Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1905-03-09

have leaT ned since then 1t was build
ing equipped by a well-known secret
society for its limitations. We
went on through a narrow hall, and
up a winding fight that seemed to
me interminable. Above it, as wa
stopped, the man who was leading mo
raped thrice on a rattling wooden
door. 1t broke the silence with a loud
echoing noise. | could hear then the
sliding of a panel and a faint whisper
ing and the sound of many feet as
cending the stairs below. The door
swung open presently, and we were
led in where | could see no sign of any
light. They took me alone across A
wide bare floor, where they set me
down on some sort Of platform and
left me, as | thought. Then | could
hear the whispered challenge at the
door and one after another entering
and crossing the bare floor on tiptoe
Hundreds We're coming in, it seemed to
me. Suddenly a deep silence fell in
that dark place of evil. The blind
fold went whisking off as if a ghostly
hand had taken it. But all around
me was the darkness of a pit | could
see and / could hear nothing but a
faint whisper, high above me, like that
of pine boughs moving softly in light
breeze. ! could feel the air upon my
face. | thought | must have moved
ont of door by magic. 1t seemed as if
| was sitting under the trees alone.
Out of the black silence an icy hand
fell suddenly upon my brow. | flinched,
feeling 1T move slowly downward over
my shoulder. | could hear no breath
ing, no rustic of garments near me.
In the dead silence | got a feeling
that the hand touching me had no body
beh ind it. | was beyond the reach of
fear--I was in a way prepared for
| anything but the deep heart-shaking
horror that sank under the cold,
damp touch of those fingers. They
| laid hold of my elbow firmly, lifting
as if to indicate that | was to rise.
| did so, moving forward passively as
| it drew me on. To my astOnishment
| was unable to hear my own football
or that of my conductor. | thought
! we were walking upon soft earth.
| Crossing our path in front of me
could see, in the darkness, a cleaning
| line. We moved slowly, standing still
as our toes covered it Then suddenly
| a light flashed from before and below
us. A cold sweat came out upon me;
staggered back to strong hands that
were laid upon my shoulders, forcing
me to the line again. By that flash OF
| light | could see that was standing on
| the very brink of some black abyss
| indeed, my toes had crossed the edge
| of it. The light came again, flicker
| ing and then settling into a steady
glow. The opening seemed to have
| grassy bottom some 10 feet below. In
| front of me the soil bristled, on that
| lower level, with some black and
| pointed plant: there were at least a
score of them. AS | looked | saw they
| were not plants, but square of bay
| onets thrust, points up, in the ground.
A curse cama out of my hot mouth,
| and then a dozen voices Knocked 1t,
going fainter, like dying echo. A
| tall figure in a winding-sheet, it's face
covered, was leaning over me.
''To hesitate is to die" it whispered
Courage may save you"
Then a skeleton hand came out of
the windingsheet, pointing down at
| the square of bristling bayonets. The
figure put its mouth to my ear.
Jump" it whispered, and the bare
bones OF the dead fingers stirred i'm
patiently.
ITO Be Continued