Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-11-26
By CHAKLEs GARvICl

?
the next dull and numbed as ice.
+. She had been walking tor hours, but
she felt no sense OF fatigue, no sense
Oh exhaustion as yet.
: Presently she came to the river. The
/ right was dark, but the lights on the
/ Embankment shone unsteadily in the
water, and the silent stream, flowing
down to the sea, suddenly took to
itself strange fascination for her.
With a strange, awful fiuttering al
her heart, she stole TO the steps, and
bent down to the water wisttully, but
III that moment-that critical moment
just when it seemed that the spirit was
taking it's farewell of the weary body
a man put his hand upon her, and All.
dressed her with the gruff warning
You're too close. You'll fall over
/ Move on"
And with sudden recoil she drew
back, and obeying his command, NOV
ed on
I Along that smoothly paved embanll-
ment whose stones have been tTod by so
many weary, hopeless feet she dragged
! herself, her eyes fixed on the river 50
wistfully that at last for the very fear
of herself she turned aside and entered
one of the quiet Chelsea streets
Beyond the street lamps, which
burned murkily in the darkness, there
was no sign of life in the streets
Even the long-coated policeman SEEM
ed to have no business in this locality
| With an awful sense of loneliness
she drew one weary foot after another
along the cold pavement. To her it
seemed as if many houro had elapsed
since she had realized her position, and
che glanced up at the sky almost OK
Eecting to see the gray glimmer OF
dawn but the dark clouds of the night
still frowned down upon her. and in
the despair of physical exhaustion she
was sinking to the ground when she
saw at the extreme end of the quot
street a streak of light proceeding
from some window and at the same
moment heard the faint sound Of
laughter.
With an effort she dragged herself
came and half-unconscIously, found
herself standing before a door, which
was three parts of the way open, and
from which poured yellow stream OF
garish light.
Scarcely knowing what she was de-
ing. conscious only of wild, almost
fierce, longing for human companion
ship, she pushed the door open and en-
tered.
For minute or two the strong light
almost blinded her, and she covered
her eyes with her cold, trembling
awful horror fell upon her. In front of
her, and seemingly protruding from
the wall, was a line of hideous faces:
they were four times the size OF
human face. and were grotesque exag-
gerations of the human features. They
were all lifelike. and yet out of all pro-
portion to the human form, and either
hideously ugly or grotesqueiy weird.
Joan leaned against the door, staring
at them in wild terror Then wit. q
Wild shrek, she fell lifeless upon the
threshold.
When she came to, she found herself
lying back in chair, with an old
man, with pale. wrinkled face, and
young girl standing over her.
The old man was holding basin of
water, and the girl was perseveringly
and tenderly bathing Joan's forehead.
Come, that's better. Emily" said
the old man. she's coming to! Go
on with the water; there's nothing
like IT."
How do you feel now" asked the
! girl. anXiously. Better"
Joan raised herself and looked at
them, her hand pressed to her fore
! head.
Where am II" she asked, family.
"Am-am | dead?"
mo. no, not dead! You fainte 1.
that's all! Don't speak for a little
while; you feel strange just coming to.
one always does"
Joan leaned back and gazed dream.
I lily round her. The room was a PLAIN
! workshop, with whitewashed walls and
! unexpected floor. The fire burned in a
Slngular-looking open CRATE at one end
o' the room, and strange smell OF
glue pervaded the place. But strany.
est of all, and most bewildering, were
the grotesque faces protruding from
/ the walls, Joan saw there were seve.>
al more lying about the floor and LEAH
!, ing against a bench.
= The man was very small and old. his
race mass of wrinkles, and his
clothes were covered with an enor.
nous apron almost large enough to be
blouse; the girl, too. IVES small and
] fragile-looking with thin, sharp little
face. from which pair of keen blue
! eyes peered knowingly.
She had mass of beautiful golden
hair. which she had pinred up. but
which had escaped from its bondage.
and fell glittering shower over her
/ small body.
! Whether she was a child. girl or
woman, Joan-at that moment OF ex.
haustion and weaknesS-cculd not
have told.