Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-27
CHAPTER K.
A Little Piece of Steel,


The clock was striking the hour OF 10 at
| night as Beatrice Ravengar rose to put
| away the embroidery with which she had
been occupied.
| Save for the companionship of her faith
| full st. Bernard she was alone. Godfrey
| was out visiting. his patients. Idris had
| been absent since noon, and Beatrice won
dered what had become of him, little think
| ing that he was passing his time in a
| moonlit cave tete-a-tete with Mademoiselle
| Riviere. The page boy, who was accus-
toned to sleep at his own home. had taken
his departure. and as for the house maid,
| WELL every one knows that when house
maids promise I'd be home punctually by
| 8 pm they mean any time up to IL, and
Beatrice's little domestic was no exception
| to this rule. 3
| Methodical in all her ways. Beatrice was
| in the habit of mapping out beforehand
certain amount of work to be done during
| the day. Her self-allotted tasks being now
completed, she was ready for bed. but
could not think Of retiring before the return
of the abSenteeS..
With little yawn she wondered what she
should do to fill up the gap of time, and
seeing book lying upon the table, one
| that Idris had been reading earlier In the
| day, she took 1t up and found it to be
| novel.
| Beatrice as rule avoided fiction. but on
! the present occasion she felt herself unequal
| to anything but the lightest kind Of literary
| confectionery. and, accordingly, settling
herself comfortably in her armchair she
began to read the novel, which bore the
| title of 1.-THE Fair Orientalist." 1t was of
| the nightmare order and dealt with the
| doings Of an eastern lady gifted with occult
| powers. g. q:
After the first chapter Beatrice glanced
down to make sure that the faithful Leo
| was lying at her feet. 2 When reading a
story Of the supernatural at night 1t Is
good to have a companion, with us, though
that companion be but dog
| Having finished the second chapter, she
| threw a glance at the windows and was
| glad to observe that the blinds were drawn.
| since at nighttime panes of glass are
sometimes apt to reflect the gaslight In
| such way as to create the impression that
| there are eyes on the outside watching us.
At the end Of the third chapter Beatrice
| had become positively alarmed at the clair
| oriental lady: and yet. SO fascinated was
she by the story that despite her growing
fears. she found 1t impossible to lay down
| the book. l. :.
| A sound, coming apparently from the up
per story, echoed through the lonely house
With a beating heart Beatrice ceased read
ing and listened The sound was repeated
| window at the heaI Of the staircase was
| open and Tapping idly on it's hinges. That
| was all, M. .s.-., ~
lowed by another that revived her uneasi.
4 ness Since the EASEMENT had been ajar all
| the evening why hard it not tapped before?
| THE wind must be rising" though Be
| atrfce and with tms: reasonable explana-
| ton she resumed her reading.
Oh, that window.
| 1t persisted in tapping to and fro at in
| tervals the irregularity of which was the
| most annoying part of the matter.
| Sometimes the sound was so faint as to
| be scarcely audible; then, after lapse of
1 sstlenees sa'long As t9. prosnise that the tor
ment had altogether ceased, the easement
! would give rattle louder than ever, and
vious stiffness. A little more force on the
| part of the wind would result in the shat
tering of those diamond panes.
| II must go up and shut it,"
I Sensible resolve! But it was net carried
| out The incident, trifing though it was.
| combined with the effect of the novel, had
| reduced her to state of nervousness SO
great that she burst NOT ascend the stair
| case to close the window. Despising her
| self for her cowardice she remained In her
armchair. neglecting the only effectual way
| of ending the annoyance.
| She glanced again at the dog, and de-
| rived some assurance from his quiet air.
| Though wide awake he did not display any
| signs of alarm.
Zone advantage brute creatures have
| over the human" thought she. They
| fears" .'-+ u. 70 go 70
She. again fixed,her eyes upon the book,
| endeavoring to ignore the real terror by a
| forced attention to an imaginary one, a
| literary homeopathy that was scarcely like
| ly to be successful.
| One of the powers possessed by the fair
| orientalist was that of enduing inanmate
| objects with her own magnetism by virtue
| Of which they became gifted for the time
| being with sentence and motion.
The fancy now seized Beatrice. SO deeply
had she fallen under the spell of the weird
| romance, that the restless easement above
| was moved by similar means and that its
| Tapping was designed to call her attention
| to-she knew not what. A strange idea!
But it grew upon her, and increased till 1t
! filled her mind to the exclusion of every
| thing else The book, neglected, slid from
| her knees, and she sat listening to the
| swinging of the easement. And as 1t is
| possible to tell the mood of musician by
the notes he plays, so Beatrice fancied she
| could detect meaning in each variation
| OF sound.
| First. there was a sharp slam intended
| primarily to arrest attention, like the ting
| ting of the telegraph operator; next, low
| plaintive swing beseeching her to ascend
the stairs and come TO the rescue. followed
| by remonstratory flap censurlng her Tor
delaying. Then ensued slow solemn
| sound suggestive of the gravity of the sit
| uation; finally, there came loud rattle
that echoed through the house as If threat
ening penalties for her negligence.
| Inc SeOlOSlSt Will redu history III GILL
Beatrice read whole tragedy in the vary
| ing tones of that easement.
And now a mysterious influence, emanat-
ing from the latticed window, seemed to
steal silently down the staircase Ike a
ghost and entering the apartment where
| she sat and enwrapping her with an unseen
pail Of horror, whispered thought that
swept all the warmth from her body and
| left her icy-cold.
The Vikings SKULL
At the head OF the staircase, on the ledge
of the embrasufed window, was the grim
memorial, taken at midnight from the sep
! ulchral mound.Ef Beatrice's mind became
| impressed with the belief that the easement
was Tapping in sympathy with the skull.
was it's mouthpiece- 80 to speak-nay more.
that the dread felic itself was moaning to
be taken back to itsi ancient resting place.
Her quickening fancy drew a picture of the
skull. whispering, {. podding. grinning. Its
| hollow orbs illuinined with blue. phospho-
| resent light. 9''s-l o
| Gazing fearfulfy at the door she saw that
1t wasTopen. she must close it ere the hor-
| rid object should come gliding down the
| staircase into the room.
Summoning up @herl small amount of re-
naming courage Beatrice rose, and with
timid. staccato steps approached the door
| attended by Leo. Mute as a statue she
| stood In the attitude of listening, her fin
gers on the door hdndle.
| Was 1t the voice Of the breeze signing
| ha botf 8