Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1856-07-10

eff Mrs. Grey has cause to doubt your
valuation of her mental charms. But, a.
propos of writing, [ have a story which
ought to be written
'Write it, then; for after all, you write
better than you speak"
''Indeed!" Trevanion was put on his
mettle by the malicious sparkle in the live
Ily lady's eyes as she threw out this sugges-
ton
81 will tell it to you," he said.
He shook himself into sitting posture,
and there was silence of some minute.
The light from the inner room scarcely
reached the group, but young moon dane
ed upon the broad ocean which rolled, and
surged. and beat lazily upon the beach not
a hundred yards from the house. Piles OF
sand had drifted here and there, and lay
white and still in the cool but 'breathless
calm. There was no sound from any neigh
boring cottage, and nothing interfered with
Trevanion's strong and marked voice as he
thus deliberately began:
''There is a narrow strip of half-reclaim-
ed land upon my plantation which connects
the island on which | live with the main
[ determined during the last spring to make
a causeway here, and so facilitate communi-
cation between the two. had a gang of
negroes set to work on this spot, and one
afternoon, took my way, as usual, to see
how they were coming on. But [ was late
in the starting My. pony stood saddled at
the door, and [ loitered to play with my lit
tie girl, to watch the gambols of litter of
terriers, to light fresh cigar, etc. Final
ly, when under way, the evening had near
ly closed in, and l pushed on to reach the
causeway before nj ght.
MY horse dropped into walk as we
skirted this narrow path, and my stirrup
brushed aside the blossoms in our slow pro-
gress. 1 was idly meditating another Eu-
Iropean journey, and thinking over the ex-
pense of it, when hand as cold as ice laid
itself upon mine. Starting, turned back
towards the thicket-every thing was in
stinct, but the lifeless hand lay heavily on
my right, and the horse had stopped.
passed my left hand along the wrist of this
strange apparition, and discovered an arm
belonging to it; but so wasted, so er1aciat-
ed, SO worn that my first idea Of its being
one of my negroes fallen dead near me pass
ed ed. from my mpd }9 Nave ef mS 30 eeG &
cradle state. With an impulse to which l
instantly yielded, 1 drew the entire body
from the cntanglod shrubbery, and tossed it,
light as it was, across the pony's neck. Urging
him then to full speed, [ pressed through
the grove; the daylight was nearly spent
and, to my horror, [ could just distinguish,
as we cleared the overhanging trees and
came into the open country, that the burden
I partly bore was no negro, but shapeless
mass, of which the head, crowned with
golden hair, displayed features most beauti-
full, most paid, and most CHASTITY Just
then, to increase my anxiety, my horse be-
gan to labor as if the weight oppressed him,
and it seemed to me that l could feel an
augmented pressure in the side which lean
ed against me. [ gazed at the creature
with an indefinable sensation-it was not
merely the contact of dead body-a super
natural horror seized me. [ would, [ be-
leve have thrown off the terrible thing. but
it moved, and murmured, The warmth p
and drew closer to me, feebly gasping, not
like human being, but-Great God
can't describe it-n'
''Go on" cried his listeners, with shud-
dering attention, and Mrs. Grey bent her
head towards him and glanced nervously
behind her.
cit opened its eyes, and fixed them upon
me with steady look-so earnest, so des-
pairing, so deep, so unnatural, that [ trem-
bled, and all my courage fled. I would
have screamed like woman, for my horse
now began to snort and shiver, and cold
sweat bathed his limbs. This must be some
devilish device. l struck my booted heel
into his clammy flank, and tried to urge him
on. Then, for the first time, [ saw that ]
had lost my way ; we were not approaching
the house-we had not the path to the ne
gro-quarters but, turn the bride as l would
we were re-entering the thicket of jessa-
mines
''The black night had fallen, and close tc
me clung this horrible presence, growing
heavier each instant, and filing me with
such thoughts as lifetime will not efface.-
The gaze of those hopeless eyes-the pres
sure of that dead hand I could stand it nc
longer. I was about to fling myself from
my horse in desperation, when the creature
raised one of those long, white, emaciated
arms which cleaned in the darkness, and
laid it ON my shoulder. 1t chilled my very
marrow. 1 shook it off, and the voice said
What, ungentleness from you!' At the
sound, my horses feet refused to move; he
staggered, trembled, and stood still. felt
the unearthly breath of the dread mass upon
my cheek, Kissing in my ear. [ struggled
what moment of agony and awoke-
sitting just where [ am now, three nights
ago-with perfect consciousness that there
is no such thicket of jessamine upon my es-
tate, the dew dampening my hair, and a
thankfulness beyond expression that this