Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-04-22
CHAPTER VII.

ri
There were curtains drawn before
my berth, but I had left them just
far enough apart to be able to watch
for possible intruder. Lying on my
side, and straining my eyes whenever
heard the slightest sound, | heard, as
soon as it was quite dark, q stealthy
step outside the cabin door.
! held the curtain little way open.
but could make out nothing in the
darkness. But had notion that was
being watched in my turn. The instantI
made this movement heard nothing
more. After sitting up for a few
moments to listen the better, began
to think had been mistaken, and 1
lay down again.
The silence which followed was alb.
solute. did not hear rustic or a
creaking. Yet was oppressed by an
uncanny feeling that some danger was
near me. tried to reason myself out
of this, and to lie there patiently wait
ing, with my hand OH my revolver; but
! should have done better to obey the
impulse which urged me to leap out
of bed and make an examination of the
cabin.
AS it was. I think the long waiting
had unneryed me; and the long
straining of my eyes had made me
blind. So that when, without warn
ing of sight or sound, felt some-
thing at my feet, was for the mo-
ment incapable of moving or even
crying out.
Through the thin bedclothes 1 felt
the touch of something cold, light at
first, but growing heavier as l lay.
Still I saw nothing, though my eyes
Seemed to start out of my head; all
was dark, pitch dark. Then I think
l moved, tried to cry out. / felt the
touch, ice cold through the bed COW
erings, travel up quickly toward my
head. Then the grip of an ice-cold
hand, a human hand, was laid silently
upon my throat.
Still no sound came from my lips;
the horror of the. situation for the
moment paralyzed me. 1 thought, be-
lieyed that should be strangled be-
fore recovered the power to utter
sound. Yet even this CHASTITY fear
did not stimulate me into action.
felt the grip of the cold fingers tight
ening on my throat, and then heard,
close to my ear, the loud ticking of q
watch, and the sound, faint indeed,
but unmistakable, of human voice
counting below it's breath.
Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen,
fourteen, fifteen. sixteen, seventeen"
All this time the fingers were still
gripping my throat tighter and tight
er; I felt that my breath was coming
in short, quick gasps, and made a
sudden, desperate effort to free my
self and to cry aloud; the voice
stopped counting, 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 be-
tween nose and mouth.
The last sensation brought me COM
pletely to myself. Struggling violent
ly and at last successfully, I man
aged to wriggle out Of the way both
of the Tightening fingers and of the
unseen weapon with which I was
next to be attacked, and, shouting
"Murder!" with all my might, I
sprang up in the berth.
Even as did SO, it came upon me
with a new sensation of horror to
find that was free as suddenly as I
had been seized, and without 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 dis
cover 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. III the darkness l could see
nothing; but had fancy. as /
reached my door, that I could detect
creaking sound on my right. Dash
ing along in that direction, blindly,
wildly and at the best speed was
capable of, but without again crying
out, / heard again the unmistakable
sound of stealthy football in front
of me.
who's that? Answer, OF I'll
shoot" cried in a frenzy,
had stopped as spoke and raised
my revolver. Again 1 heard 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 crouching
figure approaching me. Who or what
it was / had no time to make out;
but the horror of the thought Of an.
other attack overcame every thought
of prudence. lowered my revolver
a little. to cover the moving form and
fired.
A groan followed; and then the
crouching thing wavered, turned sc
quickly that / could not even Their
describe what it looked like, whether
man or beast, and-disappeared.
felt myself staggering where J
stood. i heard the echoing of the re
volver shot; ] heard the noise of peo
pie moving in their cabins. caIlins