Rocky Ford enterprise., 1906-10-05
Il4 IN ]. .NlNlK

in my perusai. Dinner VAS served In
the sam. manner rs breakfast.
The afternoon was passed In the
| same manner rs the earlier day. ana
the more searched among thc
library shelves the more bc~iliered
became. Charts. drawings. maps
notes. manuscripts and many strange
writings wer. found. all bearing upon
the same subject. Russia. or the kin
dr.d subject. Siberia. and from what
/ I learned OF that country and Its
mercIl.ss and monsiTous Institutions
only cmbitt.T"d III. against II. for
Inferred that the ouisid. world knew
little OF that vast area OF Ice anc
blood. known as Siberia. having only
had access to such books an were nn'
thorixcd by the government Itself
So Intensely Interested was I In III.
pursuit. OF these strange papers that
I fnIicd to look without. and was only
aroused to a sense of my surroundings
by a heavy rumbiin. OF thunder. ani
the Fash Of lightning which shot
through tn. stats OF tn. closed shut
t.rs. filling the room with Its intense
lish,. and the old cashmcnts shook
In their fastcninEs.
As night approached. the violence
OF III. storm Increased. the air SEEM
| cd charged with electricity. and the
| wind. bowling among the pines. hilcd
me with a sense of dread. and paus'
ed AZ I closed the great oakcn door.
fleeing from the fury OF the tempest
to the lonely halls and chambers os
the old house. over which knew
some terrible mystery presided.
Az I rc-entered tho dimiy lighted
room tho windows ratified and the
sound OF tho tempest followed me.
| l threw myself upon the couch and
vainiy tried to solve tho mystery OF
this old house: TO anticipate what the
future would reveal: what awful deeds
the members OF this Order contcm.
plated. or had experienced. l dreaded
| the part I had assumed In casting Ia
my lot with body OF men. OF who's,
purposes I had but vague Idea. ]
knew only by Inference that some ter
rIbic. some powerful and undying en-
nifty toward the Russian government
| had brought these mcn-I had no
| Idea OF their number-togcthcr.
| I also knew. by Inference. that these
men were unlike the rcdhandcd nj.
hilists or anarchists. both in person
and In deed.
As thus reflected I was interrupted
| by Sista, who came to announce din.
ncr.
The hall was dimly lighted. as or
the evening before. by swinging
lamp. and when entered the dining
room, II was deserted. save for th.,
| 81
| my left to attend me. He never nj.
lowed me to ask for anything. but
seemed to anticipate my wants. which
he supplied In his mute. mechanical
manner.
His presence In that lonely room.
| annoyed me, and | secretly hoped he
would withdraw: hut ut the same
| time determined to display no curt
osity by any sign or words with this
creature. who neither laughed or
talked. whose expression seemed
ever frozen and changeless.
hastcned to finish my meal that
might be rid of the sphinxliiie pres.
ence.
The night was intensely G:rk and
| the wind ragged with unabated VIC.
| lence. The lightning flashed through
the bleached bones of the old skele'
ton. bringing out its hidcous outlines
| in CHASTITY distinctness. and illumining
the horrible pictures upon the walls
until the weird figures seemed as /:
they would spring from the canvas
| hurried from the room, and ignor
| ing the movements of the servant who
would have preceded me. ! passed
/ 81, h,Il IN hn
| room As entered heard a noise
| within-not the noise of the storm
nor the moan of the wind-but human
| voices in conversation.
These voices proceeded from the
corner of the room. and as | walked
boldly through the open door, I was
! shocked at the sight of the old wom-
an. who lay as If dead, upon tn"
lounge. The blood had left her face,
and the withered. wrinkled skin was
drawn and death-like. The great
sunken eyes stared fXedly-at moth.
ing. Her long, bony hands were lock-
ed together across her thin wasted
breast. and all life seemed to have
departed from her shrunken body.
AT her side stood Valdermere his
magnetic eyes bent upon her. and his
hands outstretched as If pleading. AN
of this | saw as through Il mist, for
the light had been turned low.
stood transfiXed. for | thought |
was in the presence of the dead, SO
ghastly was her face-so still the
form. Then Valdermere raised his
hand as though to command me to sill ,
ence. but he never turned his gaze
from the form on the couch
1t seemed like some horrible dream.
peopled with specters-a tableau of
ghosts. |