Butte record., 1856-06-07
Gbs 5turq.
The Terrible Tree.


rally running my constitution in the
little college town of ", on
fierce winter, when a settled apathy
took possession of me. | lost my in
terest in every thing. Frequently, tc
rouse my dormant energies, walked
down to the beach, and plunged into
the icy surge. But it availed nothing.
Books, cigars, all were ineffectual.-
Life looked dreary waste. The
cold, objectless fields, covered with
snow, seemed to ME to image forth the
future. Like most very young men.
| had exhausted sensation. As | sat
By my little table one evening in the
month Of January, | ran over my
mind the possible stimulants | could
use to lash my dormant sensibiities
into life. | could not think of drink
ing, because like Dick Swiveller, | 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, remorse, that | had not tried!-
No. hated every body. | had been
in love with all the college widows,
and several beside. Man pleasured
me not; no nor women either Re
morse! l had disobeycd my father,
and grieved my mother. felt, sup
pose, suitable remorse for these things,
but they were pecadillos, and did
not answer.
Remorse!-the word pleased me-
Should | stick knife into the fat
sides of my landlady? Would her in
nocent blood cry to Heaven, and her
last gasp, calling me murderer make
my pulse beat quicker! No; she was
old, cheating, asthmatic. She could
not have cried 'murderD audibly, on
account of the asthma, and | think
she would have welcomed death as an
agreeable exchange from life spent in
taking boarders. Where was the vic
tim whom | could offer up to my dying
sensations? What Iphigenia knelt be-
fore the dull CLEAN of my languid
knife? Where-Tap, tap, tap. as if
a ghostly finger touched my window
pane.
started! yes, l actually started.
The ocean in January had greeted my
numbed frame as if it had been a
warm vapor bath. Thoughts of mur-
der, of poison, of love, of fame, had
crept through my veins as languidly as
a 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 leafess trees
outlined themselves on the cold sky;
the cold charity student shivering in
his thin coat coat, went by, making
coldness visible.
Tap, tap, tap.
For the first time | saw-would that
] had never seen it again-I saw the
treel An old, lightning struck, dead
sycamore, with two branches left, and
a charred top with one hole burned in
it by lightning. There it stood,
horrible cyciop, tossing its two skee-
ton arms into the air, aud looked at me
with its one eye. One arm leaned over
toward my window, and skeleton
ore-nnger tapped on the glass.
knew what it was. A demon liv-
ed in that tree, and wanted to make
my acquaintance. | nodded to the
tree. | should be happy to make the
gentleman's acquaintance. A gust of
wind surged through and through the
tree, and horrible Hal har died away
in the air.
Ihad seen that tree before, of course.
There it had stood a year before my
chamber window, but | had never seen
it as | saw it tonight. Formerly to
me it was a burned dead tree. Now
it was familiar, companionable de-
mon. | determined to get something out
of that tree.
Just as | had admitted the tree to
my confidence, the door-bell rung.-
Loud, importunate to be let in, the
ringer spake through the quivering
wire, and | was convinced that it was
a new conner. No one who had been
quenched in the atmosphere Of that
house could ring in that way. Pre-
sently | heard trunks brought in, then
strange voices, then going up stairs
| looked out at the tree. He waved a
gaunt finger at me as much as to say
Go down, and find OUT
Charming! felt curiosity-alway;
a sign of vitality. encouraged it by
waiting. | said to myself, We vii
find out to-Inorrow, my good fellow
keep quiet'-aif the while meaning tt
ask Susan, the chambermaid, whom
heard, with no fairy footballs, ascend
ing and descending the stairs.