Year: 1879

1uclc WCIc SlA VI US SCdtCu DCAOIc a. DldZ-
ing fire, which cast generous glare into
the otherwise unlighted room. Outside
winter storm beloved over the chin
neys, and beat seriously at the window
panes. Afar off we could hear the gust
roaring among the naked hills, now
plunging shrilly through the skeleton
branches of the trees, and again whirling
overhead with weird, shouting SOUND
that might we'll have proceeded from the
threats of evil things riding upon the
wind. The ghostly spirit of the storm
seemed to have penetrated even into our
comfortable circle, for we got, I know
not how, upon that most dismal of all
subjects-death.


We had canvassed the theme pretty
thoroughly before we discovered that two
of our number, the Professor and the doc
tor, had taken no part in the converse
zion. They we're sitting little removed
from the rest of us, gazing gloomily into
the fire. Their ordinarily cheerful ex-
preston of countenance had given place
to sober, troubled look, and more than
once we had detected the exchange of q
strangely significant glance between
them.


As may be readily supposed, we were
not slow to press them for an explanation
of their conduct. But for considera-
able time our efforts were fruitless. At
length, after much persuasion, it was the
Professor who spoke:


'Gentlemen," said he, gravely, ssno
man cares to gain for himself the repu-
tation Of a liar or maniac. Yet that is
exactly what you are pressing both of us
to do. Ihave no doubt that the expert
ence which I am about to relate, and
in which my friend the Doctor bore no
unimportant part, will appear absolutely
Incredible to persons of your advanced
views"


There was touch of sarcasm in the
worthy Professors tone, but IN our eager
ness to hear his story we found it con-
venient to disregard it.


snowever," he continued, II shall risk
it. If you choose to disbelieve 1t, why
| shall endeavor to have charity for your
Ignorance and conceit. Now, Doctor, if
you will hand me the tobacco and one of
the pipes-the ranker and blacker the
better-I will proceed"


Having filled his pipe, and settled him
self comfortably in his chair, he began
thus:


''1t must be fully ten years ago that
the Doctor and myself were engaged upon
a geological survey of the northern part
of this State. We had labored diligent-
ly during the summer and fall, when
tow ard the c.ose of cold November day
we shouldered our knapsacks and turned
our faces homeward.


sour way led through chain of black
and rugged hills toward frontier town,
twenty miles distant, where we intended
to take the railroad. A more forbidding
region it has never been my misfortune
to see. It was chaos, blackened and
wrapped by primeval fires, and destitute
of the smallest trace of vegetation. Tall
cliffs lowered thousand feet above our
heads, shutting out the light of the dull
November sky. Sluggish streams filtered
between crevices in the rocks, and poured
noiselessly into the deep and motionless
turns. It seemed that the blight of death
had fallen upon the whole country.


"Well knowing the peril of attempting
to proceed through such region after
nightfall, we halted at sunset, and, build
ing fire at the foot of crag, disposed
ourselves to rest as we'll we might. Ex-
hausted with the tolls of the day, the
Doctor was soon asleep, and I was not
long in following his example.


"How long had l slumbered knew
not, when I found myself sitting upright,
peering nervously in the darkness around
me. It seemed to me that some one had
uttered wild, appealing cry in the very
portals of my ears. For some moments
I sat so, wondering and anxious. Then
reflected that, as there could be no hu-
man being in the neighborhood besides
ourselves, the sound which had alarmed
me must have been the shrek of some
bird or animal. Explaining the matter
thus, | was on the point of lying down
again when I was arrested by repeti-
tion of the cry. This time there could
be no mistake. Wild, long, and, it ap.
peared to me, full of 1ntolerable anguish,
it re-echoed among the crags with fear
full shrillness. With an uncomfortable
start, I turned and shook the doctor to
awake him.


"'Be quiet he muttered, 4 am awake
and heard it ALL


"'What can it be?' I asked, anxiously
surely nothing human; no one lives IN this
region for miles around. Perhaps it is
wildcat


"'No,' he said, between his teeth, such
a sound never came from the throat of a
wild. cat. There it is again. Listenp
SpTho a
woman's voice, but it expressed such su.
preme misery as believe woman never
felt before. It came ringing up the
gorge with weird and mournful intona-
tion that chilled the blood in my heart.
By the doctors quick breathing could
tell that he was as much effected as my
self. Neither of us spoke nor moved
both waited for renewal Of the crv. in
the hope of arriving at some rational ex-
planation of it.


"Again it came; but now like a low
tremulous sob. / am nota superstitious
man, gentlemen, but I confess that I sat
there shivering with specions of horror
that was utterly new to me. What could
it be2 Not living woman surely, alone
and suffering in an inaccessible fastness
where we were morally certain nothing
human dwelt. And then what misery
was it that gave itself such uncanny ex-
preston! Not fear, not bodily, but some
ting terrible, something nameless to US.
While we were debating these question s
in smothered tones, the cry came once
again. This time in words we under
stood:


Help! O God! helpr


AT this ineligible appeal to our man
hood, our superstitious weakness at once
disappeared. Seizing torch from our
smoldering fire we made our way
hastily toward a pile of rocks a few