New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-11-09

An 10 long and Time Is Meeting.
s lie a ssss.s s sssse sss sss @'
Yunsalmsrehes 70 ne grsvs5--LosgSnov
q True nervous very, very dreadfnlly nervous +
bad been, and am; but why viii you say that / am
mad The disease had sharpened my senses not
destroyed, not dulled them Above IN war tbe sense
and IN Tie earth. heard many things in hell How,
then, am I mad7 HeaxkcnI and observe how
beaIthily, how calmly, ] can ten ycu The whole
story.
my brain but once conceived, II haunted me dsy
and night. Object there was none. PASSION there
was none. ! loved the old man. He had never |
xronged me; He.'had never given me inzl't For t
bis gold had no desire. think Il was his eye
II WAS mis-! He had the eye Of vuiture-a pale I
blue eye with film over II. wherever It fell upon
me my blood ran cold and 80, By deUees-very I
sdaaay made aas Sp ny mind e tss ths NE q
ever. f8i5i9a
Now this is the point Yoa fancy me mad. Mad |
men know nothing. But you should have seen me.
what cantion-with what foresig htMwith what dis |
stimulation went 10 work! ] was never kinder to
the old man than during the whole week before
killed him; And every night, about midnight,
gently! And then. when had made an opening
sufficient for my head first put in dark lantern,
all closed, 90 that no light shone out, and then I
see how cunningly thrust II in moved i slowly
very, very slowly-so that might not disturb the
old mans sleep. ST II $50 n r ~ =
It took me an hour to place my whole head within
the opening so far that could see the old man as be
lay upon bis bed. IA! would i mailman have been
go wise as this? And then, when head was well in
the room, nndid the lantern cautiously -oh, 80
cautiously for the hinges creaked. undid it just
30 much that single thin ray fell upon the vnlture
eye. And this did, for seven long nights every
night just at midnight but found the eye always
closed and 20 it impossible to do the work for
it was not the old man who vexed me. but his Evil
t,A kr<xIyn Il
went boldly into his chamber and spoke coprgeousy
to him. calling him by name In hearty tone, and in
quiring how be had passed the night 50 you nee be
would have been very profound old man. indeed, TO
suspect that every night just at Y looked IN upon
Upon tie eighth night was more than usually
cautious in opening the door "A watch's minnie
hand moves more quickly than did mine, Never,
powersof my sgseity could scarcely contain
my feelings Of triumph To think that therp WAS.
opening the door little BY little and the old man not
fairly ehucEied Il lie idea. And perhaps lie old
man heard me, for he moved ~ the bed snddenlye y
if startled. Now you may think that ! drew back
4 but His room was as black as pitch with tn
thick darkness, or the shutters were close fastened
through fear of robbers and 20 knew that he could
not see Gle opening Of the door, and kept on push
II ing it steadily, steadily. Rs E4s$a9
8 / got my head in and was about to open the Ian
when my thumb slipped upon the tIn fastening
..u~ SAnS SAN 1855. 1rAs~-o IF
there 2" SHS ~ SA
Kept quite still and said nothing; for an hour
did not move muscle, andsin the IneantimesI did
not hear the old man lie down. Hey still sitting
up in the bed listening, just have done night after
night, hearkehng to the death watches fl the wall
Presently heard slight groan and knew it was
the groan Of mortal terror. IT was not groan Of
pain or grief Oh mol it was the low, stified sound
that rises from the bottom OF the soul when over
charged with ave. ! knew the sound well. Many
night, just at midnight. when all the world slept, i
, has sweled up from my own-bosom, deepening Will
its dreadful echo the terrors that distracted me-
? | say knew it WELL / knew what the old man fell
and pitied him, although l chuckled at heart
knew that he had been lying awake ever since thu
/ first slight noise, when he had turned in thu
, bed His fears had heen ever since growing upoI
!; him. He had been trying 70 fancy them capseles
but could not. He had been saying to himself, !" i
is nothing but the wind in the chimney lit is only
mouse crossing the floor; Or IL is merely crieke
which has madea single chirp." at5a
Yes, he had been trying to comfort himself Will
these suggestions, but he had found all in vain al
in vain, because death, in approaching the old man
had stalked with his black shadow before him, AMI
the shadow had now reached and enveloped the vic
g. tim And it was the mournful influence of the IN
q perceived shadow that caused him to feel-althoug
= he neither saw nor heard meto feel the pressure
t | my head within the room. a.
oil + When / had waited long time, very patiently
# without hearing the old man lie down, resolved
open ttle very, very little erevice in the Lantern
/ So opened it-you cannot imagine how stealthil,
ell steathly-untl at leDStn single uH ray, liht u
thread Of the spider shot from out of the creyce an
s fell upon the vulture eye.
8 It was open, wide, wide open and grew furiou
Us gazed upon it. saw it with perfect distnctnes
all dull blue, with hideous veil over it that chile
+ the very marrow in my bones but could see notf
ing else of the old mans face or person, for ha
directed the ray, as if by instinct precisely upon tn
u damned spot
take for madness but acuteness Of the senses
e now say, there to my ears low, dull quic
: sound-much such sound as watch makes whe
/. enveloped in cotton, knew that sound well, too.
was the beating of the old mans heart II increase
my fury as the beating Of drum stimulates the SO
) der into courage.
d But even yet I RETAINED and kept still searcel
o breathed, i held the lantern motionless. I trie
v how steadily could maintain the ray upon the ey
Meantime the hesh tattoo Of the heart increase.
k It grew quicker and louder every instant The ol
?, mans terror must have been extreme 1t gre
m louder, say, louder every moment! Do you mar
i. me well? / have told you that am nervons-so
e. am. And now, at the dead hour of the night, an
amid the dreadful silence of that house, 80 strange
n noise as this excited me to uncomfortable wrat
Yet for some minutes longer, RETAINED and KEEL
still. But the beating grew louder, louder thougl
is the heart must burst 80 ~ ..l=.s Is
It And now a new anxiety seized me, that the SCUM
ar would be heard by neighbor His last hour ha
e come! With loud yell l threw open the lantel
q. and leaped into the room. He shrieked once-on
" once. In an instant dragged him to the floor az
" pulled the heavy bed over him. then sat upon Il
se bed and smiled gay to find the deed SO tar don
IN But for many minutes the heart beat on with muf
" sound. This, however, did not yex me it would n
m be heard through the walls. At length it cease
h The old man was dead. removed the bed and exaI
e. ined the corpse. Yes he was stone stone dead.
As placed my hand upon the heart and held it the
e. many minutes. There was no pnlsation. The o
e. man was stone dead His eye would trouble me
It. more. a..s.e .at g-.- 35slst
IS. If you still think me mad yon will think so
IN longer when describe the precautions took for u
Id concealment of the body. The night waned, and
re worked hastily but in silence First of all dismel
bered the corpse. i cut off the head arms and les
then took up three planks from the flooring OF I
Nv chamber and deposited all between the scantlin
Of then replaced the boards cleverly, so cunning
of that no human eye-not even his-coud have,
ct tected anything wrong. There was nothing to wa
e. out-no stain Of any kind-no blood spots whatev
e- l had been too weary for that. tub had caug
in alba! ha! n- "t gft ~ 10
rs When | had made an end of these labors it "
es four o'clock, still dark as midnight. As the
ce sounded the hour there knocking at the strt
c. door. | went down to open it with light heart;
ill what had now to fear? There entered three me
he who introduced themselves with perfect suavity
* officers of the police. shrek had been heard
~ neighbor during the night suspicion OF tonl pl
nd had been aroused; information had been lodged
is the police office, and they Uhe ofcers) had been
ey puted to search the premises.
sit smiled, for what had to fear. l babe the GO
ne tlemen welcome. The Shrek said. was my own
l." o dream. The old man | mentioned was absent
l." the country. took my visitors all over the hou
i'm I babe them search, search well. At length l !
-, | them tn his chamber | showed them his treasure