Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-12-24
A SkETCH.-BY N. P. WILLIS


49,. he appeared in an extraordinary costume
at the beginning of our Freshman Term, ana
v,rote himself down as Washington Greyhng,
of - an unheard-of settlement somewhere
hevond the Mississippi His coat and other
GEAR MIGHT have been the work of Chckasaw
sss;Inr aided by the experimenting taste OF some
white huntsman, who remembered family the
o,,line of ha AilimentS he had not seen Tor hall
cen,urv: il was BODY of green cloth, eked out
with wamDun and Otter-Skin, ana would nave
been ridiculous if il had not encased one oil the
finest models of manly frame mat ever tTou
the earth With curling black hair, me
weather-brown' ID complexion, Spanish features
from his moher-a frequent phySiognomy In
the countries bordering on Spanish Amerlca,)
and the port and 1.-THE motion of lion, he was
n Fl rnre TO look upon in any disguise with warm
admiration. He was soon put INTO the nahus
of a tailor proper, and, with the facility whlch
belongs u his countrymen, became In mohlS
the b..st dressed man in college. His manners
were Of a gentleman-hke mildness energetic,
but courteous AMI chivalreSque, and, unlike
must savageS and all CONS, he polished without
"losing his markn AT the end OF his hrSt term,
he wonld have been called high bred gentle
man at any court in Europe.
The opening of his mind was almost as rafla
and eXtraordlnary He seized every thing with
an ardnr and freshness that habit and difhcuity
never deadened. He was like man who had
tumbled Into a new star, and was colecuhg
knowledge for n world to which he was 10 re-
turn. The first in all games. the widest III an
adventure the most distinguished even IN eie-
cant society for which the town is remarkable,
and unfaiIingly brilliant in his recitations and
coIIeoe perfOrmdnceS he was looked upon as
SORT Of ad mirable phenomenon, and neither en-
yjed nor opposed in any thing. nave oi'eh
thought in looking on him, that MS seusa'ons
at coming fresh ON wild, western prailr'
and nj the first measure Of his capacities with
g oYly finding llmSell so
uniformly SUPERIOR must have been strlkngly
delightful 1t is a wonder he never became ar
ropant. but it was the last iolble of which he
could have been accused.
We were reading hard for tile honors IN the
senior wear. when Greyling suddenly lost his
reason He had not been otherwise i'll, and had,
apparentv in the midst of high health gone
mad at IL moments warning. The physicians
scarce knew how to treat him. Inc CONNIE
ment to which he was at hrSt SUBJECTED, MOVIE
yer. was thought ineXpedent he seemed 10
Justify their lenity by the gentlest behaviour
when at liberty. He seemed oppressed by
heart breaking melancholy. We took our turns
in uuarding and Watching with him. and 1t was
unon nv first night Of duty that the incident
hammered which have here endeavored 10 IN
troduce
Il was scarce Ike vigil with six man, Tor
our patient went regularly TO bed, and usu-
alIv Sic It well / took my Lucretius" and the
"B ok nf MartyrSn which WAS just then my Ia
vnrit,. reading, aud with hot punch, cold cnlck-
en-. DO Ks. and fire looked forward 10 IL as
merely a ~tudio,IS night; and, as the wlntry wind
of January ratified in at the old college WIN
dows [ rust my feet into my slippers, drew my
dressing gown about me, and congratulated
myself on the excessive comfortableness OF my
nnsition. The Sybarites bed of roses would
have been no temptation.
II had showed all day, but the sun had set
with red riff in the clouds and the lace OF the
sky MAS swept IN an hour to the cearness oil
want a compa iSon-your own blue eye, dear
Mary. The al'-giorious arch OF heaven was
mass OF sparkling stars.
Greyling slept and |, wearied oil the cold PM
losophy of the Latin poet, took 10 my DOCK OF
Martyrs" read on, and read on Inc col
lrge clock struck, it seemed to me, the quarters,
rather than the hours Time flew: IL was three.
Horrible, most horriblen started from my
chair with the exclamation, and felt as II my
scalp were seEllil"d from my head. II was
deScrntion IN the narrowing tathinlneSs OF the
language of oien time, painting almost the ar
t.culate grolnS of an impaed Christian. clasp
cd the old IRON bound book, and rushed to the
window as if nv heart was sitting for fresh air.
AU,in AT the fire. The large walnut taggots
had hurnt 10 a bed Of bright Goals, and sat gaz-
inu into IT, totally unable to shake Oh the lear
hI ipcuhus from nv breast The martyr was
thereon the very hearth-wlth the stakes
scorn(ullv crossed in his body; aud as the large
GOALS cracked dStnuSf ara ItNtdlSu tiN VI
ness within, | seemed to follow the nerre-iend-
inc inStrumen, from hip to shoulder, and suffer
with him pang for pang, as if the burning red
ness were the pools of his fevered blood
HAha"
1t struck on my ear like the cry of an exuIt'
ing iend
Aha"
SHRINK into the chair as the awful cry was
repeated and looked slowly and with dlfhcult
courage over my shoulder. A single fierce eye
was fixed upon me from The mass OF oed-ciothes
and, for moment, the relief from the fear OF
some supernatural presence, was like water to
a parched tongue. | sank back relieved into
the char.
There was rustng Immediately in the he'd,
and, starting again, found the wild eyes OF my
patient fixed still steadfdstly upon me. He was
creeping stealthily out Of bed. His bare foot
touched the flpor, and his toes worked upon it,
as if he were feeling its strength and in a mo-
ment he stood upright on his feet and, with his
mad forward and his pale face livid with rage,
s,annsJ toward me- looked to the door, He
ohsperved the glance, and in the next instant he