New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-09-15

Ded winch was ulrecJiV Opposite tHe aooI-
the candles closer, and prepared to occupy him.
self with the books whic., he rad brought with
him. After reading composealy for long time
the letters began to blur dreamiiy before his
eyes, and in q little while, notwithstanding his
efforts to keep up his attention, he was asleep.
Hc had slept (not soundly ut all fer the now
city of his situation was sufficient to prevent
that, for an hour or more, when he was thor
oughly aroused to consciousness by dull, in
terfupted noise, that would not have been audi
Bile to any but a somewhat excited sense, and
which seemed to proceed from the yaulted depths
below He sat up on the bed, and turned his
ear toward the door; he was not mistaken. To
assure himself that he was not dreaming, he
folded down leaf in the volume he had been
reading, to which he might refer the next day, |
us a token of his consciousness. He snuffed the |
candle-looked at his watcl--it was one o'clock |
-and then composed himself again to listen. |
The sound grew more and more distinct; 1t |
came nearer; it was like the step Of some one
ascending the stone stairs, to whose ankle
chain was fastened: for there was momentary
silence, and then clank-silence again, and
then clank-and 50 on, until the top Of the
stairway was gained that led to the corridor on
which his chamber opened. Slowly then, and
with a fearful distinetness, the chain seemed
dragged haltng along the passage; it drew
nearer nearer and then the mysterious foot
stopped at his door, as if arrested in its progress
by the unwonted streak of light that issued from
within
NV father confessed that at that moment he
falt an unaccountable perturbation which root
ell him to the bed and prevented him from leap
| ing up and meeting the visitant, who came in
such ga questionable shape" boldly face to
face AS it was, he sat rigidly upright, with
bis eyes strained rigidly upon the door, which
| the next instant he expected to see swung open
upon its creaking hinges to give admittance to
.i..l ynpyr
| hrief one; again the chain was dragged as be-
fore, on, on through the long corridor-step by
step to the next floor, and up, up, until it be-
| came too iHdistinct to be any longer caught.
| His breathing was growing freer, and he had
ceased to strain his ear to listen, when sudden
ly distant knocking as of the heavy blows of
mallet against the wall, rumbled down from
pne of the turrets, as it seemed to him, and his
attention was again en- the stretch.-knock,
knock, knock; thus it continued at measured
Intervals for q half hour or more, and then all
relapsed into silence.
He was beginning to console himself with the
Idea that all further disturbance, for that night
at least, was over, when the far off clanking
| Idrop-drop of the chain from step to step, as Of
the same mysterious beings descent; it ratified
along the passage over head, slid down the stair
way-dragged past his door, to his infinite relief
: WITHOUT pause, and down, down, receding far
ther and farther till it was lost in the distance
below.
It may be readily supposed that there was nj
more sleep for my father for that night II
vain he tried to account for what he had heard
$ and to reason on the absurdity Of any feeling
t beyond that of mere curiosity or surprise; il
g vain he called himself cnwardly fool for mo-
d getting up at orce and finging wide the dool
t that he might have the testimony of more THAI
: one sense Notwithstanding all his efforts o
Z, perfect self-masiery, n sentiment of awe crep
over him, which the dismal hooting Of an owl
a among the ivy outside the easement, did not il
the least help to dsspatc Old superstition
s legends, that had not crossed his mind fo
y years, came thronging upon him; and fright
full stories of just such haunted castles as tn
one he now occupied that had never beel
70 thought of since his childish years, started u
y before him with the amazing freshness of a tai
'e of yesterday. But he was nota man to let hi
y imagination run away with him and as the re
Y, mainder Of the night passed away without ia,
el ther molestation, he was quite raassured befol
fu the tall, unlatticed and shutterless window
&c his chamber let in the gray, dawning light
IN morning.
d. The young Baron aud his guest. who fon,
J. my father in the breakfast rooln awaiting the
Fn when they descended, were of course ell ankle
to know the result of his nights ezperienc
% But he was not disposed. yet, TO give the
al any satisfaction, further than to confess that
Y. had been awakened by a somewhat singul'
D1 noise which he could not account for. He, hoy
IN ever, declared it to be his intention to SO bat
the following night, and hear what more was
ht be heard.
ed Agreeably to the conditions entered into
D. repaired to the old pile the second night, b
rt friends accompanying him and institu'ing sim
en lar search as before. 1t was with rather le
r. of buoyancy and confidence than on the previo
ID, evening that he saw them depart, and felt hiI
r. self alone once more, with the anticipation of
unwelcome tread in reserve, that
z: $50 horribly did shake his disposition,
ed With thoughts beyond the reaches of his souln
Like the Danish Prince, he determined tn
ye should the ghostly foot present itself at his do
IL again, he would put on bold front and "f
le, low it,
The hours wore away much more weari
l than on the first night, for he found it impos
il Bile to engage his attention with his book;
eye would glance mechanically along every Ii
on the page, while his mind did not take IL
'pt single idea. Sleep had departed utterly fir
II; opium produces on some systems; so that gu
ne. before &c the witching time of night" he v
IN fatigued with his efforts at listening Atleng
at however, his ear caught something to fasten l
lrd on ; the same dim sound that had, on his Fl
md hearing it, so startled him, became audi
are again; the ascent of one stairway, as it were
ld- then of another, the drawing Of the chain ale
inc COITluOT--tue pdune uutsiuo Aio VIVA y
be he had determined to follow the strange visit
n.y. or at least endeavor to get such sight as wo
hat be satisfactory; but by this time relucta
its for which he never could to himsef-for it :
not fear-got the better of his reason, and I
will vented him from making any aggressive mt
MY ment.
ses, The delay was longer than it had been
old first time; the mysterious parsonage SCENE
ur- be reconnoitering; my fathers nervous in
one thence became uncomfortable; he sprang from
bed; a hand was evidently pressing cautio
on against the door, for there was slow crea
the another, and a louder-he advanced toward
the centre of the chamber; something glimln
lself across the darkness framed in by the half {
reed door, and again the demon chain went hal
ton along the passage, and up the next fight OF st
as before. Presently the knocking CONNER
arty far above him; it was continued longer thai
J. So the preceding night, and with interval
nuds silence, as though the person dealing the bl
aats were stopping to rest. Gradually they G
con- fainter, and ceased altogether, and then Il
amit was a precisely similar descent to that alre
been described, which my father, fooiishly and wes
rned enough, as he always afterwards thought
out not attempt to intercept
thav When he returned to his friends the J
he'd bea morning, his haggard looks, produced no dt
+hev as much by his loss of sleep as by the exc
stlc ment Of feeling he had undergone, gave rls
,ther no little inquiry and curious speculation, W
pass he still provokingly refused to satisfy.
the were sure lie hau seen y, -. - 49,, ~;
A-S - 10 ,,o,u ,unl bis harpaiu, and rallied