The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-03-10
6be Deserted House
.TOriginal.

paSsed through Il Niii"se
lomns shone dimly through the CIT
cling flakes, but they were br'snt coAl,
pored with the black road into VIM
nlunced beyond the town limits. MY
four acetylene lamps forced a c'rcu'',
hole in the darkness, and there "oui"
have been no difficulty IN my getlins
IN had not the snow increased "hiie
t,,o wind rising to fury, blew it into
drifts, My pace grew Il
with each drift I was in danger u NC,
,,o sto,,od The cold was intense, and
| began to grow sleepy.
At last | was stalled. My lamps
showed me, not fifty yards aheao' d
stone bridge, beyond which the roau
forked at the foot Of a large tree. BE
yond on the left fork thought l sa"
a light. Putting on all the force there
was in my machine, l plowed through
the snow and drew up in front OF d
massive stone house, with pillars rising
the whole height Of the building, such
a house as was in vogue about lS4o.
raped with the brass knocker, Il
a man opened the door. He was not d
servant, but a well to do looking per
son Of the country class.
l told him my story, and he invited
me to take my automobile around TO a
shed in the real and to spend the night
in his house. When l returned from the
shed, he met me at a back door, brush
ed the snow off me and led me Into the
living room, where his wife and chill
dren were sitting about a blazing wood
fire.
There was something uncanny about
these people, and for my life / couldn't
tell what it was. They were all as
white as If they had been long Ill and
seemed hungry, not for food, for they
gave me a supper, never touching a
morsel themselves, but for something
the nature Of which I could not guess.
The wife and mother spread her hands
before the fire to warm them, and l
could see the fame behind, not through
red blood, but white flesh. The chill
dren, too, had q blue-white look about
them that made me cold. l attempted
to caress a little girl of six years, seiz-
ing her hand, but she quickly drew it
away, and l was glad she did, for it
was cold and stiff, not the least Of that
warm %softness in it usual to childhood.
I was glad when my host showed me
to a sleeping room.
In the night l awoke suddenly with
%suffocation. A mouth was glued to
mine, and some one was drawing my
breath from my body. l was just in
time to place my hands upon a pair Of
shoulders and hurl the figure away.
In another moment I would have been
powerless. Gasping, I awaited the per,
sons return, but when no Il came ]
listened. There was no sound, and aft,
er a time wondered if 1 had not had q
spasmodic closing at the mouth Of the
windpipe and dreamed the rest. l was
all in a tremor and resolved to remain
awake for the rest Of the night. Never
theless l became drowsy, and the last
remember was struggling with sleep.
was awakened by some one shak.
Ing me, the mouth of a flask put be.
tween my lips and liquor in my mouth.
swallowed a considerable draft, after
which l opened my eyes to be blinded
by a powerful light, the light from an
automobile. Two men were chatting
me. When assured that l was alive
they told me that they were passing in
their automobile and had found me In
mine apparently frozen. They had
reached me just in time to save me.
Ahead OF me was the stone bridge I
had seen, beyond which the road
forked at the foot Of the oak tree
was still stuck in the drift from which
| thought I had gone to the house far
ther on. said nothing to my rescuers
ABOUT this, and after they had turned
my machine l went with them back "a
Inc village, where l spent the remain.
der of the night.
Inc next morning was bright. cold
ana still, and after a hot breakfast I
proceeded on my way, passed the point
"nefe had been stalled and pushed
on by the left fork. What was nv no,
constituent to see that the house ~
which had stayed the night before
was where thought it. But instead ~
Delng occupied it was deserted.
was paralyzed with a frigbtf,,
dread. Fortunately l had NOTHING ~
40 but hold the steering wheel to mt
tne horrible place behind me. Reach'ns
q iarln u a short distance beyond
l stopped and, leaving my automobila
knocked. A woman came to the door
You know the house half . -,
Dack on this side of the road-stane
house, big pillars?" ''one
Eyes"
ANY one lived there latelyyp
MOI since q few wears aftor
built" ''ter II was
How soi"
I've heard the family that lived -
:. an died Of cholera somewhere in ,h ~
ar caught at the railing Of the porch
Ever heard anything stransa
about the placer" 'aanse-
LID, un, yes. There's lots Of talk. don,
m pel'eye any Of it, but I can't get anv ~