The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1842-06-18
From the Boston Miscellany for June.
CATOC HUS

1t was breathless night in June. My win lows
were all open, and yet the flame of my candle
scarcely hickered. had become deeply interest
ed in the pages of a new book, and was needless
OF the lapse Of time, or the circumstances around
me, until suddenly moth lutered into the flame,
and the cracking of his flimy wings attracted my
attention. Upon gancing at my watch which lay
beside me on the table, found TO my surprise that
it was already past midnight. determined there
upon to read no more, and shutting my book, walk
ed across 10 draw the curtain, intending immediate
ly to go to bed, but the moonlight sbone so pleas
antly in at the window, that was forced to sit
down and lean upon the sill and gaze out upon the
hanging about The horizon, like the distant wings
Of an enormous spirit, but otherwise, the sky was
perfectly cloudiess. Above, tho moon shining
peacefully, and below, the world OF green lay
dreaming in its misty shroud, half obscured, save
where the curving river ganciug in the moonlight,
shono like FURNISHED belt of steel. There is a
strange fascination in sitting in the moonligh
for almost an hour sat leaning out into the air
All was qniet save the monstrous gurgle of the
frogs in the pond and at the intervals the rustIlng
of green leave as n tumutuous breath of wind
swelled gently and then died away, the prolon-
vague reverie, when l heard the bell strike the
hour of one. | arose and went 10 bed. But no
sooner had / left the window than felt sharp
pain shoot through my head, which, after recur-
ring at intervals through the next hall hour, final.
ly settled into raging headache. My brain throb
bed violently and seemed loose in my head so that
every motion added TO the pain. IL was if an
iron hand compressed my temples within its grip
inn FIN 1 Law sle
less FOR several hours, and finally fell asleep.
dreamed that was lying beside waterfall half
asleep. The water rushed kissing down beside me
if an ocean was loosened, and hurried, boiling
fercely, down the rocky declivity. The air was
drizzed with spray, which fell over like hot
sparks, and the treo above me, seen through it,
seemed at times human skeletons which bent their
long bony arms down to my lace, and then slowly
rising, uplifted themselves into the air and became
natural trees again A thousand circles iniertan-
CLING and interlacing, dilated and contracted inces
sanity, than slowly the motion decreased, and they
kept creeping around me more and more gently,
until they into broad sea Of smooth, CLASSY
water and fading out Of my sight Jeff the air above
all calm and clear Soon small eye seemed pla-
eddy looking upon mo that grew larger and larger,
until it filled the wide ring of the horizon then
changed INTO face that looked right into my eye:
gradually the features became distorted into hide
Gus mask and grinned and thousand similar faces
crowded ore upon another, until the air seemed
full Of them they were huddled together and tos-
sed about without body like tho waves ofthe ocean
Now l suddenly seemed to be crawling on my
hands aud knees Shiny and slippery rocks,
which were covered with damp green sea weed -
AS CROPPED along, the sea weed began to change
into snakes, until the rocks seemed alive with the
nauseous crawling reptiles that rubbed their Shiny
sides against nv limbs and cheeks, and cast over
me dreadful chill of horror ;-all my flesh seemed
TO creep, and The very scalp to move on my skull.
In the midst of my horror and torment. heard
the wild ringing Of bell suddenly and convul
sively opened my eyes and heard the breakfast bell
ringing For moment | experienced the most
grateful rel ,ef from the torment of this nightmare,
which has moro than once thus affected me-and
no one can tell the glad gush OF feeling that came
over me. when found all this horrible scene was
but dream lay thus for moment, thinking of
the change ,land resolved TO spring from the bed
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