The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1843-01-12

ieli sharp pain shoot through my iieal
which, after recurring at intervalsthroug
the next half hour. finally sefted 10 ra.
ing headache. My brain ,hrobbed vioen
ly and seemed 7bOsed in my head, so thu
! every motion added 10 the pain. II was q
IT an iron hand compressed my temples with
in It's gripping fingers. | lay thus tossing
restless aud seepless for several hours, an
finally fell asleep.
| dreamed that was lying beside wa
teriall, half asleep. The water rushe,
Kissing down beside me as if an ocean wer
loosened, and hurried, boiling iercely, dow
rocky decliyty. The air was drizzlet
With spray, which fell over me like no
sparks, and the trees above ne, seen through
II seemed al times human skeletons, whlct
bent their long bony arms down to nv face
aud then siowly rising, uplliied ihemselve.
into the air aud became natural trees again
A thousand circles lntertangling and inter.
laclng, dlated and contracted necessarily
then slowly the motion decreased, and thew
kept creeping around more and more gent.
~ until they swan into broad sea Of
smooth, CLASSY water, aud fading out Of ny
sight, left the air above me all calm aud
clear. Soon a small eye seemed pacidly
looking at me that grew larger and larger,
until II filed the wide ring of the horizon i;
I then il changed into a face that looked close
IN my eyes: gradually the features became
distorted into hIdeous mask, and then q
thousand similar faces crowded on. upon
another, until the air seemed full Of them
they were budded together and tossed about
without body like the waves Of the ocean.
Now ! suddenly seemed 10 be crawling on
my hands and knees over Shiny aud sin
perry rocks, which were covered with damp
green sea.weed. As CROPPED along, the
sea weed began 10 change INFO snakes, until
the rocks seemed alive with the nauseous
crawling reptiles that rubbed their slimy
sides against my limbs and cheeks, and cas-,
over me dreadful chill OF horror; aud all
my flesh seemed TO creep, and the very
scalp to move on my skull. 10 the midst
Of my horror and torment, heard The wild
ringing Of bell. | suddenly and conyu
slvely opened my eyes aud heard the break
as, bell ringing. For a moment | expert
enced the most grateful relief from the tor
meni OF this nightmare, which he'd more
than once thus affected ae-and 20 one can
tell the glad gush of feeling which came
over me, when found ell this horrible
scene was but dream lay thus for
moment, thinking Of the change, and then
resolved 10 spring from the bed and dress
myself Immediately; bu, hat was nv sur
PRISE aud horror, when | found could not
move. My body aud limbs seemed ripid
as marble and OF an intolerable weight. |
could neither turn my head, nor stir hand
nor foot. My eyeballs we're fixed on spot
upon the white wall above my head, and
could neither turn them nor draw down the
lids. In vain s,rove to move-I was per.
iectiy stiff and torpid, and without the pow
er Of motion. There seemed to be some
appalling disconnection between the will
and the muscular system-betweon the +
mind and the body, as if my living soul vas
,haned MeZenius like 10 a dead body
There was no paln-only fearful sensa
ion, as if The whole air had concealed INTO
hfm, transparent amber, which held me
strictly imprisoned.
Suddenly, like the swift track of a fall
ng star, the thought shot across nv mind
hat | was dead. Yes, that could be the
1nly solution ofths dreadful enigma was
sure that ! was dead, but O God was this
death Had we always been mistaken, and
lid the SOU! remain thus to haunt the BODY.
without The ability TO cast it off, Was
ieath only a suspension of power over this
lbrous mass, and these finely organized sen
'es, and nicely adjusted muscles. Only the
breaking Of a link in the subtle chain that
connected all the faculties and powers with
heir instruments! Perhaps the soul was
never freed until the body ro,ied of, li,ile
1y little, INTO a mass of corruption, and ex
1aed or fallen TO dry dust; and was des 1
lned 10 lnhabll thus living house, and feel
! slough away from me and perish, ere 4
could emerge into the light and beauty Of q I
rene we'd life. This never dreamed Of, /
and all the joy and luxury Of existence, all
he sense Of light and sunshine and fresh
air, all the thousand delights With which
Iod had ssrewn tins pictured world, were
not worth such price. Upon these ipa
The worm should feed, and could no, drive 4
him away; these eyes, through which the
soul had looked upon mid, glorious world,
as through clear glasses, would change IN.
III they we're loa.hsome and corruptpd - &,
Dh God the agony Of such a thought /
Nothing had ever imagined equaued il
n terror Add when recalled the dead
aces Of those | had loved and buried, and
remembered the benign and placid smile
7hIch sbone upon-thcm, like the las, foot
PRINTS OF the freed and rejoicing spirit as ii {
led heayenward, and which seemed to be Z
oxen the recognition by The soul Of a di. ,
1ner sense, as II was leaving its clay ,ene. I
neni-and thought that perchance, even
t the very moment while | was bending {
yer them to take last farewell look. with
ms feeling IN my heart, they were endur
mn thu CatY,o Earaa I,,~..t.... I