The Utah County Democrat. [volume] (Provo City, Utah) 1898-1909, 1908-10-27
The Story That CuredHis Wife
BY c. A. Stearns
Ccopyrlsht. BY shortstory Pub. Coz

ulNlluduNNs ny oANhi NNthNh
come. compared with the unspeakabie
horror Of the humiliation Of his soul
as the result OF its obsesslon by de-
moniac powers.
He struggled to retain his reason.
with an effort of will that brought the
dew of agony to his brow, he almost
flung himself upright upon his feet,
in an effort to escape. AS he did so,
the hldeous Shape advanced, projected
by thetweird flames playing through
the gaping chinks Of the rear wall
and crept stealthily forward ike an
animal seeking its prey. The lieuten'
ant could in fancy feel those horrible
fangs piercing his very soul. As the
dread Form was upon him, he In
stinctively threw up his arm. as II to
ward of physical blow, when
shock-a soaring of the flesh as at the
touch OF liquid air-an etching jet OF
flame that burned to the bone, ran
through his wrist. Then he felt him
self caught and dragged over the
ground.
When he looked about with return
ing consciousness. he found himself
surrounded by his men, some yards
from the crumbling cabin, with Law.
son stretched upon the grass. still UNI
conscious Missing the lieutenant and
the sergeant at the hour set for break
ing camp, the surveyors, attracted by
a bright light In the ruined shack, had
sought and found them there, insensi'
BILE, and apparently overcome by
mephltic fumes that filled the place.
Both we're as weak as though con-
valescing from lingering fever and
the early morning march was aban'
doned
BY sunrise the leaders had so far
recovered as to superintend the demoli-
ton OF the cabin in which they had
suffered such frightful fear. When
the rotting log walls were thrown
down and burnt, an extraordinary
sight was revealed AS the blazing
logs fell away from the face of the
cliff. II was seen that the rear wall
In which there had been a movable
section on pegs like the entrance door
masked second chamber, cavern
in the rock There was a rude fire
place in It, deep with ashes. over 1t
hung iron hooks and pots; crucibles
and various instruments and utensils
We're scattered about. Beyond the fire.
place and a rough workbench some.
thing was vaguely outlined in the dim
light. Approached with a torch, IL
proved to be human skeleton of un.
usual height. whose bleached bones
were cracked and distorted. It was
complete, except the feet. which were
missing. The stumps of the ankle
bones rested in deep vat, sunk In
the floor of the cave. One bony hand.
split and blackened. grasped a wire
that connected with the great growing
tree trunk in the cabin wall.
II was with feelings of awe that the
little party gazed at this strange
sight, but the two leaders were glad
to find themselves entirely free from
the oppressive symptoms which had
overpowered them when on the spot
before.
Was that the last page in the dread
history of some student of unknown
forces-some searcher into forbidden
mysteries-trapped to his death amid
the strange devices Of his unholy oc.
cupation? 1t seemed so. Eagerly alb
sorbed in some experiment while a
great storm was raging without, his
feet by an awful accident had slipped
into the vat. containing no one knows
what frightful mixture. To save him.
self, he had grasped the wire attached
to the tree. which at that moment, by
some strange chance or merited fatal.
ity, was riven by lightning, which fol-
lowed the wire and passed through
his body.
Had the sultry summer air, heavily
charged with electricity, enabled the
restless spirit OF the sorcerer to utilize
again that fateful circuit, lmpregnate
the very ground with a resistless. be.
numbing power, and materialize itself
electrically into the lambert, flaming
figure they had seen? SO they always
believed, and the deep scar an inch
long, in the lleutenant's wrist, which
he will carry to his grave, confirms
him in that belief.
The coloners wife started up as he
concluded his story, and following her
gaze. his eyes also rested on a liyid
scar on his own right hand. reaching
from the base of the thumb to the
wrist
20 Richard" she cried rising and
walking the room In her excitement
Il know at last the secret of thai
dreadful burn. II was you who suf
fered that awful experience. Oh, what
II had lost you too"
Raising his eyes to hers, he saw
with Joy the wholesome brightness of
sanity and health AS she sprang To
her feet, the shackles of her morbid
fancies dropped away, and she stood
there glowing, once more the winsome
and Tyacious bride. The story had
cured her.