The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-01-24

80 Ahi' Eih1S ltllh III AluSltIllluH
house, but larger and more powerful
He saw the rays DETECTED from tn,
creatures body, dancing in prlsmati,
= colors upon the edge of its leather,
hide He saw it dlmly, as one see.
The full moon in the arms of the new
And, garing into his eyes. were tho
two eyes, seemingly poised In the air
two pupils of the size of currants, and
animated by dlabolical intelligence
The sun dipped down, and in an in
stant the fog, only partly dispersed
closed in again And as Donald
watched, he saw the pupils slowly d.
late in the dim light until they be,
came as large as saucers. The stony
glare between the unwinklng lids
which fringed them like n shadow, the
monstrOus expansion OF the pupils
sent the blood through Donald's heart
in Icy jets.
Then, regaining courage, he dashed
his fist into the monsters face, and
the struggle began. He fe't the i'm
pact of his knuckles on flesh, and it
gave him new heart. At leas he was
fighting n thing of flesh and blood, and
not q demon.
Ida lay swooning across the at,
where the monster had dropped he. $
it turned to face It's new adversar
And in the rocking boat Donald fought
for his own life and that of the girl
| he loved.
For the first time he understood that
Masterman's story was not the dream
of n dlsordered brain, but the expert
ence of one who had striven TO warn
a skeptical world.
And afterward he understood why
the boat had spun so dlzzlly long after
the vortex created by the sinking of
the Beotia had subsided. Even then
the swarm of monsters must have dis
covered their prey.
Perhaps 1t was the plankton in the
wafer the jellylike infusion on which
they fed, that had brought them there:
perhaps the presence of drowning
men. Perhaps they had brought the
piankton with them, equipped for
some dreadful journey.
Donald tried to lock his arms about
the Shiny thing, but he could get no
firm grasp of it. And each touch of
the ilippers drew the blood to the sur
face of his skin By suction, bringing
out rows of reddening spots that
stung. He was fighting n devil fish
with the intelligence of man, armed /
with invisibillty, creating overwhelm-
ing horror by its presence alone.
He felt his strength failing him. He
was dragged toward the edge of the
rocking boat
He stumbled and fell. He felt him
self held fast; he felt his ribs were
compressed in stinglng wise.
But as he fell his hand grasped one
Of the oars. Donald snatched It up
and, with last effort of desperation,
freed himself for an instant. He
raised the oar. and sent the sharp
edge of the blade crashing forward,
He heard the sound as of a torn bal
Don. The squirming flippers uncoiled.
The boat tipped TO the edge and right
I'd itself. A splash followed. Donald
ank down upon the seat.
Then gradually n milky cloud began
o diffuse itself upon the face of the
waters, till it acquired the shape of !
lwarflike body, supine upon the e,
waves, with the short limbs, termlnat-
ng in the wehbed hands, budding at
btuse angles to the trunk.
Donald sprnng toward Ida, to shield :,
er from the sight of it. He knew :,
hat If she awoke and looked she =
'ould go mad. But she lay uncon-
cious across the seat and did not stir.
The boat stopped. There was a con- :,
used splashing in the water. The =
cad sea.beast was rent asunder under =,
onalds Mortified eyes; torn limb ~
ON limb by that abominable swarm.
mottled, pinkish ichor spread itself "
pOh bhN AdNI VI lilG SGu.
Donald plunged in his oars and be-
IN to pull with all his might, driving "
10 heavy boat through the water. The :,
ankton gave place to clean ocean 70 70
rain. The sen had set, and it was - -
owing dark; with the fall Of night a ~, y,
ntle wind came up that began to dis =,
pate the fog. =,
Through the drifting mist wralths :,
peared q juttlRg cape that reared Ss ..
'elf toward the spangled clouds. -, ~
)nald pulled for an hour. Then he y"
Il forward over his oars. He was
capable of another stroke, but he st 81
lieved that he had left the sea devils CIV
hind. -
He cast his eyes along the horizon.
lere was no sign of the F55. He
med toward Ida.
AS he bent over her her eyes opened. II
@ looked at him lntently and sighed.
e horrors OF that day seemed TEN.
'aiily to have benumbed her mind
robbed her Of memory. And Don
did what he. had never dared to do
ore.
10 raised her in his arms aud kissed
: l;o
l love you, dcaF," he said. "lf we The
ne uut or thls--ns we shall. i want fel