Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-09-27

| stone, tombstones and mausoieums
with meaner houses OF sun-dried brick
and rubble. roofiess all and disinte-
grating in the slow. terrible process
of the years.
As Amber moved forward small.
alert ghosts rose from the under
growth and scurried silently thence;
circumstance which made hira very
unhappy
The way was difficult and Amber
tired. After a while. having seen
nothing but the Jackals. an owl or
two. several thousand bats and a
crawling thing which had lurched
along in the shadow of wall some
distance away, giving an admirable
imitation of a badly wounded man
pulling himself over the ground, and
making strange cultural noises-Aru-
Der concluded to wait for the guide
Naralni had promised him. He turned
aside and seated himself upon the
edge OF broken sandstone tomb. The
silence was appalling and for relief
he took refuge in cheap irreverence.
Home" he Observed, alesd, never
was like this"
A heart-rending sigh from the tomb
behind him was followed by a rattle
of dislodged rubbish. Amber found
himself Unexpectedly in the middle Of
the street. and, without stopping TO de-
bate the method of his getting there
with such unprecedented rapidity,
looked back hopefully to the tomb. At
the same moment a blaek-shrouded
/ figure swept out of It and moved few
PAGES down the street. then paused
and beckoned him with gaunt arm.
Il wish" said Amber, earnestly. 81
had that gun
The figure was apparently that of a
native swathed IN black from his head
to bis heels and seemed the more
strikingly peculiar In view OF the fact
that, as far as Amber could deter
mine. he had neither eyes nor features
although HIS head was without any
sort of covering He guiped over the
proposition for an instant. then
stepped forward
Evidently nay appointed cicerone."
he considered. Enthusiastically this
ghost-dance is exceilently stageman-
aged. Though Of course, had
to pick cut that particular tomb"
He followed ia the wake of the fig
motion, something between walk
and glide. conscious that his equa-
nimity had been restored rather than
shaken by the incident.
He held on in pursuit OF the black
shadow, passing forsaken temples and
lordly pleasure houses, all marble
tracery and fretwork. standing apart
in what had once been noble gardens.
sunken tanks oil weed-grown and
rank with slime. humber dooryards
and cots On whose hearthstones the
fires for centuries had been cold-his
destination evidently the temple OF
the unspeakable Eye.
As they drew nearer the leading
shadow forsook tho shade OF the wallis
which he seemed to favor. sweeping
hastily across a plaza white with
moonglare and without pause on into
the black, gaping hole beyond the
marble arch.
Here for the first time Amber hung
back. stopping score OF feet from
the door. his nerves a-Jangle. He did
not falter In hts purpose; he was go
ing to enter the inky portal. but
would he ever leave IL? And
the world was sweet to him.
He took firm hoo II hts reason and
went on across the dark threshold.
took three uncertain strides into the
hra!tless unknown. and pulled up
short, hearing nothing. unable to see
yard before him Then with ter
rifc crash like a thunder-clap the
great doors swung to behind him. He
vhirled about with a stified cry, con-
scious of a mad desire to find the
doors agair, took a step or two to-
ward them. paused TO wonder II he
we're moving in the right direction.
moved little to the left, half turned
and was lost. Revelberating. the
echoes OF the crash ruled far away
until they were no IN IRE than as a
whisper adrift in the silence. u1:tii
that was gone.
Digging his nails into his palms. he
waited; and In tho suspense of dread
began TO count the seconds.
One minute two
three four
He shifted his weight from one foot
to the other.
Seven
He passed a hand across bis face
and brought It away, wet with per-
spiration
Nine
In some remote spot bell began to
toll; at first slowly-clangl
clangl clangi--then more
quickly. until the roar OF its sonorous,
gong-like tones seemed to iii all the
world and to set 1t a-trembIe Then.
insensibly the tempo became more Sc
date, the FIRST clamor of it moderated.
and Amber abruptly was alive TO the
fact that the bell was speaking that
it's voice, deep. clear, sound, metallic,
was rolling forth again and again a
question couched In the purest Sans
knit:
who is there? who Is
there? Who Is there7 -
The hair lifted on his scalp snd he
swallowed hard in the effort 90 an
swer; but the lie stuck IN his throat;
he was not Rutton and and
It is very hard to lie effectively when
| you stand in stark darkness with a
mouth dry as dust and your hair stir.
| ring at the roots because of the in
| ta.oai., f,opcraovaf aud afpoF anaar,4a