The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1857-10-06
The Skeleton Friend.


The Skeleton Friend.
was fortunate in meeting an old friend
of my uncle's in Paris, who Immediately
placed me in a position where l received
a good salary, and was enabled to save a
considerable sum yearly This Iresolved
to lay by till it should amount to sufficient
to allow ofsmy travelling and seeing with
my own eyes various parts Ct Europe, of
which | had read And it was not merely
the desire of travelling for its pleasure that
impelled met was kind of second ma
ture which had grown upon me, and |
was somehow possessed with the idea that
my wrongs were to be righted soon, and
that should make some discovery tending
to that result. At all events, five years after
the death of my uncle found ME in Ant
werp. I was then twenty-five years of
age; the day that l met the stranger was
my birthday.
An hour after sunset, took my way in
the direction of the old cathedral. 1t was
in very handsome quarter of the town,
andI wondered that the strangers resi-
dence should be located there, when his
appearance indicated poverty. I thought
| had made mistake when | arrived at
the handsomest house in the vicinity and
saw that it was opposite the cathedral. A
servant waiting at the door, asked me to
follow him, ndhe conducted me to an
apartment on the second floor, where he
left me. The room was almost dark; the
Er.h ~; oh "a H,aI
the CRATE, which threw its radiance on the
walls in fantastic figures. Seated by it
was the stranger, his head buried in his
hands. The furniture was Of the costliest
kind, and the whole aspect of the room
was one of cheerfulness. But its effect
was certainly lost upon Lielnann, as l
remembered his name to be. for his ap
pearance was much more strange than
when had met him in the morning. As
he rose to meet me, l was startled ny
the wan and haggard look Of his coun-
tenance. He welcomed me with a few
words, and handing me chair, he resum-
ed his attitude of thought while ever and
anon his frame shook as if in pain.
\ He at length broke the somewhat pain
full silence which had ensued, and said:
"My fliend, did you ever read the old
story of the Venetian mother, who, when
her son had fallen sick and was at the
point of death, was informed in a vision
that his cure depended upon a garment
being wrought for him by happy and vir-
tuous woman?-and how,when she went
forth to seek such one,she found in one
house the skeleton ola lover whom a jealous
husband had slain, and in every house
where she sought was found the shadow
of some woe which had fallen upon it ?
Is there skeleton in your own house ??
This question took me by surprizc, but
] answered:
"Alas, yes l have dreadful skele-
tomin my home-a monstrous dread and
sorrow to me p
''But is yours real skeleton?-is it the
fabric of former being whose bones rat
tie in echo to your sorrowful thoughts, Or
is it only the remembrance OF some Tor
mer sorrow ?"
He fixed his piercing eyes upon me as
he spoke, land kept his gaze fastened upon
me. A nameless dread seized me, and L
forgot to answer his question.
Il ask you,' he continued, "because l
have resolved to partially unbosom my
self to you. | have skeleton--l call him
my friend, and perhaps he is, for | COM
mune with no other object. But his pre-
sence brings perpetual horror to my soul
and fosters the worm which is crawling
at my breast. 1t is remorse-the upbral-
ding of an outraged conscience are killing
me-my punishment is truly greater than
| can bearv
He covered his face with both his hands,
and l thought that he wept; but when he
raised his face again, I saw that his eyes
were dry. After a short silence, he
spoke:
81 will show youmy skeleton, and per-
haps it may relieve my pain if you can at
ford to pity my miserable condition"
He went to the side of the mantle and
pressed spring in the wall. A long pam
mel raised up and disclosed narrow closet.
And there, hung to the wall and vibra-
ting and grinning with terrifying effect,
was a skeleton! My heart sickened at the
sight, and ] turned away, wondering
more and more at the strangeness of the
being who stood by my side.
cit is more like dream than reality"
he continued, "that for the last four years
have lived constantly with skeleton. |
have plunged into the widest dissipation,
in the vain endeavor to shake off the con-