Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1856-03-15
gsclctt Gale.
From HaiFcr's Magazine.
TIE TERRIBLE TREE.
CeRsiug to sigh 4!

WAS studying, smoking, md generally ru-
lning my constitution ia IN" hltlc college
town OF N, one fierce winter, when u srt-
HE'D apathy took possession Of ne. lost my
interest in everything. Frequently. To rouse
ny dormant energies, | walked down 10 the
beach, aud plunged IL the icy surge. Bat ii
availed nothing. Books, cigars. all were in
enectuul. Life looked drcary waste The
cold, ohjoctless feds, covered with snow.
seemed TO ne 10 image forth the future
Like most very young men, had exhausted
sensation. As | sat by my little table one
evening in January, ran over in ny mind
the possible stimulants ! could use 10 H.. h
my dormant sensibilities into life. could
not take TO drinking. becuasc, like Dick
Swiveiler, ] had taken to that before.
could not take opium; that made me deadly
sick. and. subsequently,, sleepy. Was there
any mental stimulant, such as love, hate, re-
morse. that / had not tried ? No. ] hated
every body. had been in love with all the
college widows aud several beside. "Man
pleasured me not; no, nor woman either
Remorse ! had disoheyed my father, and
grlevcd my mother. j felt. suppose, suita-
bic remorSe for these things. but they were
peccadillos, and did not answer.
Remcrse the word pleased me. Should
stick knife into the lat sides of my landa.
dy? Would her innocent blood CRYING to
Heaven, and ler last gasp, calling me "mur-
derer!" make my pulse beat quicker? No (;
she would have had no innocent blood to cry
with. She could not have cried murderer !"
audlbly, on account of the asthma, and | think
she wOuli have welcomed death o an agrea.
bleeXchange from life spent in taking board
ers. Where was the victim whom could
offer up 10 my dyiny sensations What lphi-
genIa knelt before 4he dull gleam Of my Ian
guid knife? Where Tap, tap. tap! as if a
gh0stly hnger touched my winduw-pane.
l started yes, / actually started. The
ocean in January had greeted my numbed
frame az II 1t had been warm vupor.bath. -
Thoughts Of murder. of poison, of love, of
lame. had crept through my veins as languid-
y as thought Of paying an old debt. What
these things had not done, a tap did
looked out--nothing there. The cold
moon looked down on the cold earth; the
cold snow surrounded the cold white houses
the Ieadess trees outlined themselves on the
ccold sky the cold charity student. shiyerng
visible.
Tap, tap tap!
For the first time ! saw-would that I had
never seen 1t again-l saw the tree An old.
,ighinlng-struck, dead sycamore, with two
orahehss ieit and eharred top with one
mole burned in it by the lightning. There it
sloou, horrible cyclop, tossing its two skel-
eloh arms IN the air, and looked at me with
its one eye, One arm leaned over toward my
the glass.
knew what it was. A demon lived in
that tree. and wanted 10 make my acquaint-
ance. ] nodded TO the tree. / should he
happy to make the gentleman's acquaintance.
a gust Of wind surged through and through
the tree, aud horrible "Hs ha p died away
in the air.
had seen the tree before, Of course
There il bad stood year before my chamber
siafuv. but had never seen II &c saw il