Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-25
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The ominous trembling ceased. She
set forth to find him, bravely refusing
to speculate upon consequence or the
probable sequence of failure.
Hears Report of Gun
A reckoning point of light cleaned
In the distance, and as she advanced
a chain of lights came slowly into view
The train was in. Her heart gave an
eager bound, and she dashed across
the street and up the steep grade. AS
she reached the top the report OF a gun
startled her back into the old ATTITUDE
of fear She turned to look in the direc-
ton of the great gloomy gray stone
buildings on the hill, block from and
above the little cottage from which
she had just emerged. The sudden
flash of lights told her what had hap
pened. She thought of the freedom or
the unknown, fear-stricken being,
creeping, hiding somewhere in the
darkness, with thrills of exultant joy
the keen joy of fellowship in adversely.
In the terror and fear of the moment
she forgot her own desolated future,
and stood with fingers clenched tightly
in the palms, listening to the desultory
oaying of the hounds.
Presently she continued along the
short street to the highest point, watch
ing the lights on the hill, children trem-
bling with strange emotions produced
by the weird baying of the death
hounds, and the silence and darkness
of the night. Her alarm grew until
she feared to go on or return, and
again she halted and backed away into
the deeper shadow of a clump of trees
which grew about fifteen feet from the
road, and encircled deep raVine, which
was reputed to conceal a bottomless
spring somewhere in its recesses.
Serpent Appears
On the opposite side of this short
street were neat, well kept cottages;
but on the other side, where she stood,
lay a little oasis of natures forest,
hill and vale, and sparkling stream.
The owner, a lover of nature, would
neither sell nor lease the place, and so
it remained, a lure and heart ease to
the stranger within the citys gates.
To those who knew, the ban of tres
passing was upon it, 1t had been a
daily playground forher babes. 1t was
theirs by right of appreciation. To her
it had been a serene joy. 1t fitted so
into the loneliness of her life. 1t was
hers by right of the magic charms
which nature held for her, and it's alb
solute power to dispsl the turmoil of
life and bless her with the pure joy of
living.
Day after day the balmy southern
spring had opened its heart to her, and
she had scarcely dared utter her joy
lest it should depart. She could hear
the ripping stream which emptied
from the mouth of the raVine over Il
ledge of rocks down through the little
valley, and in fancy saw her babes,
dancing before her eyes chasing golden
butterflies or gathering the wild flowers
and hha Toin0 tha1l1 in RINGS Of color n III
about her. The whole atmosphere was
filled with sweet and treasured aSsocia
lions. A desire to cuddle up in her ac-
customed seat beneath the protecting
branches of the trees was instantly dis
PEELED by the memory of the i'll omen
she had encountered the previous day.
She made a motion as if to gather her
skirts about her, remembering how
Babykins had lured her to reach fer
dogwood blossoms and how she had dis
lodged a great striped reptile from the
branches of the tree 1t fell at her feet
kissing an angry retaliation.
Sees Striped Creature
The babes rushed forward and chung
to her skirts with a scream of fright,
and the serpent, with head uplifted,
Slipped away through the deep grass.
Her eyes were becoming accustomed
now to the night and the tree shadows
appeared distinctly deeper than the en-
circling darkness. The light of the
stars shining clear and bright between
long lakes of straight dark clouds made
the surrounding objects visible. Some
strange intuition held her eyes intent
upon the deeper tree shadows She
sensed rather than saw bulky OBJECT
moving stealthily along the edge of the
bushes Defined presently to her vision
it seemed to satisfy sense of strained
expectation without startling her 1t
was lighter than the tree shadows and
defined itself into a sinuous striped
thing writhing in and out among the
bushes creeping along the trail of the
snake Gradually the horror of that
slowly approaching shape held her. She
realized that pursuers were approach
ing. The sinuous striped object became
erect. She fancied red light in the
ewes cleaned menace at her. Before
her feet could reply to the impulse to
retreat the creature had climbed to the
ton of the dogwood tree For one brief
instant the huge striped shape outlined
against the stars hung poised in the
air and then another crash In the
bushes. the thud of the body second
later on wet bottom of the ravine and
all was silent.
Searches in Vain
The excitement of the moment had
shaken her nerves afresh. The fear of
pursuers and of missing the train gave
her feet added swiftness. She was
painting and breathless when she
reached the end of the slope, but she
held her nerves in check and hurried
forward.
The train was ready to pull out. She
went into the smoker He was not
there and she passed hurriedly through