The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-04

For conceive my case. 1t was near
midnight by this; and ever since dusk
[ had been tracking the naked moors
RfoOt, in the teeth of as vicious a
'wester as ever drenched man to
the skin and then blew the cold home
to his marrow MY clothes were sod
den; my coat tails tapped with the
noise like pistol shots; my boots
squeaked as I went. Overhead the Oc-
tober moon was in her last quarter and
might have been a slice of finger nail
for all the light she afforded. Two
thirds of the time the wrack blotted
her out altogether; and I, with my
stick clipped tight under my armpit,
eyes puckered up and head bent like
butting rams. but a little aslant had
IN keep my wits agOg to distinguish
The glimmer of the road from the black
heath to right and left. For three
hours l had met neither man nor mans
dwelling, and (for all 1 know was
desperately lost. Indeed, at the cross
roads, two miles back, there had been
nothing for me but to choose the way
that kept the wind on my face, and it
gnawed me like a dog.
Mainly to allay the singing of my
eyes, I pulled up at last, turned right
about face leaned back against the
blast with a hand on my hat, and sur
veyed the blackness I had traversed
1t was at this instant that, far away
to the left, q point Of light caught my
notice, faint but steady; and at once
I felt sure it burned IN the window of
q house. THE house." thought L 'is
a good mile off, beside the other road.
and the light must have been an inch
over my hat brtm for the last half
hour" for my head had been sIoped
that way. This refleCtion-that on so
q II n
the information wanted (and perhaps
supper) by one inch-sent a strong
thrill down my back
L cut straight across the heather to-
ward the light, risking quags and pit
falls. Nay, so heartening was the
chance to hear a fellow creatures
voice that I broke into a run, skip
ping over the stunted gorse that crop
ped up here and there, and dreading
every moment to see the light
quenched- Suppose il burns in an up
per window, and the family is going
to bed, as would be likely at this
hour'-the apprehension kept my eyes
fixed on the bright spot, to the fire.
quent scandal of my legs, that within
five minutes were stuck full of gorse-
prickles.
But the light did not go out. and
soon flicker Of moonlight gave me a
glimpse of the houses outline. If
proved to be a deal more imposing than
L looked for-the outline, in fact of
tau' square barrack with a cluster of
ch1mneys at either end, like ears. and
a high wall. topped by the roofs of
some outbuildings, concealing the low
er windows. There was no gate in
this wall, and presently I guessed the
reason was approaching the Mace
from behind, and the light came from
pack window on the first floor.
~
explained by this time II shone he
hind drab-colored blind, and in shane |
resemoled the stem of a wine glass
broadening out at the foot-an effect
produced by the half-drawn curtains
Wlthm. l came to a halt, waiting for
the next ray Of moonlight At the same
moment a rush of wind swept over the
cLILLIlIey STACKS, and on the wind there I
seemed to ride a human sigh.
On this last point I may err. The
gust had passed some seconds before |
L caught myself detecting this peculiar
note and trying to disengage if from
the natural chords Of the storm. From
the next gust It was absent. And then |
70 my dismay, the light faded from
the window.
l was half minded to call ont when
II appeared again, this time I'm two
WlndOWs-thOse next on the right TO
that where it had shone before. Al
most at once it increased in brfIIiance
as II the person who carried it from
the smaller room to the larger were
nghtlng more candles, and now the H.
IChllatlOn was strong enough to make
1lne BoId threads of the rain that fell
WiIhln It's radiance and fling two shafts
OF warm yellow over the coping of
tne black wall into the night. During
the minute or more that I stood watch
ing no shadow fell on either blind.
Between me and the wall ran q
oltch, into the black Obscuritv of which,
the ground at my feet broke sbsrTI1-
away Setting my back to the storr,
again followed the lip Of this ditch
around the wallis angle. Here MS
shelter, and here the ditch seemed fo
grow shallower. Not wishing. how
ever TO mistake a bed of nett1es or
s aiiy such pltIaIl for solid earth, I kept
pretty wide as 1 went on. The b0,,ss
was dark on this side. and tba Tyen
as before, had no opening. Close - :
sac the next angle grew a mass of !
thick gorse bushes, and. DTsbinsr !
through these, I found myself sudden 5
~ on a nigh road with the wind tear :
ing at me as furiously as ever.
But here was the front: and 7 nov, :
perceived that the surrounding wall ad- I
Vanced some way before the house So t
as 20 form narrow curtiIage. So I
Incch or 1t, too, as faced the road had f
oeen whitewashed. which made if an
easy matter to find the gate. But as {
laid hands on its latch I had a. snr1 I
prise SUI
"A line OF paving stones led from tbe
gate to the heavy porch; and aIono, tbe I
wet surface Of these fell a streak of !
Ilght from the front door. which STOOD I
ajar. "--i'ii Sloou
That a door should remain six inches I
open on such a night was asfonisl1ine,
until entered the court and /
round It was as still as a room ou1ine, {
70 the high wall. and doI,btia,o rs /
Lorch gave additional protection. Rnt
loOhIhs up and assuring myself that
al the rest Of the facade was as biact t
a. mr. - wondered at the inmates n
property. VI tnelr y
II was here that my professional in
SUI received the first jog. Abatine il
s stones so'Iu OF my feet on the paving n
stones; l went up to the door ana
pushed it softly. It openaG I,i., seiiq G