door somewhere in the housekeeper's room. and the house. keeper asleep. She knew, too, without trying that she could get no sound out Of her throat.
 "1tshufled down the second wall with many pauses, but choking and gurgIing some sort of animal, but as it passed near the moonlight at the windows she saw that it was not. It had rather horribly grotesque resemblance to man. Having reached the second cor ner 1t began to, move along the third wall straight toward the foot of the bed. The young girl stumbled out at the head to the floor. The thing pulled itself over upon the footboard and be- gan to search through the hedclothes- Finding nothing it tore the clothes. with teeth and hands furiously. The young woman watched the process from half way down the wall She tried to think what would have happened to her had she failed to awake when she did.
 By degrees it seemed to grow calm. CT, and finally in turn crawled down from the head of the bed. The young woman could not tell whether it saw her or whether it could see. As 1t ap- preached, she moved softly along the wall When she reached the corner she proceeded down the next wall, the thing following, until, with many pauseS, they had made the circuit of the room. Then the circuit was re- n- ha hao l a clock in some distant part of the house strike l2. The housekeeper ex- pectsd to call her about seven. Later she heard the same clock strike one, Once she shuddered at the thought of fainting in the things path, but she thought of its leaving the wall and making for her directly across the room, but it stuck closely to the base board, feeling it's way along. The dis tant clock struck two. Then it seemed to the young woman that the Journeys around the room were being made at a slower rate. The thing parsed often- CT, and longer at time. Finally it must have stopped for a quarter of an hour, only to creep on yard or two and stop again. After that 1t moved no more. The young woman stood watching half dozen yards further along the wall.
 '1n the morning the housekeeper un. locked the door, looked in, and prompt ly tainted across the threshold. The young woman still stood with her bands against the wall She tiptosd across to the housekeeper, dragged her into the hall locked the door behind . her. and went swiftly downstairs. In the siiting-room she came upon her aunts. When they saw her one of them tainted as promptly as had the house. keeper upstairs. The other ran up to her screaming:
 Mildred, what has happened"
 Then the young woman smiled and began talking fooiishness. They called nc in to see her within an hour It happened that had seen her on her arrival the afternoon before. brown eyed, dark-haired, beautiful girl. lt was small wonder, therefore, that I was bit shaky when l had, been brought into the presence of my pa tient. In one night her face had been scared and lurrowed as with the cares and sorrows of three-quarters of cen tury, and her hair was as white as snow. Incidentally she was suffering from an ugly-looking case of brain fever, and for two months reason, and life itself, hung in balance that would have turned for a hair. But four months later, when she went back home under the care of her mother, her mind was as good as it had ever been, and the lines and furrows had