The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-10-29
The Elixir of Life-one of the
strangest Gases on
Record.

( he might be absent all day and unit:
late INTO the night, he always returned
before morning. would lie awake
listening. hoping that this time he had
gone for good, but, sooner or later, /
would hear his hateful step on the
stars. l hesitated at making my own
escape and deliberately deserving him.
Besides l had an uncomfortable pre-
sentiment that he would track me
wherever / went
Matters were in this state when one
night he returned earlier than usual. /
was still downstairs reading He
opened the door noisily, lurched across
the room and flung himself down in a
chain. l looked up. Had he been
( drinking? IL was no uncommon thing
| Tor him TO come home in a state of
wild eXhilaratiOn, though | had never
known him to lose control OF himself.
1t seemed as though his magnificent
strength could cope with any excess.
met his eyes fixed on me with a lower
ing, evil look-the look OF a creature
that hates. yet fears.
/ gazed back at him steadily. There
seemed something in his face which
was new to me; the eyes were dull. the
expression heavy and brOOding. AS a
! rule his rotations had the effect of in
creasing his vitality; tonight they must
nave acted in the contrary direction.
There was no life or animation in face
or figure
But for the first time his gaze did
not fall before mine. ] felt little un-
comfortable. 1t was only my mental
! force that could control him; if he
could defy that | was completely at his
mercy. The air in the room grew op-
pressive; | felt my heart beating quick
er. ] could keep silence no longer.
betrayed my weakness: / spoke.
rs anything the natter" / asked.
keeping my eyes fixed on him.
He made no reply He did not seem
even to hear me. The stealthy look in
his face never changed. But. as l
watched, he drew gradually and al
most imperceptbly closer to me. What
thought had been growing uB in his
slow mind-What intention lurlIed be-
hind those brooding eyes? The wild
beast lust to fight and kill? l had no
weapon within reach, ] could not
move; if 1 averted my gaze for mo-
ment he might spring at me.
SO we sat, facing each other. He was
like savage animal newly Gagged.
who IS only prevented by the iron bars
from leaPilg on the keeper, Ny Will
mower kept him off as yet: would he
break il dOwn2
My pulses We're throbbing in nay ears
now; | seemed to be looking at him
through mist. / could not cry for
help; my tongue was glued TO my
mouth. Perhaps my gaze faltered or
lost some of its power, and in an in
slant he had sprung at me. 1t was the
spring of a tiger / was like reed
in his grasp. His hands were about my
throat, pressing the life out of me: |
could only look up, helpless, into the
awful triumphant face. Then, sud
denly, as I gazed. feeling that every
moment must be my last. there came
horrible change. In a fash the light
had died out of his eyes sickIy pallor
crept over the flushed face the strong
hands dropped from my throat, slack
and heavy, and he staggered away,
falling sideways into a chair.
| was too exhausted 10 move or call
for assistance. ! could only watch him
fearfully. And as ! looked there came
a still more awful change. His limbs
withered to the limbs of an Old man
and his face grew yellow and aged and
worn. What had been the form and
face of a young man i'm his prime now
showed every sign of senile decay. For
a minute he sat thus as though turned
10 stone; then his head fell back sharp
ly. He was dead
And he had become again the wretch
ed outcast l had found on the moors.
Copyright 1900 by D. T. Pierce.