Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-09-17


symptoms seem alarming. Is that all
clear? Well. then, l take our pow
der-or what remains of it-frorn the
envelope, and l lay it above the burn
ing lamp. So! Now, Watson, let us
sit down and await developments"
They were not long in coming. ]
had hardly settled in my chair before
was conscious of a thick, musky
odor. subtle and nauseous. At the
very first Whit OF it my brain ard my
imagination were beyond all control
thick black cloud swirled before my
eyes, and my mind told me that in
this cloud, unseen as yet, but about
to spring out upon my appalled, senses,
lurked all that was vaguely horrible,
all that was monstrous and inconceiy-
ably wicked In the universe. Vague
shapes swirled and swan amid the
dark cloud-bank, each a menace and
warning of something coming, the
advent of some unspeakable dweller
upon the threshold, whose very shad-
ow would blast my soul A freezing
horror took possession of me. felt
that my hair was rising, and that my
eyes ,~ere protruding, that my mouth
was opened, and my tongue like
leather. The turmoil within my brain
was such that something must surely
snap. | tried to scream, and was
vaguely aware of some hoarse croak
which was my own voice, but distant
and detached from myself. At the
same moment, in some effort Of es-
cape, l broke through that cloud Of
despair, and had a glimpse Of Holmes
face, white, rigid and drawn with hor-
ror-the very look which I had seen
upon the features of the dead. 1t was
that vision which gave me an instant
of sanity and of strength. ! dashed
from my chair, threw my arms round
Holmes, and together we lurched
through the door, and an instant aft
erwards had thrown ourselves down
upon the grass plot and were lying
side by side. conscious only of the
glorious sunshine which was bursting
its way through the hellish cloud Of
terror which had grit us in Slowly
it rose from our souls like the mists
from a landscape, until peace and rea
son had returned, and we were sitting
up on the grass, wiping our clamny
foreheads, and looking with apprehen-
sion at each other to mark the last
traces of that terrific experience which
we had undergone.
upon my word, Watson!" said
Holmes at last, with an unsteady
voice, Il owe you both my thanks and
an apology. 1t was an unjustiiable
experiment even for oneself, and
doubly so for friend. 1 am really
very sorry"
You know" / answ cred, with some
emotion, for | had never seen so
much of Holmes heart before, that
it is my greatest joy and privilege to
help you"
He relapsed at once into that half
humorous, half~cynical vein which was
his habitual attitude to those about
him. 1T would be superfluous to drive
us mad, my dear Watson" said he.
"A candid observer would certainly
declare that We wore so already be-
fore we embarked upon so wild an
experiment l confess that ] never
imagined that the effect could be so
sudden and so severe" He dashed
into tie cottage, and, reappearing
with the burning lamp held at full
arms length, he threw it among a
bank of brambles. I'VE must give the
room little time to clear | take 1t,
Watson. that you have no longer
shadow of doubt as to how these
tragedies were produced"
None whatever
But the cause remains as obscure
as before. Come into the arbor here,
and let us discuss it together. That
villainous stuff seems still to linger
round my throat. | think we must ad-
nit that all the evidence points to
this man, Mortimer Tregennis, having
been the criminal in the first tragedy,
though he was the victim in the sec