Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1904-03-31
mo more don't I sergeant" was the

NO more don't SSi gGant, was the
answer
Its very suspicious about those two
doors both being fastened on the in.
side. The windows was all bolted,
too, as we know, because we tried 'em.
And il the doors was fastened on the
inside and the windows too, it looks
as if them as fastened 'em must be in
the house too. Ay, Stocker?"
1T does that, sir" acquiesced the
admiring Stocker. by Jiggins, what
headpiece you've got,"
"Stocker, I'm going to see this thing
through-that's what I'm going to do.
Hush! what's that?"
"Cistern in the roof a-gurgline. ;
think, sir That's what it sounded
like"
Perhaps so. Why, there it is again.
1t is most extraordinary noise!"
1t certainly was. Even to us over
head who saw it coming-if one may
he permitted to speak of Seeing
noise come-and knew to what it was
attributable, the sound seemed weird
and unearthly; but to those who heard
the noise without knowing its origin
the effect must have been mysterious
in the extreme. The day was, as |
have already said, windy, and when
Hubbock's eye was applied to the open
spy-hole in the roof, it was apparently
struck by a squall." So at least we
assumed from the red and watery as
pect which the organ in question pre-.
sented when he returned to his seat.
That, however, was an infiiction which
the rest of us could have borne with
lecoming designations; but when GER
tain hideOuS distortions of the pa
tient's face apprised us of the approach
of o seizure which we hoped at first
might mean only sudden death or a
fit, but which we We're alarmed to see
developing into sneeZe, we felt that
the situation was becoming-in a di-
plomatiC sense-strained. With ad.
miTable presence of mind the nearest
man to lubbock handed him a hand.
kerchief to put to his nostrils in place
of that which the sufferer had already
stuffed into his mouth Then-like
brave men who, having done their
best and failed, sit down to wait death
Noihliy We oib anu NdllOi lOl lldl
sneeZe. 1t was a long time coming
At first it seemed so long that Hope
told a flattering tale, and we began
all except lubbock, who still had the
h handkerchief stuffed in his mouth
to breathe again. That he should
breathe again was matter of only
secondary Importance, and had he then
and there had the decency and con-
sideration silently to give up the
ghost, he would assuredly have car
ried our good wishes with him where
soever he may have gone. But Hub
bock's breath, so far as passing away
in a last low sigh, seemed, as we
watched, to swell up suddenly within
him. His cheeks became hideously
distendcd, the spaces about his now
protruding eyes puffed up like blown
bladders. With a great effort he
lunched his straining shoulders toad
wise, to his ears, and then-no, | can
not describe it. | got so far as TO try
TO spell it phonetically, but when I
saw the unholy thing which | had
thoughtlessly called into existence, |
tore the paper into fragments and
then chewed them into pulp that no
other eye but mine insight look upon 1t
again.
AS the sound died away, we sat, as
if frozen into dreadful silence. staring
at lubbock with eyes of horror and re-
proach; but when we saw by his
fixed, upwardturned and prayerful
eyes, dropped jaw and outstretched,
imploring hand that a second seizure
was impending, we quailed as the sol.
der in the trenches quails before the
coming shell.
ITO Be Continued