The Washington times., 1918-01-19

~ HERE is some fascination,
surely, when l am moved by
the mere presence OF such an
one, even lying as she
Law In a tomb fretted with age
and heavy with the dust Of centuries,
though there be that horrid odour
such as the lairs of the count have
had.
Yes, I was moved. Van Helsing'
With all my purpose and with my
motive for hate-I was moved TO
yearninE Tor delay which seemed To
paralyze my faculties and to clog my
very soul. It may have been that the
need Of natural sleep, and the strange
oppression of the air were beginning
to overcome me.
Certain it was that I was lapsihg
into sleep, the open-eyed sleep OF one
who yields to a sweet fascination
when there came through the snow
HtiIled air a long, low wall, SO IulI
of woe and pity that il woke me IKE
the sound of a clarion. For IL was
the voice of my dear Madam Nina
that I heard
BRACES HIMSELF FOR
HORRID TASK.
Then 1 braced myself again to my
hofrid task, and found by wrench
ing away tomb-tops one other OF the
sisters, the other dark one. 1 dared
not pause to look on her as / had on
her sister, lest once more i shouio
begin to be enthrall; but l go on
searching until. presently, l hnd In
a high great tomb as IL made to one
much beloved that other fair sister
which, like Jonathan, / had seen TO
gather herself out Of the atoms Of the
mist.
She was so fair to look on. SO
radiantly beautiful, so eNqutsitely
voluptuous, that the very instinct OF
man in me, which calls some OF my
sex TO love and to protect one or hers
made my head whirl with new emo
tion.
But God be thanked, that soul-wail
pf my dear Madam Nina had not died
ont Of nv ears; and, before the spell
could be wrought further upon me-
had nerved myself to my wild work.
By this time had searched all the
tounbs in the chapel, so far as l could
tell; and as there has been only three
of these Un-Dead phantoms around
us in the night / took It that there
were no more of active Un-Dead e&-
istent
There was one great tomb more
lordIy than all the rest; huge 1t was
and nobly proportioned. On 1t was
but one word
DRACCLA-
This then was the Un-Dead nome
Of the KinE-Vampire, to whom so
many more were due Its emptiness
smoke eloquent to make certain that
/ knew. Before L began TO -restore
these women to their dead selves
through my awful work, | laid in
Dracula's tomb some OF the Water'
and so banished him from 1t. IN
Dead, for ever
pEGINs TERRIBLE TASK OF
DESTROYING VAMPIRES.
Then began my terrible task. and
I dreaded IL Had It been but one
It had been easy. comparative. But
three! To begin twice more after l
had been through a deed of horror:
for if it was terrible with the sweet
Miss Lucy, what would il not be
with these strange ones who had
survived through centuries. and who
had been strengthened by the pass
ing OF the years; who would. II they
could, have fought for their foul
lives
Oh, my friend John. but it was
butcher work: had ] not been nerved
by thoughts OF other dead. and Of
the living over whom hung such a
pail Of fear. l could not have gone
on. / trembIe and tremble even yet.
though till all was over. God be
thanked. my nerve did stand. Had /
not seen the rePose in the first place.
and the gladness that stole over it
Just ere the final dissolution came. -
realization that the soul had been
won. could not have gone further
with my butchery.
could not have endured the
horrid screechinG a. the stake drove
home: the plunging OF writing form.