Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-12-12

ioui tceIl, SlSleeU, seventeen.
All this time the fingers were still
gripping my throat tighter and tight
er. felt that my breath was coming in
short, quick gasps, and | made sud-
den, desperate effort to free myself and
to cry aloud. the voice stopped count
ing. the pressure on my throat relaxed.
At the same time. while the hand was
still upon my throat, though with less
pressure, something hard but not sharp
struck my face between nose and
mouth.
The last sensation brought me COM
pletely to myself Struggling violently
and at last successfully, I managed to
wriggle out of the way both of the
tightening fingers and of the unseen
weapon with which | was next to be
attacked, and shouting Murder" with
all my might | sprang up in the berth
Even as did so, it came upon me with
new sensation of horror to find that
! was free as suddenly as | had been
seized, and without my having heard
the least noise or seen the slightest
thing which could have given me any
clew to the identity Of my assailant.
The curtains were still around my
bed, shutting out everything, and
though | tore them aside so roughly
that / dragged one Of them half down,
| was not quick enough to discover any
sign OF the intruder.
Selling my revolver, which had es-
capped from my hand, | could not tell at
what moment | leaped from the berth
and dashed out of my cabin in pursuit
In the darkness | could see nothing:
but had fancy. as reached my door,
that | could detect a creaking sound on
my right Dashing along in that direc-
ton, blindly, wildly and at the best
speed | was capable of, but without
again crying out, heard again the I'M
mistakable sound of a stealthy football
in front of me-
who is that? Answer, or I'll shoot,
| cried in frenzy.
| had stopped as | spoke and raised
my revolver. Again | heard a sound.
enough to convince me that my mys-
FERROUS assailant was in front had a
fancy that, in the darkness, he was
turning upon me, preparing to attack
me again.
Who are you?" | cried again
There was no answer but could now
see in the darkness a crouching figure
approaching me. Who or what it was
| had no time to make out; but the
horror of the thought of another attack
overcame every thought of prudence
lowered my revolver little to cover
the moving form and fired
A groan followed; and then the
crouching thing wavered, turned so
quickly tnat | could not even then de-
scribe what it looked like, whether
man o. beast, nd-disappeared.
| felt myself staggering where |
stood. Il heard the eehoing of the re-
yolver shot, | heard the noise of peo-
pie moving in their cabins. calling out.
asking what was the matter. heard
voice addressing me. But it was all
like the confused occurrences of a
dream rather than the happenings of
sober reality. And when some one
touched mel found afterwards that it
was the steward fell down, without
being able to answer his questions.
| think | had a fit of some sort: at
any rate didn't know of anything that
went on after that, until found myself
back in my cabin with the ships doc
tor and DR.. Mullion and third medi-
cal man who was on board all round
me-
When ] came to myself, heard the
sound OF their low voices. and for the
first awful moment | thought | was
again in the power of the mysterious
assAlant had followed and shot
Then quite suddenly surprised them
by sitting up.
II hit him." cried l. I'VE can find
out who did it. in the morning. by find
ing on the man who has a bullet
wound in him"
who did WHAT" saio the ships doc
tor.
who it was came to my cabin, seiz-
ed me by the throat and tried to stran-
gle me-" cried l.
Strange you, Ell echoed the doc
tor. not ] thought, az If he gave much
credence to my sensational complaint.
And the other two doctors exchanged
look which suddenly maddened me,
so conclusive was il of the fact that
they looked upon my narration as a
simple fiction
OF course the occurrence | had just
gone through had made me frightfully
irritable: flew into passion, shook
my fist at them both and told them It
would have been more to their credit
to find out the man | had shot than to
sit there laughing at me.
I'VE are not laughing at you indeed -
said DR.. Mullion. in the gentlest. softest
voice in the world. voice which sooth-
ed my irritated nerves and made me
ashamed OF myself III ii worries you
to See us here. we'll go away. We
leave you in the best possible hands
Then rising from the seat on which he
had been sitting, he nodded a kindly.
Goodnight and signed to the other
doctor to follow him out OF the cabin.
Ashamed Of my own petulance, and
anxious TO excuse myself in the eyes
Of the remaining doctor. who had just
offered me something In "A glass. ! said,
as took the proifered tumbler
I'm sorry Ispoke like that, doctor
and hope | haven't offended either of
them. But it's rather hard to have you
all treating what ! say as idle words,
after what I've gone through"
did we treat 1t as Idle words?" said