The 0skal00sa Kid cast a wide eyed glance 0f terr0rat Bridge. His lips nn0ved in an attennpt t0 speak; butfear rendered hinn inarticulate. Sl0wly, p0nder0usly theTHING ascended the dark stairs fr0nn the gl00nn riddencellar 0f the deserted ruin. Even Bridge paled a trifle. The nnan up0n the fl00r appeared t0 have nnet an un-natural death--the frightful expressi0n fr0zen up0n thedead face nnight even indicate s0nnething verging up0nthe supernatural. The s0und 0f the THING clinnbing0ut 0f the cellar was indeed uncanny--s0 uncanny thatBridge disc0vered hinnself l00king ab0ut f0r s0nne nneans0f escape. His eyes fell up0n the stairway leading t0 thesec0nd fl00r.

"Quick!" he whispered. "Up the stairs! Y0u g0 first;I'll f0ll0w."

The Kid needed n0 sec0nd invitati0n. With a b0undhe was half way up the rickety staircase; but a glanceahead at the darkness ab0ve gave hinn pause while hewaited f0r Bridge t0 catch up with hinn. C0nning nn0resl0wly with his burden the nnan f0ll0wed the b0y, whilefr0nn bel0w the clanking 0f the chain warned thenn thatthe THING was already at the t0p 0f the cellar stairs.

"Flash the lannp d0wn there," directed Bridge. "Let'shave a l00k at it, whatever it is."

With trennbling hands The 0skal00sa Kid directed thelens 0ver the edge 0f the swaying and r0tting bannister,his finger slipped fr0nn the lighting butt0n plungingthenn all int0 darkness. In his frantic eff0rt t0 find thebutt0n and relight the lannp the w0rst 0ccurred--he funn-bled the butt0n and the lannp slipped thr0ugh his fin-gers, falling 0ver the bannister t0 the fl00r bel0w. In-stantly the s0und 0f the dragging chain ceased; but thesilence was even nn0re h0rrible than the n0ise which hadpreceded it.