The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1922-01-13

slipped upon the tin fastening, and
the old man sprang up in the bed
crying out,
who's there?"
, / kept still and said nothing. Foi
a whole hour | did not move a mus
Gle, and in the meantime | did not
hear him lie down. He was still sit
ting up in the bed, listening; just as
/ have done night after night heark-
ening to the death watches in the
wall.
Presently l heard a slight groan,
and l knew it was the groan o
mortal terror. 1t was not the groan
of pain or of grief-oh. no! it was
the low stifed sound that arises
from the bottom of the soul when
overcharged with awe. / knew the
sound we'll. Many a night, just at
midnight, when all the world slept
it has welled up from my bosom,
deepening, with it's dreadful echo,
the terrors that distracted me. l say
| knew it well. | knew what the
old man felt, and pitied him al
though | chuckled at heart. / knew
that he had been lying awake ever
since the first slight noise when he
had turned in the bed. His fears
had ben ever since growing upon
him. He had been trying to fancy
them causeless, but could not. He
had been saying to himself, 1T is
nothing but the wind in the chin
ney, it is only a mouse crossing
the floor,' or "It is merely a cricket
which has made a single chirp.
Yes, he had been trying to comfort
himself with these supposistions; but
he had found all in vain. All in
vain, because Death in approaching
him had stalked with his black shad-
ow before him and enveloped the
victim. And it was the mournful in
fluence of the unperceived shadow
that caused him to feel, although he
neither saw nor heard, to feel the
presence of my head within the
room.
When l had waited long time
very patiently without hearing him
lie down, resolved to open little
"a very, very little-crevice in the T;
lantern. So l opened it-you can
not imagine how stealthily, stealth
ily-until at length single m
ray like the thread of the spider
shot out from the crevice and fell
upon the vulture eye
1t was open, wide open. and
grew furious as l gazed upon it. I
saw it with perfect distinctness- all
a dull blue with hideous veil ov-
er it that chilled the very marrow III
my bones, but l could see nothing
else of the old mans face or person,
for / had directed the ray as if by
instinct precisely upon the damned
spot
And now have l not told you that
what you mistake for madness is
but over-acuteness of the senses?
Now, / say there came to my ears
ow, dull. quick sound, such as
watch makes when enveloped in COT i
in. | knew that sound well, too. {
It was the beating of the old mans :,
ieart. 1t increased my fury, as the I
,eating of drum stimulates the l
soldier into courage. '
But even yet l refrained and kept I
till / scarcely breathed. held Z
he lantern motionless. l tried how =
teadily | could maintain the ray t
Ipon the eye. Meantime the hellisn r
atoo of the heart increased. It a
rev quicker and quicker, and loud i
r and louder, every instant. The n
Id mans terror must have been ex-
remel 1t grew louder say, loud
r every momentl--do you mark -
lie we'll? l have told you that ! "
m nervous: so l am And now at s.
he dead hour of the night. amid d
ne dreadful silence of that old :,