South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-03-25
THE VOICE THAT CAME OUT OF
THE NIGHT
be almost as /;

THE NIGHT.
For the first few seconds following
my sudden awakening I was sure
that nightmare must have me in its
grip. The ghostly face i'm the moon
light topping the huddled figure
which had materialized within a few
feet OF me while / slept on the broad
rock by the reservoir shore was far
more like the Pigment of a diseased
Imagination than reality
1T must be dream a dream" I
remember saying the words over TO
myself in a whispered chant. as If
they had some power 10 Danish the
sight. watch grew steadily more
frishtful the longer I looked at il.
For with a closer scrurin 1 saw
blood running over the ghostly face,
hideously streaking its deathly
whiteness with carmine. and knew
by the contorted limbs that the man
had been dealt a terrible injury.
saw something else also. the un-
mistakable uniform Of the state
troopers which the unconscious BODY
wore. The sight recalling as ii did
the man who, according to Mr.. Cos
grove. had trailed us down the road.
cleared the cobwebs from my brain
and made me realize that il was not
nightmare. but horrible reality that
faced me in the moonlight.
Where were the others of our
fishing party? could hear no
sound Of voices or of laughter such
as I had heard before went to
sleep Was ] alone i'm this disoate
place? Did aid for this desperately
wounded man depend wholly upon
me? I drew myself TO a sitting po-
sition. and was almost petrifed with
horror to hear a low sibilant voice
with a suspicion of foreign accent IN
il. utter a brusdue command.
Lie down again. quick. If you
don't want a bullet in you. I've got
you covered"
obeyed instantly. There was
something in that menacing voice
which would have commanded obed-
fence. believe from far drawer
folk than I. There was silence for
a second or two. while I heard the
rustic Of grass. and then the voice
spoke again. mercifully farther away
this time.
\ menaCing command.
What YOU doing here? AHA, I
know That fool fishing party.
Lucky for the rest they're a 5000
half-mile away. Now listen You
lie there and shut your eyes and
count up 10 5.0OO-slOw. the way
your heart beats. There's more than
one Of US around here. and wen
know whether you move or not. and
| II you move or speak before that
time. the devil help YOU. When
| you've finished you can do what you
please for that carrion yonder but
Il won't help any. Now, remember
We've got you covered
The voice ceased. and again the
rustic Of grass came 20 my ears as
though some one were creeping
through it. Even in my terror. how
ever, 1 gave a mental tribute TO the
! person thus moving. for the rustlins
was the slightest of sounds. and If 7
had not been listening for II l would
have attributed it 10 the breeze.
For a minute or two. terrOrizec
! b. the suggestion OF the menacing
voice. I did exactly as he bade me I
| lay still with eyes closed. mentally
counting as II my very life depended
upon IL. Then gradually a glimmer
Of common sense Illuminated my be
fogged and benumbed brain. and I
stopped counting and began 20 req
son out this bewildering thing which
had happened 10 me.
Had the trooper traced our inno-
cent fishing party. or had he been
on the track OF the stealthy prowler