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About The advocate. (Portland, Or.) 19??-19?? | View Entire Issue (June 29, 1929)
S ILLUSTSA TED FEATURE SECTION jim«* i». n» 2 t> THE CREEPING THING Cora Jeun Violen A Story of (ïr u e s o m e and H au ntin g M ystery T h e W eU-Kntturn S e r ia l W rite r WH*I M»» <•<»«■• MIUU ♦ h ad old D iaro n ’a version of* th e occurrence, she scoffed at ___________ I I m k U M p I t i t M * th e idea of s u p e r n a tu ra l M M»«** agencies.” !»<•••« * m 4 lit« | | a |I U M M r« « a li 4M «4 M « * * M * « lite "Oltl Meme knew too much lila *fw iM iif k it r e t a r m •• • ?••»« m tm m |l«a « » •**• * »• «Ml» about the really inexplicable .« ta* »••* •• » m * * > li*« h a p p e n in g s t h a t occur in t h e ' • ■ l i n • • • * ilk* •••»♦» 4»* i n-mpo«!« •( IM* ■* I* ••a*(klk| *»**r voodoo cerem onies of h e r na I k t a r a a M e* » «4 * M a tive H aitian ju n g le s ,” I threw ihMt M»iJ atM mi »v*rlk**4 mmé 1*1« «fetMM M*« M* e • k a * a t a I i a • w a * 4 a 4 4M* in, " to allow a m ere u n e x a a iU t • M *4f »1* plained m u rd e r aud th e dis » » « « M M ... I k * M * 4 ? M a* M * * a W l « • # II» » r • • • * • # 4 M a M* • • • ! » • * l h *» a p p e a r a n c e of th e body to g . l a lk * a a te g a « « » * •* » • • U sai iM c I 4 kM 4 l» ê k T k « » 4 frig h ten h e r .” f aia r»*4**lrk. • fl*»*« 4 M » « Ilf* U “ Y ea?” Hut for once her ia. a a a 4 ta 4M* »••* Mf M u f r U « 4 A l a lona • reasoning must have been at a « a «• * a a »4M IM* 4 a » fa u lt.” T h e re was sadness in C M A I'IK K II the conviction of Alec’s voice, IIK Kmintnes« sadncMs and a thin th r e a d of of Ale«’)« brow n face w ha t in an yone else I w ould t u r n e d anxiously ut>-! have called fear. w a rd to w a r d th e alow-. A P la n . Iv moving coach w indows of “ In spite of all any of us I h<- incom ing tra in , p re p a re d could do.” he continued, “ she im- for aomethiiiK more th an insisted th a t if we would let | Ins le tte r had told me. It did h er stay in th e room all night not nave me from th e ahock- alone, she could solve the ing im pact of th e newa hi* m ystery of old E zra's d •atii very find word* c a rrie d to a n d m a y b e — h e r m aybe was my consciousness. however. I alm ost sinister in its im p lica " I t 's got old Meme this t i o n as she said it— produce time. T o m .” he shot a t me in his body, or p art of it. T h e r e a h o arse w h is p e r without , is no doubt th a t Meme sus- o th e r g re e tin g or preface. pected so m eth in g th a t was "W hat do you m ean. i explicable, at A l e c ? ” I clu tch e d a f te r my to none of th e rest of us. vanishing com p o su re with “ Old Diaron seem ed al-! th e question. It w as not like most as fe a rfu l of h e r in th at ¡ Alec to be so ag ita te d . His mood as we were, w ho at 1 em otions had alw a y s been length consented for h e r to held as well u n d e r control rem ain for the night in that a s w ere my own. It gave me j uncanny octag o n a l room .” an u n ca nny sense of im m a Alec p aused am i d re w a long nent f e a r to see him a p p a r j b re ath . T h e eerie m ystery ently so upset. I. must be of-this thing h a d gotten Alec. th e effect of his physical . 1 could see it in th e a w e d and w eakness. | b a ffle d look of his. "W ell— ” I w a n te d to “ I/eaning fo r w a rd and b ra cin g m yself against th e bulk of th e m an in front of me, t I could tell by th e gra y p a l lor th a t u n d e rla y his o r d i n a r rouse him from the brief si g rip p e d th e heavy iron knob in both h an d s and gave a g re a t heaving tu rn w ithout w a rn ily h e r lt h y bronze color, th at lence th a t seem ed to grip ing. . . . ” he w as still fa r from well. him. He s ta rte d a n d looked T his tho u g h t b ro u g h t me up at me. T h e ghost of a smile some liniment for h e r rheu-®*0 th e murder, but he ap p ea red veryaW e ail listened In ten tly with u je r k , a n d my mind touched his lips. “ Yeah, it’s mutism, re tire d to th e Otta- mysteriously the day alter H." ; “ ““fi au to m a tic a lly d ro p p e d back got me. old mail. " Alec could omini morti shout ilusk -in d 1 Alec seemed to be waiting for some ! ÌJ2* 4 ,leavy body m ight make If gonal room a b o u t dusk -*n<t , onunenl ,rolll me but , made uon(. o y r tn uneven sur ace-a to norm alcy. I smiled. Hut alm ost a lw a y s re a d my , sound as if some huge u n g a in ly r e p - Alec did not re tu r n my smile. th o u g h ts like th a t. He said shut h erself in. She was firm SO Ite went on He was th e re w ith us th a t n ig h t <7 a " Un* ° vfr Ul* «*“ £ « 11 is eyes seem ed to grow he could see them in my eyes in h er stipulation t h a t no u n a n d Alene Ilard m o re. th e new worn- abo" l* a d ‘ P * d ue p re cau tio n s should be a n deteeU ve tlia t w anted to com e In 1 " 'L “ paral,ysi \ oi u 'rr; r u m o re anxious as he stare d though no one else h ad ever w ith us o n th a t last case S he cam e “ w r *•» tak en . W e felt it best to h u s t ra ig h .ly and seriously into been able to re ad any more Into tills on th e in v ita tio n of voting ta rin g a t each other. T h e n a s it m or her. so, with th e sole d if Selw seem ed th e ho rrib le T H IN G had my face. yn , G a r la n d 1 it seems. T h en th a n I wished them to re ad ference of o u r presence in th e th e re w as Ja k e ; you know J a k e is w ound its stow len g th across the W e ir d . there. w idth of th e room in w hich b ac k sitting room a t th e left th e m a rsh a l now and th e county T h ere was a s h o rt silence. we sat “ i t ’s passed the smiling I had le arn ed to control coroner. D octor V arant. th a t was all T h e n a duU th u d tlia t se n t a s t a r e . T o m ,” he said, and his my fe a tu re s in the best and below sta irs ami Diaron in his except m yself " o r th ro u g h th e whole house, a n d usual seat at th e e n tra n c e of We were a t th e gate of m y m o th trem voice was as g ra v e as his most d a n g e ro u s of schools— -silence s hom e now I w anted to liear the face. " I t ’s weird ami h o r th e school of crim e d etecting. the ‘n a r r o w h a ll,’ she was left e re r st of A lecs story. I knew m o th e r rible beyond th in k in g about, Hut, Alec J o n a s and I had to deal with th e occasion in would u n d e rsta n d U n l i k e m ost *In premonitory dread the listen mothers, m ine was not of th e ner- ers in that room rose as one man th e w ay this m ysterious been boys to g e th e r and, be her own m an n er. S he loved Alene Hardmore was the first among W h o besides yo u rse lf w «*! 1 1 ith creeps upon its victims sides th a t, in s e p a ra b le chum s ., .... • „„ bravery, a n d she was proud of my us to reach the outer hall, but G a r- record a s a detective and ta k e s them into oblivion. in p leasure an d in d a n g e r. I 111 the S i t t i n g room ? a lth o u g h she land Selwyn passed her there and in I w as a detective, a n d in knew dan g ero u s c h a ra c te r of my six bounds was up the stair and at Nnat rhea them out of life and So. he, p e rh u p s of all persons, m v - l i w i v o f r r i m e a n ,I r r i m i *'ork fuH W<‘U 1 lnv,u“d A,ec ln u * entrance to the narrow hall be- t h e n — conaumes them , leav A Strange Prescience “W D lsron. Wide-eyed and fear could sense c h a n g es th a t rn> to d y i t Cf inie a n d r r i m i ing no tra c e .” rials I knew th a t every d e ta il T h, of betw een “ « ■ *"" «¡¡f o th ers could not. a n d he felt , L ?*■ * whei! I picked up my parcels the know ledge t h a t was mine a n d every individual, how- mother and me was in n o wise in - ever rem otely con netted w ith p e e r e d with bem use of its brevity ^ o n iac ^ 01 ^ o c ,a 'fan * 1 t h a t I h a d set d o w n to g ra s p w ithout words. " l ™ h o n T w u k e ’:s h in d hU h an d ^ my fr ie n d ’s h an d , an d fell in He clea red his th ro a t and a crime, must be ac counted iVm ^ ftrd ‘' **“‘n P j to step beside him. We t u r n s h ru g g e d us if th ro w in g aside for. I knew th a t Alec J o n a s .in the solution of Uie m ystery of h r aa a a Keen L p p i i wittecl w i t t e H obse n l w , .r r v v .» E E P IN G _ more ° II OT-.W r S. nom- e r r iii' T H l * I^ vn 0 house and ^ a n d T H E Ul(. C R killd that shilsaer. i t was as if we eouw ed to w a r d the high b o a r d th e incubus o f p u zzled fear- u was a n d un u su ally well endow ed w ith m ad, everyth in g easy for those ab o u t ,n "',?0 n ' of ,iU w alk leuding into th e single th e in stin c ts of th e tru e d e te cto r of i heT g,, ^ w(Ls onlJ a nlatu?r oi a , ^ < ylv en n g th ro u g h the room _ I te pave,I Main s tre e t of Mel-, ..Ww„ tht. up>lhot of the crim e, but I saw th a t th e weird and „ . rv frw m l„ u te s before Alec a n d I ^ bulk. ,narlr1« " “M y. d re ad fu l- unusim l C lia m rtfr of t!»e crim e ho tn lih rarv in r.im - ly in such close proxim ity to us Vl *' . „ . 'w h o l e m a tte r w as th a t we all was like the vibrations of no earthly "N ow . tell me about it, th o u g h t m aybe, Meme, being imiid** ” Td,n" ril’r *,1» rP, > a n a ly tim i aanitw lches and m ir pipes a n d th e as- creatures, rather It was as if the very qu erie d , my o w n j m . c e j t r a v e a w am an HllU a hit— well, a m tna su ra n ce a t a n u n d istu rb ed h o u r of corridor reeled unde- the dragging A b rief tjumttontn« „ g la n c e shot | ^ thp , . lvs and „ case length of some super-hum an m on as th e mood d e m s n d e d sud bit u n ca n n y — might get to across ster. Alec a race He looked u p , ,..... .. my confidence in his jiidg-. I th e bottom of th e m ystery or a t m e w ith an odd little shadow in u p 41 In fo rm atio n "Behind us tn a line. Riling the his eyes passage to IU leig(Ui "We were all talking." Alec re narrow m ent d ecreed. Iat JeilHt get a line t h a t we iC ont tinned oi on page Garland sumed at leagth. “when suddenly It "Y ou know m ight c a tc h hold of a n d — “Oh, I forgot," he said "I hadn't seemed that some strange p rescience1 wa.nn ( Afraid of a n y th in g . | jle WJIM v rry fjrm -n (| ¡naist- told you about the coming of old of evil fell about us like a pall Each A r e Y o u L o o k in g Tom. M em ber how us kids e M a |)OUt i t . Old Diaron is Ezra’s nepliew. Garland. You knew, one looked at the others We all felt of course, of his younger brother U mu almost ss If we were u.Hod to try our H allow e eii HO (VMwpletHy a t her bidding who cited years ago- tho one who silent. waiting far som ethin« -we knew not B u s in e s s tric k s on her a n d haw ^ * i |Ufte r forty y e a rs of henpeck- married the H aitian woman and what. lived with her In the hinterland of “Then, faintly at first, we sensed only the the H aitian Jiuigles Well. G arland same thing unusual about the <)ualtly O p p o rtiin itv ? ,, e ’ no . < f ^°iT[ in*. th a t he m ade — '*• **— w eirdly successful they m tght poorest of A„ imi in th e gen Is th e son of that marriage and -the of that silence. It seemed to develop heir to old Esra's wealth I a new elem ent Som ething was mov At1 r lk s? w her. He turned up guite suddenly the ing above our heads furtively. I fo Well she was ju st the, o ral a _ tte m p t ^ to „ d issnade , C LA SSIFIED ADS day after »he murder; na one seem s ! bent forward The faces el my eom- A t t e m p t e d S o lu tio n . s a m e w ith this T hing o n P a g e 7 in th is I s s u e ! te know just why or how It Is oer- pam om seemed tense and breathless ’Anyhow, Meme. with ta in he was not tn th e vicinity prior In the stillness so liarribly disturbed 1 “S p ite of th e fa c t th a t she «■r4M«4 i- Mi ii m 4 « v ,£SvhSLSia 3 hi V" » Hv TV ^ ssris ^ ?*•* Mt'tt 1