Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-02-10
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE DESERTED HOUSE.
fO-iRinal

wind was hurting it about wildly.
passed through a village where the
lamps shone dimly through the cir
cling fakes, but they were bright com
pared with the black road into which
l plunged beyond the town limits My
four acetylene lamps forced a circular
hole in the darkness, and there would
have been no difficulty in my getting
on had not the snow increased, while
the wind. rising TO fury, blew it into
drifts. Ny pace grew slower, and
with each drift was in danger of be
ing stalled. The cold was intense, and
l began TO grow sleepy.
At last l was stalled. My lamps
showed me. not fifty yards ahead, q
stone bridge beyond which the road
forked at the foot of a large tree. Be
yond on the left fork I thought l saw
a light. Putting on all the force there
was in my machine. / pIOwed through
the snow and drew up in front of q
massive stone house. with pillars rising
the whole height Of the building, such
a house as was in vogue about 1910.
l raped with the brass knocker. and
a man opened the door. He was not a
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 rear and to spend the night
in his house. When returned from the
shed, he met me at back door, brush
ed the snow OFF me and led me into the
living room. where his wife and chill
dren were sitting about u blazing wood
fire
There was something uncanny about
these people. and for my life l couldn't
tell what it was. They were all as
white as If they had been long i'll and
seemed hungry, not for food, for they
gave me a supper, never touching Il
mOrsel themselves, but for something
the nature of which l could not guess.
The wife and mother spread her hands
before the fire to warm them, and l
could see the flame behind, not through
red blood. but white flesh. The chill
dren, too, had a blue white look about
them that made me cold. l attempted
to caress little girl of six years. seiz-
ing her hand, but she quickly drew 1t
away, and l was glad she did, for ii
was cold and stiff, not the least of that
warm softness in it usual to childhood.
was glad when my host showed me
to Il sleeping room.
In the night / awoke suddenly with
suffocation. A mouth was glued to
mine, and some one was drawing my
breath from my body. 1 was just in
time to place my hands upon a pair of
shoulders and hurl the figure away.
In another moment / would have been
pOwerless. Gasping, / awaited the per
sons return, but when no one came I
listened. There was no sound, and aft
er a time l wondered if had not had a
spasmOdic closing at the mouth of the
windpipe and dreamed the rest. | was
all in tremOr and resolved to remain
awake for the rest of the night. Never
theless | 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 i'll my mouth.
| swallowed considerable draft, after
which | opened my eyes to be blinded
by powerful light, the light from an
Two men were chatting
me. When assured that I was alive
they told me that they were passing in
their automobile and had found me Ia
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
1 thought had gone to the house far
Their on. / said nothing to my rescuers |
about this, and after they had turned |
my machine went with them back to |
the village, where l spent the remain |
der of the night.
The next morning was bright, cold |
and still. and after a hot breakfast l
proceeded on my way. passed the point |
where / had been stalled and pushed |
Oh by the left fork. What was my as |
to see that the house at |
which l had stayed the night before |
was where thought il. But instead of
being occupied IL was deserted.
l was paTalyZed with a frightful
Tread. Fortunately / had nothing to
10 but hold the steering wheel to put Il
he horrible place behind me. Reaching
4 farm house n short distance beyond.
stopped and. leaving my automobile.
knocked. A woman came to the door
You know the house half a mile
back on this side of the road-stone
house. big piIlars?"
Yes"
ANY one lived there latelyr''
Not since a few years after it was
quilt"
How sou
I've heard the family that lived in
all died OF cholera somewhere in the
ifties'
/ caught at the railing OF the porch.
ri