The Stories

[COPYRIGHT, 1889.1 C'oiíinued írom last week. "It was at this timo that tho strangest evonts of my life occurred. Sitting in an upper room, gazing out of tho window over the fields through whioh I had walked so happily but two daya bef oro to meet the lady whom I had begun to think of as my Marie, I feit the head of a dog laid gently in my lap. Without turning my head I oaressed tho animal and stroked the long hair on his neck. "My hound Ajax was a doar companion to me in this old oastle, although I nevor took him in my walks, as ho wa3 apt to get into misohief, and when I turned my head to look at him he was gone, but strange to say tho hand which had been stroking the dog feit as if it were still resting on his neck. "Quickly drawing my hand toward me it struck tho head of tho dog, and, moving it backward and forward, I feit tho ears and noso of tho animal, and then beoame conscious that its head was still resting upon my knee. "I started back. Had I been strioken with blindness? But no; turning my head, I could plainly see every thing in tho room. The scone from the window was as distinct as it ever had boen. I sprang to my feet, and, as I stood wondering what this strango thing could mean, the dog brushed up against me and licked my band. Then the idea Buddenly flashod into my mind that by some occult influence Ajax had been rendered invisible. "I dashed down-stairs, and. although I could noither see nor hear it, ' !elt that the dog was following me. Rushing into the open air, I saw one of my men. 'Whero is Ajax?' I cried. 'A TOry Strange thing has happened, sir, he said, 'and I should have como to teil you of it, had I not boen unwilling to disturb your studies. About two hours ago Ajax was lying here in the court-yard; suddonly he sprang to his feot with a savage growl. His hair stood straight upon his back, his tail was stiff, and his lips wore drawn back, showing his great teeth. I turned to soe what had enraged him, but there was absolutely nothing, sir, nothing in the world. And never did I see Ajax so angry. But this lasted only for an instant. Ajax suddenly backed, his tail dropped between his legs, his head hung down, and with a dreadful howl he turned, and leaping the wall of tho court-yard, he disappeared. I have since been watcMng for his return. The gate is opon, and as eoon as he enters I shall chain him, for I fear the dog is mad. "I did not dare to utter the thoughts that were in my mind, but bidding the man ínform me when Ajax should return I re-entered the oastle and sat down in the great hall. "The dog was beside me; his head again lay upon tny knees. With a feeling of awet yet strangely enough without foar, I carefully passed my hand over the animal's boad. I feit his ears, his nose, his jaws and his neck. It wa3 not the head, the ears, tbc nose, the aws nor tho neck of Ajax!" "I had heard of animáis and even human beings wore totally invisible, but who still retained their form, their palpability and all the powers and functions of Ufe. I had heard of houses Jiauntedby invisible animáis; I hadread the story of the maiden whose comings her lover perceived by the parting of the tall grain in the field "óf ripe wheat through which she passed, but whpse form, although it might be folded in his arms, was yet as invisible to his sight as the summer air. I did not doubt for a moment that the animal that had come to me was one of thoso strange beings. I lifted his head; it was heavy. I took hold of a paw which he readily gave me; he had every attribute of a real dog, except that he could not be seen." "I cali that perfectly horrible," said Aunt Martha, with a sort of a gasp. "Perhaps," said the young man, "you would prefer that I should not continue." At this both my wife and Aunt Martha declared that he must go on and even I did not objeot to hearing the rest of the story. "Well," said the young man, "Ajax never came back. It is generally belioved that dogs can see things which are invisible to us, and I am afraid that my faithful hound was f rightenod, porhapstodeath, when he found hatthe animal whose entrance into the courtyard he had peroeived was a supernatural and uncanny thing. "But if I needed a canino companion [ had one, for by day or night this invisible dog never lef t me. When I slopt ie lay on the floor by the side of my sed; if I put down my hand I could always feel his head, and of ten he would. stand up and press his noso agalnst mo, is if to assure me that he waB taere. This strange companionship continued, ïor several days, and I became really attached to the invisible animal. His constant companionship seemed to indioate that he had como to guard me, and that ho was determinod to do it .horoughly. I feit so much confidenco n his protection, although I knew not ïow it could bo exorted, that one mornng I decided to tako a walk, and with my hand on the hoad of the dog, to make sure that he was with me, I Btrolled into the open country. "I had walked about a mile and was approaching a group of large trees, when uddenly from behind one of them the ;all figure of a man appeared. In an initant I knew it to be Colonel Kaldhei; lis was a face which could not easily pe orgotten. Without a word he raised a pistol which he held in his hand and iredatme. The ball whistled övermy ïead. "Istopped short, etartled, and frightned almost out of my senses. I was marmed and thero was no place of efuge to which I could fly. It was )lain that the man was determined to cill me. "Quickly recocking his pistol, Kaldïein raised it again. I involuntarily; hrank bapk, éxpepUng death.Jbtjj he-% ■ " "■- i ■■■■ HM ■ I' II . HM fore he could lire nis arm suaaenlj droppcd and the pistol was discharged into the ground. Then began a strange scene. The man shouted, kioked and beat up and down with his arms, his pistol fell from his hand. he sprang from side to sido, he turned aróund, he struggled and yelled. "I stood astounded. For an instant I supposed the man had been bvertaken by some sort f fit; but in a flash the truth carne to me, Kaldhein was being attacked by my protector, the invisible dog. "Horrifledby this cpnviction, my flrst impulso was to savo the man, and, without knowing what I was gojng to do, I stcpped quickly toward him, but, stumbling over something I did not see, I fell sprawling. Before I could regain my feet I saw Kaldnein fall backward to the ground, whore a soene took place so terrible that I shall not attempt to describe it. When, with trembling steps, 1 approached, tho man was dead. The invisible do'g had almost torn him to pieöes. "I could do nothing. I did not remain upon the spot another minute, but hurried home to the castle. As I rapidly walked on I feit the dog beside me, and, putting my hand upon him, I felt that he was panting terribly, and for three days I did not leave the house. "About the end of this time I was sitting in an upper room of the castle, reflecting upon the recent dreadful event, when the thought struckme that the invisible dog, who was by my side, apparently asleep, was of an unusually powerf ui build to overeóme so easily such a strong man as Kaldhein. I feit a desire to know how large the creature really was, and, as I had never touched any portion of his body back of his shoulders, I now passed my hand along his back. I was amazed at his length, and when I had moved my hand at least seven feet from his head it still rested upon his body; then tho form of that body began to change in a manner which terrifled me; but, impelled by a horrible but irresistible curiosity, my hand moved on. "But I no longer touched the body of a dog; the form beneath my hand was cylindrical, apparently about a foot in diameter. As my hand moved on the diameter diminished, and the skin of the creature became cold and clammy. I was feeling tho body of a snake! "I now had reached the open door of the room. Tho body of the snake extended through it. It went on to the top of the stairs; these I began to descend, my heart beating fast with terror, my face blanched, I am sure, but my hand still moving along tho body of the awful creature. I had studied zoology, giviDg a good deal of attention to reptiles, and I knew that, judged by the ordinary ratio of diminution of the bodies of serpents, this one must extend a long distance down the atairs. "But I had not descended moro thana dozen steps before I feit a shiver beneath my hand, and then a jerk, and tho next moment it was violently drawn upward. I withdrew my hand, and Btarted to one eide, and then, how, I know not, I became aware tht the dog part of the creature was coming downstaips. "I now became possessed of a wild terror. The creature must be furioua that I had discovered his real form. He had always been careful to keep his hüad towaril me. I should be torn to pieces as Kaldhein had beenl Down th,e Btairs I dashed, across the courtyard, and toward a lofty old tower whiob Btood in one corner of the castle. tfp the winding stairs of this I ran with a, speed which belongs only to a franti'cally torrifled creature, until I reached the fourth story, wliere I dashed througb. an opea doorway, slammed behind me an iron door, whioh shut with a spring,: and feil gasping upon the floor. "In less than a minuto I was awarer ty a slight rattling of the great hingesJ that something was pushing against the] door, but I did not move. I knew that E was safe. The room in which I lay w a prison dungeon, and in it, in the oldett times, it is sald men had been left to porish. Escape or communication with tho outer world was impossible. A lit1J.0 light and air camo thxough the narrow Blit near tho top of the wall, and to foroe the door would bo imposaible. "I knew that the invisible dog, or; whatever it was, could not get in unlss the door was opened. I had frequently noticod that when he entered a room it was tbrough an open door, amd I sometimos knew of his a-pproaoh by seeing an unlatched door open without visiblei cause, so f eoling seonre f or the present I lay and gasped and panted. "After the lapse of a few hours how-' eyer, I was soigod by a new terror. How was I ever to get out of this harribift dungeon? Even if I mado up my'njind to face the dog, trusttng that ho had reoovered from his ïnomentary aager, I had po moans of opening the door, and B3 to making any ono' 'hear me ,1 knew that was impossiWe. "Ihad no hopo that'tny sesrvan.va'would. seek ino hore. I had hot seen qpiy oné when I ran into the tower, and if the should discover that I was horo in thia dungeon howoould thoy open the door? The koy was in my fathor's posstiseion. He had taken it to Vienna to exhihit it as a curipsity to som of hia mech;inical friends. Ho belioved that there w:l no such anoïhor key in 'jho_wo d wJ ■ - - ■ - r'f'Ti" m tne naDii 01 maling iong absence from the castle, and if I gjiould be loofced for I believe that tho tówer wouid bo the last placo visited. "Night came on; the little llght in the room vanished and, hungry, thirsty and almost hopeless, 1 feil asleep. "During the night there was a most dreadful storm. The thunder roard, the lightning ñashed through the. slit in the wall, and the wind blew with such terriflc violence that the tower shook and trembled. Aíter a time I heard a tremendous crash as of falljng walls, &n then another, and now I feit thè Wln blowing into my pFison. "There was no further sep foi me, Trembling with a fearful apprèheósiori of what might happen nert, I CQwejed against the wall until the day broke, then I perceived that lp fron.t ol me. Wa4 a great hole in the wall of tfce dungeon, which extended for more tljan á Vin above the floor. I sat and lookea a this antirthe Hghtbdame stfoftufeT1, hOt, then I cftutiöusly apèfotóhed apertvire.añd loóljèd. .out. Sm'UT whole of the ftastle iay in tuina tefofi me! "It wa ejisy to see what had happeaecL The storm had domoljshed ths 'crumbllni tyalls of the old biiiïding, and the Ut()ï, (tpelf frail and totíeriiig, sppd alone] nigh abpve the prostrate ruina. the wiuds should again ariso it must fau, and at any moment its shaken foui dations might give away beneath it. "Through thè hole ia the 'wall, whioh kad been caused by thé teafiflg awayof some of the connection bet-freen the tower and main building, I could look down on the ground below, covered with masses of jagged stone, but there was ao way in which I oould get down. could not descend that perpendicular wall. If I leapeá out death would ba oertain. "As I crouched at the opening I feit the head of a dog pushed against me, Á spasm of terror ran through me, but the moment the creature bögan to liok my hands I knew that IÊad nothing to feaïl from him. Instantly my courage returned. I feit that he was my proteot or. I patted his head, and' hé rene wed. hifLcaresses. Continueü in next Wiekt' Itsue.