The Washington times., 1901-09-01

figures glided into Ehe room, and the man
behind gently closed the door after him.
They were alonesMfth me between the
four walls Could They see me standing
| there, so still and straight in my corner?
| Had they, perhaps, already seen me? My
| blood surged and sang like the roll of
drums in an orchestra; and though l did
| my best to suppress my breathing. it
| sounded Ike the rushing of wind through
| a pneumatic tube.
My suspense as to the next move was
| soon at end-oaly, however. to give
| place to a new and keener alarm The
| men had hitherto exchanged no words
and no signs. but there were general in
| dications of movement across the room,
and whichever way they went they would
| have to pass round the table. If they
| came my way they would have to pass
within six inches OF my person. While
| | was considering this very disagreeable
| possibility. perceived that the smaller
| Indian SMALLER in comparison) suddenly
| raised his arm and pointed to the ceiling.
The big fellow raised his head and fol-
| lowed the direction of his companions
| arm. l began to understand at last They
were going upstairs. and the room direct
| ly overhead to which they pointed had
| been until this night my bedroom. 1t was
| the room in which l had, experienced
that very morning so strange a sensation
of fear, and but for which 1 should then
| have been lying asleep in the narrow
] bed against the window.
The Indians ther began to move silently
| around the room: they were going up
stairs. and they were coming round my
| side of the table. So stealthy were their
| movements that. but for the abnormally
| sensitive state of my nerves, I should
never have heard them. AS it was, their
! cat-like tread was distinctly audible. Like
| two monstrous black cats they came
| round the table toward me. and for the
| first time | perceived that the smaller OF
| the two dragged something along the
| floor behind him. AS it trailed along
over the floor with a soft, sweeping sound
| l somehow got the impression that 1t
was a large dead thing with outstretched
wings. or a large spreading cedar branch.
Whatever 1t was. l was unable to see it
even in outline, and | was too terrified,
muscles. to carry my neck forward in the
effort to determine its nature.
Nearer and nearer they came. The
leader rested n giant hand upon the table
as he moved. My lips were glued to-
gether, and the air seemed to burn In my
| nostrils- / tried to close my eyes, so that
/ might not see as they passed me; but
my eyelids had stiffened and refused to
obey. Would they never get by me?
Sensation seemed also to have left my
legs, and 1t was as II | were standing on
still, l was conscious that l was losing
the power of balance, the power to stand
upright, even to lean backwards
against the wall. Some force was draw
ing me forward, and a dizzy terror seized
me that i should lose my balance and
topple forward against the Indians just
| as they were in the act Of passing me.
Even moments drawn out into hours
must come to an end some time, and
almost before / knew II the figures had
passed me and had their feet upon the
lower step of the stairs leading to the
upper bedrooms. There cannot have been
six inches between u.s. and yet | was con-
scious only Of a current of cold air that
followed them. They had not touched
not seen me. Even the trailing thing on
the floor beiiind them had not touched
my feet as | had dreaded it would. and
on such an occasion as this l was CRATE
full even for the smallest mercies.
The absence of the Indian from my i'm
mediate ueighborhodd brought little sense
Of relief. l stood shivering and shudder-
ing in my corner, and, beyond being able
to breathe more freely. l felt no whit
less comfortable. Also was aware
that certain light, which, without ap-
follow their every Eestute and movement,
had gone out of the room with their de-
parture. An unnatural darkness now
filled the room and parvaded it's every
corner. so that 1 could barely make out
the position Of the windows and the glass
doors.
As I said before, my condition was evi-
IDENTIFY an abnormal one The capacity
to be wholly absent. Ny senses recorded
with unusual accuracy every smallest
occurrence, but / was able to draw only
the simplest deductions
The Indians soon reached the top Of the
stairs, and there they halted for a mo-
ment. | had not the faintest clue as to
hesitate. They listening attentively. Then
heard one of them. who. by the weight
of his soft tread, must have been the
liant. cross the narrow corridor and en-
ter the room directly oyerhead-my own
little bedroom. But for the insist ence of
that unaccountable dread I had expert
enced there In the morning, I should at
that .very moment have been lying in the
bed with the big Indian in the room
standing beside rue.
For the space of a hundred seconds
there was silence. such as might have
existed before the birth of sound 1t was
followed by long quivering Shrek of
terror, which rang out into the night and
ended in short gulp before 1t had run
its full course. At the same moment
the other Indian left his place at the
head Of the stairs and Joined his COM
panion In the bedroom. l heard the
thing trailing behind him along the
floor. A thud followed, as of something
heavy falling, and then all became as
still and silent as before.
It was at this point that the atmos-
phere. surcharged all day with the cleo
tricity of fierce storm, found relief In
a dancing fash of brilliant lightning ST.
multaneously with crash of loudest
In the room was visible to me with amaz-
Ing distinctness, and through the windows
saw the tree trunks standing In solemn
cToss ros tb The thundss der pealsd and echoed
islands. and the foodgates Of heaven
then opened and let out their rain in
strea ming torrents
The drops fell with a swift rushing
sound upon the still waters of the lake
which leaped up to meet them and pat
tered with the rattle OF shot ON the leaves
OF the naples and the roof OF the cottage
moment later, and another flash, even
more brilliant and Of longer duration
than the first. LIT up the sky from zenith
TO horizon. and bathed the room momen-
tarily In dazzling whiteness. l could see
the rain glistening on the leaves and
branches outside. The wind rose sudden
ly, and In less than minute the storm