Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-09-11
The Daily Short Story;
A Noble Knights Adventure.

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Sir Reginald De Cuthbert, returning
from the Holy Land, belated in forest
sank on the ground to sleep.
He arose and perceiving a light went
toward it. Arriving ut castle gate he
knocked. No answer was returned, but
he felt an ice cold hand seize him and
pull him on.
| Presently his guide left him. Horror
and chilly terror shook his whole
frame. The awful stiffness which sur
rounded him was still uninterrupted
| The knight was fixed to the ground.
wildly staring through the impenetra-
bic darkness. At length hollow sound
was heard. which seemed at great
| distance. After long pause it vibrated
I'm his ear a second time. The idea that
| he had nothing more TO lose and that
| every means of effecting an escape
| from that residence of horror was cut
| off entirely, subdued his fear and
prompted him to follow that sound.
| A few PAGES on brought him TO a
stone staircase. Having descended five
steps. doleful grOan seemed to pro-
coed from Il room not far distant. The
knight advanced slowly and with the
utmost circumspection, musing on his
perilous situation, when at once he felt
the passage INSTRUCTED by n door which
opened without difficulty.
| The room to which it led was also
residence of darkness and dismal ST.
lence. The knight was resolved to enter
| it boldly. Fortunately, he examined the
entrance with his foot before he pro-
1 ,f-.,I l.,
horror that it was bOttomless.
| The hollow, dismal sound again
struck his ear from Il small distance.
He shuddered violently and staggered
forward. Everything was now lonely
and silent ali around. At length he
came TO 4 second staircase, assembled
seven steps and then descended as
many, when his eyes suddenly beheld
| faint glimmer of light which seemed
| to emerge from below ut Il great dis
| lance. Coming nearer, the knight OBJ
served that he was standing on the
brink of Il deep abyss, from which the
| gIimmer broke forth. An old half rot
| ten staircase led down He, however,
resolved to risk everything and, pull
| ing off his shoes to avoid making
sound, began to descend.
When he came to the eighth step, the
I hollow sound was again repeated. The
knight stopped a moment and then
went on with returning courage.
| When he had reached the middle, the
light suddenly disappeared, and i'm
penetrable darkness surrounded him
once more.
He stopped to consider what could be
done, when a stone got loose beneath
his feet and rolled down with thun-
dering noise against the door of the
vault.
"Who disturbs my rest?' the hollow,
well known voice exclaimed.
Sir Reginald was riveted to the
ground in dread expectation. Terror
sealed his lips. The door of the vault
opened slowly, and Il pale white figure
appeared enveloped in n blaze of red
light 1t advanced two steps, lifted
up one hand in n menacing manner and
disappeared. The sight of this dread
full apparition almost petrified Sir Regi-
maid on the spot, his senses seemed to
forsake him, and the blood CONCEALED
within his veins.
The knight, having recovered little
the use of his senses, with difficulty re-
gained the top of the steps and from
thence perceived a passage quite diff
ferent from the other, and, following
it, he arrived at the foot of Il spiral
staircase.
He assembled many steps. At length
n partition impeded him. He pushed
forcibly against it with his right hand
and shattered a glass pane into thou
sand pieces.
who is there?' a rough voice ex-
claimed. At the same time a door
opened. and most alarming discourse
filled the knight with dismal apprehen-
sions.
Have you sharpened the knife?" one
of the takers asked.
"Yes: it is bright and sharp" replied
the other voice. His blood shall flow
abundantly."
| With these words the door burst
open. Horror and despair now winged
Sir Reginald's steps. He flew down the
staircase, and had scarcely reached the
bottom when he was again seized by
the icy cold hand which he felt on his
entrance in that abode of terror.
| The knights senses seemed leaving
him when he came to with start to
| find himself drenched TO the skin,
| clutching his sword with both hands,
while his faithful steed was licking his
face. trying to make him get up and
continue his journey.
He had fallen asleep in the forest.
and his horrid adventure in the haunt
ed castle were all dream.
He arose, remounted his horse and in
| half an hour was toasting his feet and
| drinking hot punch before a roaring
| fire in the village tavern at L.
New Cure For Badness.