Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1905-03-11

We were going to fly together, whittier |
know not. | had begun my descent. and
was rapidly nearing the bottom, when
my steps were suddenly arrested. Just
on level with my head, writing and
| twisting its coils round one of the pro-
tuberant branches of the pear tree, was
a red snake; but although its body was
a mass of moving coils, its head was
! perfectly mOtionless; and out of it glared
pair of codl, stony eyes that held mine
a pair of cold, stony eyes that held mine
take away my gaze from them. but they
! held me with a resStlcSS power. All
strength deserted me; my hands relaxed
! their grasp Of the bOughS. my feet slid
powerlessy from their hold, and | fell
The reality. | awOke-not with n
start, but | slowly rose mp into a sit
! ting posture. as though an iron lever,
worked by some hiddenu power, had
! pressed me upwards. | could feel that
my eyes were wide open and staring
my whole body locked and rigid.
Upon the desk at the foot OF the bed
stood a lamp the light of which was
strongly intensified by reflector. Its
glare fell full upon wOman's face In
an instant | recognized judith Porter
She was attired i'll a dress of black vel
vet, made high up to her throat; draped
behind her head was curtain of black
velvet, upon which was. as it were
| thrown in powerful relief her pale coun-
tenance and red hair. Her eyes were
I unnaturally dilated and fixed. They
seemed drawing my soul out of my body,
and absorbing it in themselves.
My next sensation was that | was
speaKing-ansWe ring questions, of what
nature | could not tell, for the answers
were made without any vOitOn on my
part; they seemed drawn by come occult
influence from the most secret recesses
of my memory.
By and by all consciousness deserted
me, and | became motionless. When |
awoLe | was lying just rs | had thrown
myself, half dressed. upon the bed. The
dull light of lowering sky, out of which
the rain was descending IN torrents. was
upon me. My visitant had left no trace
behind her; every article was precisely
in the same condition, as far as | could
remember, as when | retired to rest
got off the bed and bathed my head
and face with cold water. This revived
me: but there was a dullness about the
brain that | could not clear away. AS
my faculties resumed their functions, |
became conscious of sensations vet more
strange. There was a feeling of void
ness, as though some vital principle had
been drawn from me; but above ALL
, thcre was an intense longing to be again
within the influence of those eyes-yet |
shuddered at the thought. There was
/ spell upon me-a spell that drew me
irresstihly towards Judith Porter
Mr.. pOrters threat was no idle one
Body and soul was, through his daueh
ter utterly subdued to his will. Out
of her presence, | felt that | could not
! exist. l followed her about like
! spaniel dog l was ever trying to catch
| her gaze; few seconds beneath its in
fuence reduced me to trance-like state.
in which my soul seemed to pass from
my keeping into hers. Ny slecp-when
could sleep, which was seldom-was
haunted by the widest fantasies. My
health soon began to suffer; my cheeks
/ became hollow. my looks emaciated. 1t
was as though a vampire was preying
upon my life. 1t was not love that
she inspired me with, but fearful fasci-
nation while | lay at her feet, passion
ately imploring her to take pity upon me.
to give me her love, to become my wife.
| would have given the world to have
possessed the power to fly from her to
the furthermost extremity of the earth
/ | was her slave-bound to her by chains
stronger than were ever forged by hui
man hands
And she was merciless in her power
She hated me, loathed me, despiSed me.
She did not tell me so, but my instincts,
now preternaturally sensitive needed no
words to divine her thoughts. While a
free agent, | had refused, shrunk from
an alliance with her, and she was now
enjoying her vengeance.
You should have taken me when |
was offered to YOU" she said, hooking
ly, nov it is too laten'
l knew she did not mean the latter
part of her sentence. | knew that after
she had glutted herself with my torture,
she would become my wife. l could read
it as plainly as though her mind had
been a printed book open before me.
l still went through the form of super
intending the boys, but was very little
use in this pitiable condition, and Mr..
Porter himself was oftener in the school
room than l had ever known him before.
He treated me the same as usual, but he
never regarded me without a cunning
leer of triumph. Except during the
school hours | was never suffered to
enter the kitchen, or to exchange a
word with Martha. l afterwards learn
ed that she made several attempts to get
to me, but all these efforts were baked
by the vigilance of her master or mis-
tress.
AS for me, made no effort TO see Der,
neither had any desire; was alienated
from every object in life save one. One
night, as | was going to bed, found
her standing close against the wall upon