The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1826-10-25

sight, and slept as sound as innocence al
ways will, in peace, by its side. The
moon. rising during the night, shed its
rays through the windov of her room,
full upon the head of the skeleton, pre-
senting an object barely visible TO the
eye, and, for that reason, more horribly
awful than language could attempt to
describe; more especially as there
were no objects distinctly present to
the eye, which could dispel any dread
full illusion, which such spectacle, un-
der such circumstances, could give rise
10. Upon this scene, arranged by an
unfortunate occurrence of events, as if
laid out by the han &of demon, beamed
the bright eye of Mary M'Clood, as sh.
""oke from dr~um-fell ike the
sparkling eye of an angel lowering oprf
chaos. The shock was too exouisitcly
horrible to be endured her fine spirils
could not Withstand the blow; and bu' a
few minutes suficed to convert the
soaring spirit of her, whose wit had
lately absshed even The most presuml-
tuouS, into that wild horror stricken e.
sence, which directed the wild motions
OF beauteous, unfortunate maniac.
Listen" said the wife of the WOE
Thy host, 10 physician of long practice
in the most benevolent Of the sciences
B." listen TO that curious, ioug continued
laugh IT is surely the laugh of your
iavorite, Mary M'Cleod!n In a few
minutes all the inmates of the house
were assembled at the door of the room,
which contained the beauteous form
from whence this wild laughing eman-
ated. 1t paused for few moments, and
again proceeded-again it ceased, and
all became silent as the grave. Again
the laugh went on-no entreaties could
stop rt-a.l questions passed away IN
needed. DIT sounds" said one of the
servants, (" as if it was approaching the
window" This suggestion reused the
weeping energy of the worthy doctor;
he hastily burst open the door, and
rushed into the room; but bis benevo-
fence came too late, for the unfortunate
object of the story had precipitated
herself to the.ground, and was borne
back by her agonized companions more
dead than aIive.-The doctor soon fore
saw that the injury she had received
would render all care useiess-death
had marked her for his own The in
cessaut care, however, which was be-
slowed upon her, brought her from a
state of torpor TO some little feeling.
Her half dead attendants had We, a
hope for the best, bot death came on a.
pace; no balm could cure au injured
frame, whose angelic spirit was, if pos
sibIe, still more drcadfully wounded.
Her days of suffering were therefore
lew; and on the morning, in which she
fled into the fields where folly never
riots, the bright spark Of reason return
ed TO her once again--aEl powers Of
| mind came back with renewed strength
and calling around her the weeping
group, with whom she had parted but a
few evenings before, she begged of
them to forget her fate as completely as
she iorgave those who were the unin-
tentionai cause Of her death. "Do not
imagine" said the retiring angel; =" do
not for one moment believe that | am
sorry that the period shall come when
shall ire set free from a pilgrimage,
which might, perhaps, have ended still
more unfortunately, and might not have
afforded SO useful an example Of the
dangers Of working upon the fears cf
any one; hor should have been so
tried had not my vanity laid clam TO
what no one ever possessed--a total abb
sence of all fear. la all future periods,
amid the gay scenes Of life, when an-
ger shall prompt you, may you recol~
lect TO forgive others, as Mary L'Cieod
forgave you; and, if ever NY spirit
shall be deputed again TO visit the earth,
| shall, perhaps, be that very attendant
spirit, who, at that very moment, will
bring back to your recollection the fate
Of Mary Mcleod.