Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1904-12-15

like a wind-flled sail. One corner OF
it had given away entirely, and a
wide aperture showed the blaCkness
Of the regions above.
As the match flame dw;nGled, Tai
bots hound, young Beppo, pressed
against his masters reg, the muscles
across his peaked head wrinkling sus-
piciously.
Talbot gathered several handfuls of
leaves and laths and heaped them N
/ the fire place. When these were burn
! ing brightly, he looked about for some
! larger pieces Of wood to nCurish the
! blaze. Below the wide break in TIE
! down like platform. He attacked
this with his clasp knife, feeding the
fire with bit at a time, while the
growing light gradually brought ont
! every UnwhOlesome detail of the de-
| cay that had fastened upon the room.
1t was still sullel y dark above,
however, and Beppo, who had regained
/ som eOf his usual animation with the
! growing blaze, seemed to resent the
! fact. He stepped gingerly beneath the
| hole, and raising an inQuisitive nose,
! inhaled obviously. Then the fretful
line along his spine erected itself
in a little ridge.
In spite Of himself Talbot experience
ed a feeling of irritation. He pushed
the dog away with his foot and look
ed up; but the patch of shadow was
impenetrable. His gaze shifted toward
| the wall, and suddenly remained fixed,
held by a mark so suggestive that for
a moment his heart tripped in its
beating.
A patch of sO-le yelvety fungus had
spread its fine nap over the plaster.
In the center Of this was what seemed
to be the impression of human
hand. There was the print of the ball
OF the thumb and the shallow burrows
where the fingers had lain. A large,
square hand it had been.
Talbot eyed it moment breathless-
ly. Then he stepped nearer. The
blaze in the fireplace fickered and the
resemblance vanished. 1t was moth
ing but fancy, after all. "Sho!'
bleathed Talbot. That had me wing
ing."
He smiled and tossed the lath he
had been cutting into the fire. A sigh
Of wind came through the window to
the east. A cabbage palm outside drew
its fans fngeringly along the caves.
The the first fat drops Of rain struck
the roof like resonant and measured
taps on drum.
The beat of them quickened as a
drummer quickenS the movement OF
his sticks until the tattoo blended into
one rolling volume Of sound that flied
the ear. 1t made the rotten shell seem
coy by contrast. Talbot stretched
himself near the fire, his gun by his
side, and pillowad his head on his coat
with sense of comfort that he had
not felt moment before.
For some reason, however, he could
not sleep. The last stick in the fire
place snapped and threw up a moment
airy point Of flame that sank to a
most Immediately Beppo got up from
his place at his masters feet and
skunk toward the door
Come here, you fool pup" said Tai
bot
But the slow pit-pat OF the hounds |
footsteps did not stop, and Talbot |
heard him so out en- the veranda.
There was something there within
the four walls Of the house besides |
himself. AS the conviction broke in |
upon him in a rush, Talbot sat up |
quickly and swept a handful of the |
dried leaves he mad gathered for a
mattress upon the embers. AS they |
caught fairly and a small, ruddy blaze
illumined the room, his gaze swept it
instantly. It was as empty as before.
With an odd, premonitory feeling of
he raised his eyes slowly
until they stared directly at the yawn-
ing hole in the ceiling. Not a muscle
of his body moved; but his breath es
capped between his teeth in a sharp
little gasp.
A face, with its human likeness
made more terrifying by the vague,
Wild-beast body farther in the shadow,
looked down at him with crafty, deep
set eyes, above which the NAKED broWs
were set in speculative burrows. 1t
was huge, circular face, with great,
fat, leathery cheeks. A broken ring of
coarse red hair encircled it. Hair of
the same rusty hue covered the thick
arms down to the hands. which. black
and powerful, clutched the edge Of
the gap.
The mutual scrutiny lasted but a
Then Talbot jerked his gun
to his shoulder; but as his finger
crooked On the triggtr the little fire
went out.
Although conscious that the ivory
bead was not absolutely on the mark,
be could not restrain his twitching
nerves. The gnn went off with a re-
crash and squirt of flame.
There was a rattle Of plaster, followed |
Oy a heavy thud. But Talbot had no
lesire to investigate the result of his
shot
He SDrang forward in the darkness !