The Red Cloud chief., 1901-05-10

limited that they had lately been much
troubled with tramps in that neighbor.
hood, | thought 1t best to agree.
As soon ms she was gone beyond re-
call. however. | wished | had never
consented. The possibility OF fire for
the first tim presented Itself to my
mind, and | wildly pictured myself
locked In there with no chance of cs-
cape and being burnt to death within
a few hundred yards of my friends.
However. there was no help for 1t
now. and I commenced to undr 'ss.
Before | lad finished | was laughing
at myself for my fears.
As ! turned out the lamp l thought
I heard q slight sound. ! listened. but
1t was not repeated. "Only imagina-
ton or something outside" I mur.
INJURED to myself, and getting into bed
was asleep in n very few minutes.
must have beer in bed a couple OF
hours. | should think. when awokc
with a start and that horrid feeling Of
having been Weakened by II vague
something without knowing what.
| sat up in bed aud pcercd across the
room. The fire had burnt so low that
only the mere outlines of the furniture
were visible: whilst all the corners
were In absolute darkness. listened
intently for some minutes. but not a
sound broke the silence except a faint
tapping. caused, l knew, by the Ivy
being blown against the window.pane.
| lay down again and was just DOING
off when-that sound was repeated.
Yes, there was nc doubt about 1t this
time. A peculiar scutiing noise, and a
painting sort of breathing like that of
some large animal issuing, 1t seemed
| to me, from under the bed! I
A horrible sickcning fear seized me.
All the stories of the evening before
flooded back on my memory. How alb
surd my own words seemed to he now
Fl should not be frightened!' Not
| he frightened, indeed, when ! was
Quaking so with fear that | could hard.
ly breathe! The noi;e had been gradu-
| ally increasing, and suddenly some
| frightful thing rushed out from under
my bed, scufied across the room and
! flung itself down in front Of the fire.
1t appeared. so far as | could make
out in the dim light, TO be Il shaggy
sort of animal, rather bigger than a
large dog. or course, l GUESSED at once
what it was. Some wild beast had es,
capped from a travelling menagerie and,
wandering into the grounds, had az,
rived at the open door. Going In, 1t
had found q comfortable spot under
the bed and had gone to sleep there.
Such was my theory formed IN a mo-
ment of utter terror.
| lay specializing as to whether 1t
would be possible for me to reach the
door and eccapc before the creature
noticed me, Then | suddenly remem'
bcred that even II reached the door
in safety | should be unable to get out
Horror of horrors; l was obliged then
To spend the wiOle night locked In
with a wild beast!
What | endured no words can tell
My forehead aud hands turned cold
and clammy. and l trembled so with
fear that | expected every moment the
creature would hear the bed shaking
and thus become aware of my pres
nee. Half an hour, or perhaps al
hour Ut seemed ten to me al the timel
passed without anything occurring
and then the beast suddenly arose
| and, bounding across the intervening
space, sprang on to the foot of m!
4 bed. ! should have screamed If ! ha'
J been able. Thank God. fear had de
prived me OF the power, Still tn
creature did not seem to have noticed
me, for II only made IA queer sort o
clucking noise. and then curlcd itsel
up, and in Il few minutes ! heard
u commence TO snore.
All through the long, long, wear
hours Of the night | lay there, not dai
l. ing 10 close my eyes for an instan'
and in mortal terror lest any minut
D. the brute might wake up and tear N
Y. to pieces. Never before or since hay
j. hours seemed TO pass so slowly. tn
le fire burned itself out in a very shoi
time, and was left with my horrib'
Is companion in the pitch darkness, an
he dead and agony. ! hardly dared eve
ie to breathe as | listened to the dee
IN snoring of the dreadful thing, an
y whenever the sound grew softer n
IN heart almost ceased 10 beat with Il
s. appalling belief that my last hour HI
l come ut last.
ne How ardently l longed for daw
le heaven only knows. l really felt
l last that II II did not come soon
could not bear the strain of this ter
az BILE expectancy any longer and mu
go out Of my mind. TO add to II
misery ! was beginning TO suffer fro