Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1902-08-01


man. Having reached the secohu cor
ner it began to move along the MIRO
wall straight toward the foot OF the .
bed. The young girl stumbled out at
the head 10 the floor. The thing puHeo
hself over upon the footOoard ana De-
gan to search through the bedclothes.
Finding nothing it tore The clothes
with teeth and hands turlously. Inc
youug woman watched the process
from hall way down thc'wall. She tried
TO think what would have happened 10
her had She failed to awake when she
did
"By degrees It seemed to grow calm
er. and finally in turn crawled down
from the head of the bed. The young
woman could not tell whether II sa"
her or whether it could see. " 1t APP
nroached she moved softly along the
wall. When she reached the corner !
She proceeded down the next wall the
thing following, until, with many
pauscs, they had made the circuit Oh
the room. Then the circuit was re-
peated. On this time round she heard
A clock in some distant part OF the
house strike l2. The housekeeper ex-
u,cted TO call her about seven. Later
She heard the same cioch strike one.
Once she shuddered at the thought oi
fainting in the things path, but she
knew that she should not faint. She
thought Of its leaving the wall and
making for her directly across the
room. but il stuck closely to the base
board. feeling its way along. The dis
tant clock struck two. Then it seemed
20 The Young woman that the journeys
around the room were being made at
a slower rate. The thing paused often
er. and longer at time. Finally 1t
must have stopped for quarter OF an
hour, only to creep on yard or two
and stop again. After that it moved
no more The young woman stood
watching half dozen yards further
along the wall.
"In the morning the housekeeper un-
locked the door, looked in, and prompt
ly tainted across the threshold. The
Young woman still stood with her
hands against the wall. She tiptoed
across to the housckteper, dragged her
into the hail, locked the door behind
her. and went swiftly downstairs. In
the sitting-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:
"Mildrcd, what has happened"
"Then the young woman smiled and
began talking foolishness. They called
me in to see her within an hour. 1t
happened that | had seen her on her
arrival the afternoon before. brown
eyed, dark-haired beautiful girl. II
was small wonder. therefore, that
was bit shaky when | had beer
brought into the presence OF my pa
tient. In one night her face had beer
scared and furrowed as with the cares
and sorrows OF three-quarters of cen
tury, and her hair was as white "a
snow. Incidentally She was suffering
from an ugly-looking case Of brair
fever, aud for two months reason, an'
life itself hung in a balance that woul'
have turned for IA hair. But fou
months later, when she went bacl
home under the care of her mother
her mind was asrgood as it had eve
been, and the lines and furrows hat
been rubbed out of her face. and th
plumpness and color of youth was re
turning fast But her hair was neve
anything else but white as snow.
what was the thing in her room
Nothing in the world but horribl
example Of public sayagery and otlicia
carelessness. There was a poor-farr
some eight miles from our town, and
miserable pnuper having gone violent
ly insane, they knew nothing better I
do with him than chain him in an out
house and treat him like a dungerou
animal. You can imagine. or rather
YOU can't imagine, the effect on bot
his personal appearance and ON his dis
ease. One afternoon he escaped, carry
ing part of his chain with him, and /
his wandcrings reached the clderl
aunt's house, which stood open in tn
midst OF house cleaning. Attracted b
the GOODNESS inside he had Crept II
into the old wing, where he had eI
tered one OF the chambers and hiC
den in the great fireplace, and gon
to sleep The light of the young won
ans candle that night had reused hin
and his journeys round the wall wer
mere animal instinct searching for a
exit.
"They called FOR him the same morl
. ing, and saw the poor devil when the
. found him lying up there in.the room
II is solemn fact that his cauiu,
projected an inch below his upper IT.
lie didn't have on enough rags TO GOV,
the backs OF mans two hands, an
his hair and beard and skin had bee
. indeScribably misused, and the pc,
wretch was in the last stages OF co
sumption. But his nights adytntul
D proved not such bad thing for hir
for he died two weeks later in compa
atiNe comfort But the manager
, that pOor-tarm had no such easy ,N
I from the troubles which overlook him
N. Y. sun.