Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1902-08-01
Horror Seven Hours Long ,
An Exhibition Of Courage By rsnkss 4
school Ne an

Either nature viii, take refuge in her
cyclone cellar. Inconsistencies. and
the person will faint; or the brain ten
sion will get beyond the swapping point
and he will become insane; or the heart
will collapse under the strain, and
death will follow. Or any two or all
Of these things may occur at once. SO
say the authorities. | was Of the same
opinion once, but I've known better for
a good many years, although I've never
seen a second case TO disprove he rule.
Did it ever occur to you when some
long-standing record OF courage or en-
durance, or the ability to bear pain has
been broken, how often it is a woman
that breaks it?
This was a young woman, New
England school-teacher by the name Of
Mildred Wicks. She had bee invited TO
pay a visit to two elderly maiden
aunts who lived on the outskirts Of an
old town in the central part of Nir-
ginia, where | began the practice OF
medicine. The house was one OF those
three-storied southern colonial siruc-
lures with broad verandas and futed
columns the entire height Of the front.
From the left. in The rear. there extend
ed a considerable wing which. 10 some
former period OF prosperity. had been
given over to the guest chan bers. but
which now for years had been little
used.
"By some misunderstanding the
young woman arrived just a week ear
lier than she was expected. to find her
aunt's house in the midst Of prepara-
tory housecleaning. II consequently
became necessary. until the room In
the main part Of the house could be
prepared for her to put her in one OF
the wing chambers and in one of these.
on the third floor, she WAS Gully in
stalled. II was one OF those enormous,
high-studded rooms that have entirely
gone out Of fashion nowadays. even in
large houses There was a great fire
place in II and sold mahogany furni-
ture of somber, ,old-fashioned type.
THE elderly aunts were somewhat
apprehcnsiye lest the remOttngss and
long disuse Of the chamber ~ ght cause
their niece some uneasiness. but she
was healthy young person not gwen
TO nervousness. and Scofied q the .dea.
II was arranged. nevertheless. that the
housekceper, who ordinarily slept in
the main division OF the house. Should
occupy, that night, a chamber adjoin-
ing the visitors for the sake OF com
pany.
AT bedtime, however, an unexpected
difficulty arose. 1t was suddenly re
membered that the keys to both the
young woman's and the housekeeper's
chamber had been missing for num-
ber OF years, and the doors were also
unprovided with inside bolts The only
duplicate keys were in the housekeep-
er's bunch held together by a solid
brass ring from which they could be
removed only by breaking or filing the
brass ring. Leaving the young wom-
| ans door entirely unsecured was, of
course, not to be thought Of. The
housekeeper finally proposed that she
should lock the door for the night from
the outside, taking the keys with her
into her own room and unlocking il
again early in the morning. The win
| dows OF the chamber being three
stories from the ground there was no
possibility OF intrusion from that
! source and should the housekeeper's
presence be needed at any time during
the night II needed only few vigor-
our raps on the wall to summon her.
The young woman found no objection
to this plan, and the housekeeer, after
bidding her good might, went out and
locked the door after her.
Left to herself, the young woman
tired from her journey, lost no time in
undressing and getting into bed. and
once in bed it was very few moments
until she was sound asleep, The mex
she knew she found herself sitting NJ
staring out into the room. How lonl
she had been asleep she could not tell;
hours, she thought, since there haC
been no moon when she had gone tC
bed and it now shone in her window
from well up in the sky.
Then with start II came to he
that she had not awakened naturally
that there had been some sort of
noise. She peered around the room
but could see nothing alarming, aud
save for the sound Of the insects, tn,
night was AS quiet as the grave. ),
, finally She lay down again and in few
moments was halfway in doze. rhei
suddenly she found herself sitting NJ
again, her heart throhbing wildly
Something was moving along the baS
of the wall opposite her bed. As /
moved there came series Of gurgling
sputtering, sterterous sounds, exact J.
as though some one was choking. Tn
young woman clutched the bed clothe
and tried to pierce the darkness. Bu
she could distinguish only the vagu
outline OF a crouchiug form. The choh
ing, gurgling sounds, however, contir
ued, and then suddenly she heard tn
clank OF chain being dragged alon
the floor,
THE thing reached the corner OF tn
wall and paused there for a momen
Then II emerged ana began to cree
, slowly along the base OF the socou
! wall, which would bring II within
yard or two Of the post OF the bed. Th
youN woman got as far as to D.,
knees and remained there Watching ID
progress. There was no question ,
shriekiug FOR help, She MAS locked
with the thing, whatever it was, wit
the key oi her door somewhere in n
housvh,epcr's room, and the houS'
keeper asleep, She knew, too, withot
trying that She could get no sound o,
OF her throat.
"ltshutiled down the second wall wit
what Thin Folks Need
l. a greater power OF digesting al