IT.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7928, 17 December 1887, Page 5

IT.

[St. James's HnAgei\ As they were ray " friends," I don't oare to say h"W it camo about that I Lad this strange and, I believe, unique experience. They considered it a practical joke, though it nearly unhinged my season. Suffice it that last Wednesday, when I called on them at their new house, I was taken upstairs and shown info a Urge room -with a pictorial wall paper. There was a popgun on the table and a horse with three legs on the floor. In a moment it flashed through my mind that I must be in a nursery. I started back, and then, with a sinking at the heart, I heard the key turn in the lock. From a corner c.imfi a strange uncanny moan. Slowly I forced my head round and looked, and a lump rose in my throat as I realised I was alone with It. I cannot say how long T stood there motionless. As soon I came to myself I felt that my only chance was to keep quiet. I tried to think. The probability was that they were not far away, and if they heard nothing for a quarter of an hour 01 so, they mipht open the door and let me out. So I stood still, with my eyes riveted on the thing where It lay. It did not cry out again ; and I hoped against hope that it had not seen me. As I became accustomed to the room, I heard It breathing quite like a human beiog. This reassured me to some extent, for I saw that It must be asleep. The question was, might not the sleep be disturbed at any moment ? And in that case, what shculd Ido P I remembered the story of a man who met a wild beast in the jungle and subjugated it by the power of the human eye. I thought I would try that. All this time I kept glaring at Its lair (tor I could not distinguish Itself), and the two things mixed themselves up in my mind till I thought I was trying the experiment at that moment. Next it struck me that perhaps the whole thing was a mistake. The servant had merely shown me into the wrong room. Yes ; but why had the "door been locked ? After all, was I sure that it was locked ? I crept closer to the door, and with my eyes still fixed on the comer, put my hand geiitly— ob, so gently !— on the handlo. Softly I turned it round. I felt like a burglar. The door would .not open. Losing all self-control I shook it ; and then again came that unnatun.l cry. I stood as if turned to stcno, still clutching the door-handle, lest it should squeak if I let it go. Then I listened for the breathing. In a few moments I heard it. Before it had horrified me; now it was like sweet music, and I resumed breathing myself. I kept close to the wall, ready for anything ; and then I had a strange notion. As It waa asleep, why should I not creep forward and have a look at Itp I yielded to this impulse. Of course I had < f ten seen Them before, but ulwnys with somo responsible person present, but never such a young one. I thought It would be done up in clothea ; but, no, It lay loote and without much on. I saw Its hands and and arms, ami It had hair. It was sound asleep to all appearance; but there was a queer smile upon Its face that I did not like. It croßsed my mind that It might be only shamming ; so I looked away and then turned sharply round tncateh It. (The smile was still there ; but it moved one of Its bands in a suspicious way. The more I looked the more uncomfortable did that smilo make me. There whs something saturnine about it, and It kept it up for too long. I felt in my pocket hurriedly for my watch in case It should wake, but with my usual ill-luck I had left it at the watchmaker's. If It had boen older I would not have minded so much, for I would have kept on asking what Its name was. But this wns such a very young one that I waa lying too quietly. It is not Their nature to be qu>et for any length of time, and, for all I knew, this one might be ill. I believe I would have felt relieved if It had cried out again. After thinking it over for some time I touched It to si c if It would move. It drew up one leg and pushed out a hand. Then I bit my lips at my folly, for there was no saying what It might do next. I got behind the curtain and watched it through a ohink. Except that the smile became wickeder than ever, nothing happened. I wss wondering whether I should not risk pinching It to' make It scream and bring somebody, when I heard an awful sound, Though I am only twenty, I have had considerable experience of life, and I can safely say that I never heard such a devilish ohuckle. It had wakened up and was laughing. I gazed at It from behind the curtain ; Its eyes were wide open, and you could see quite well that It was reflecting what It ought to do next. As long ai I did not oome out I felt safe, for I could not see me. Something funny seemed to strike It, and It laughed heartily. After a time It tried to Bit up. Fortunately, Its head was so heavy that It always lost its balance just as It seemed on the point of succeeding. When It saw that It could not rise, It reflected again, and then all of a sudden It put Its fist into Its mouth. I gazed in horror. Soon only the wrist was to be seen, and I saw that It would choke in another minute. Just for a second I thought I would let It do aa It liked. Then I cried out " Don't do that," and ennio ont from behind the curtain. Slowly It removed Ita fiat, and there we were looking at each other. I retreated to the door ; but It followed me with It's ayes. It had not had time to scream yet, and I glared at It to imply that I would Btaud no not'S^nse. But, difficult as this may be to believe, It didn't scream when It had the chance. It chuckled instead, and made signs for me to come nearer. This waa even more alarming thnu my worst fears. I shook my head and them my fist at it ; but It only laughed the more. In tha end I got bo fearful that I went down on my hands and knees to get out of Its sight. Then It began to scream. However, I did not get up. When they opened tho door they say I was beneath the table ; and no wonder. But I certainly wsb astonished to discover that I had only been alone with It for seven minutes. "Bucuu-Paiba." — Quick, completecnre, all annoying Kidney, Bladder, and Urinary Diseases. At chemists and druggists, Kompthoino, l'rossor and Co,, agentH, Wellington. IK