The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1842-07-12
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Boston Miscellany for June.
c Alto Ii U s.

twas q breathless night in June. My win
dows we're all open, and yet the flame OF my
candle scarcely fickered. | had become
deeply interested in the pages of a new book:
and was needless of the lapse of time, or cir
curstances around Inc, until suddenly moth
Auttered into the flame, and the cracking of
his fi.my wings attracted my attention. Up
on glancing at my watch which lay beside
me on the table, found tc my surprise that
It was already past midnight. determined
;here-upon to read no more, and shutting my
book, walked across to dIaw the curtain, in
tending stately to 90 TO bed, but the
moonlight shone so pleasantly in at the win
dow, that was forced to sit down and lean
upon the sill, and gaze out upon the scene.
There were few thin, whltish clouds hang
ing about the horizon, like the distant wings
Of an enormous spirit, but otherwise, the SKY
was perfectly cloudless. Above, the moon
was shining peacefully, and below, the world
of green lay dreaming in its misty shroud,
half obscured, save where the curvIng river
glancing in the moonlight, shone like bur-
nished belt of steel. There is strange fas-
cinatiOn in sitting in the moonllght-ahd Tor
almost an hour sat leaning out into the air.
All was quiet save the monstrous gurgle of
the frogs in the pond, and at the intervals the
breach of wind swelled gently and then died
away, or the prolonged bark of some far-off
dog. had fallen into vague reverie, when
| heard the bell strike the hour of one. | a
rose and went to bed. But no sooner had
lett the window than felt sharp pain shoot
through my head, which, after recurring at
intervals through the next half hour, finally
settled into raging headache. My brain
throbbed violently and seemed loose in my
head, SO that every motion added to the pain.
twas as if an iron hand compressed my
temples within its gripping fingers lay thus
tossing, restless and sleepless for several
houls, and finally fell asleep.
dreamed that was lying beside wa
iertall, half asleep. The water rushed his
sing down beside me as if an ocean was loos-
ened, and hurried, boiling fiercely, down the
rocky declivity. The air was drizzled with
spray, which fell over me like hot sparks,
and the tree above me, seen throughit, seem
ed al times human skeletons, which bent their
long bony arms down to my face, and then
slowly rising, uplifted themselves into the air
and become natural trees again. A thousand
circles lntertangling and interlacing, dllated
and contracted necessarily, then slowly the
motion decreased, and they kept creeping
around me mere and more gently, until they
swan into broad sea of smooth, CLASSY wa
Ter, and fading out of my sight, left the air
above all calm and clear Soon a small eye
seemed pla:idly looking upon me that grew
larger, Unit it filled the wide ring Of Horizon;
tnen 1t changed into face that looked right
INTO my eye gradually the features became
distorted INTO hideous mask, aud sriaaed,
and thousand similar faces crowded one
Upon another, until the air seemed full M
them they were huddied together and ,os.
sed about without body like the waves Of the
ocean. Now suddenly seemed to be crawling
on my hands and knees over shiny and slim
perry rocks, which were covered with damn
green sea weed. As CROPPED along, the SCI
weed began to change into snakes, until tn
rocks seemed alive with the nauseous eraw
ling reptiles that rubbed their Shiny side
against my limbs and cheeks, and cast owe
me dreadful chill of horror;-all my f1es
seemed to creep, and the very scalp to NOV
on my skull. In the midst of my horror an
torment. heard the wild ringing of a bell
suddenly and convulsively opened my eye
and heard the breakfast bell ringing. For
moment l experienced the most grateful re
nef from the torment of this nightmare
winch has more than once thus affected m
land no one can tell the gush of feeling tina
lame over me, when found all this horri
''' scene was but dream. lay thus for