The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-12-15

,odc,otbos and to cover himself coii,-
nIet.,v MS far MS the top OF MS l'l''
49, ,IJ mun was but one o. INC
monsters that thrcaiei'cu'
Burglars .,,,oh tho
pnrr,ors were creeping through ',''
~, ,,,,.,,irs and downstairs; llle
,i, ~ IN. whole house became "iui
,,,r,us with the whispers ana rust
lngS. IT,, bood
prnrod still not moving his he"n'
nulIrd the AK and the caInphor n",,l
haro,tb tne sheet; slid the gun OH NV
covrrIrt and pushed it as far u'.'',.
! tho he'd ms he could. Burglars li'iE"'
no more mcrtifuI If they believed INN
but little lonely sleeping ci'i'l
tending no resistance.
He culpcd lnmentably, ana p'ih
nant bitterness began to FORM ~ III
considerable part of his condition.
What kind of parents were th'E 'ne
asked himself) who could go Diilleis
off and leave little lonely cllilu ~
no found by burglars-and othel
tbinqs-in n great, horrible, hollow,
onntv house? Probably his father anu
mothor were somewhere with Il "llole
crowd of people, in brightly hEl'eu
rooms: no doubt at this very mo
ment they were both talking ana
laughing.
Laughing!
His Indignation extended to cover
the cases of his neutrality-suspicious.
sister Margaret, and OF Della the
cool, and Katie, the hOuSemaid. MoSt
likely all three of these marble iear'S
wore also somewhere, talking anu
laughing!
Big, strong, old grown people
every one of them-well, maybe tlieS
would be sorry tomorrow Besides
no vould get even with them-if ne
lived.
He was making up his mind In Wha'
manner general revenge should DC
ACCOMPLISHED upon the hossehoiu
whom the handle Of his door clicked
family, and vet distinctly; was softly
turned, and the door opened little
way.
Penrod's heart did not stop, but ms
breath did. He lay motionless.
The door was closed again. gently
Then heart and breath both bound
ed. There was no doubt about II
something had certainly opened M
door-and had looked at him. He hat
felt 1t.
, II WAS too much for closed eyes
Penrose lifted himself on his eiboV
and stared whirlingly about him untl
his gaze became fixed in utter nor
ror upon the threshold of the door.
thread Of light glimmered wanly aloni
that threshold.
Shaking to the verge Of spasms, Pen
rod gathered his weapons again.
Then the light disappeared, ant
there was darkness-and silence, ant
silence, and silence!
} And whatever the color OF the glean
beneath the door, the thread that re
4 manned upon the fixed retina of Pen
rods eve. after the actual light ha
gone, was green.
Z Now, indeed, out of the darkness
: over the frenzied boy did Chlmer
peer and monster hover! The gree
g thread broke and twisted into shape'
hodilesS. faceless eyes came closer an
closer and closer, while animal
8 breathed hot upon his cheek.
: The silence grew tenser with noise
$ inst about to burst forth; the darl
ness became charged with unthinkabl
: visions just ready to make themselve
= visible; raw heads and bloody bone
blenching phantasm and ravenln
vampire, bugbear, bugaboo, mumn
10 and nightmare, CHASTITY thing that ma
~ ever got into Penrod's head was issue
forth and now hung over him.
And outside the door were the bu
y, glars. There were burglars rampaglr
- all through the house by this time,