The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1857-02-05
!" But, ifshe should come; you may be

$ I cannot. Others may see her, too,
and hear her. I shall believe no spectre,
if there arc. such things. Her body asit
is, or will be--let Met speak if it can! p
From that day up TO the hour of his
death, I was with him almost constantly,
and was daily introduced to some new
and startling phenomenon. The neigh1.
bors had learned to shun the house, and
even the vicinity, as they would the
plague, and strange stories travelled from
gossip to gossip. acquiring more of the
marvellous at every repetition. Never
theess my practice increased. rs
On the morning of November 3oth. / :.
called earlier than usual. During this
visit, the manifestations of supernatural
presence were more frequent, Wild and
violent than ever before was inform
ed that they had been exceedingly violent
during the preceding night. Their cha
racter, too, had greatly changed. Be-
side the moving of all movable articles,
the linking of glasses, and the rattle of
tin ware, there were frequent and start
ling sounds, as of whispered conversa-
ton, singing, and subdued laughter-al
perfect limitations of the human voice, but
too low to enable me to detect the words
used, if words there were. Still, howev-
er, none Of these unusual sounds had en-
tered the sick-room. They followed the
footsteps of Mrs. Green. like demon
echo but paused upon the threshold Of
that room as if debarred, by superior o
power, from entering there. ak
I found Mr.. Hayden much worse, and 4,
sinking very fast, He had passed bad
night. Doubtful whether he would sur
vive to see another morning, I left him,
promising to call at evening, and spend
the night with Lin, resolved, in my Sc
cret thoughts, to be in at the DEATH /
If there was to be ghostly warning, I
meant to hear it, and, if possible, to solve
the strange enigma.
+ x X
The day had been exceedingly cold
and stormy, and the night had already
set in, dark and dismal, with fierce gale 5
and driving storm of rain and hail,
when I again stood beside my patent
The moment I looked at him, perceiy-
ed unmistakeabie indications Of the near
approach Of death upon his features
He was free from pain ; his mind per-
fectly clear; but his life was ebbing
away, with every breath, like the slow
burning Of an exhausted lamp.
Meanwhile the storm rose to tempest.
and the gloom grew black as death in the
wild night without. The wind swept in
tremendous gusts through the adjoining
forests, rafting the icy branches of the
trees, and wailing and shrieking through
every crack and Granny of the building.
Within, there was yet wilder comme-
ton. All that had been said or sung. 5
written or dreamed of ghostly visitations,
was then and there enacted There was
the ringing of bells, moving of furniture,
crash of dishes, whispers, howls, crying,
laughter, whistling, groaning. heavy and
light footsteps, and wild music, as If in
very mockery of the Internal regions
All these sounds grew wilder with the
rising gale, until, towards midnight, they
were almost insuferable.
AS for us three--the patient, Mrs.
Green and myself--we were as silent as
death ITSELF. Not word passed our lips
after o'clock. AS for the state of our
minds, God only knows. Mine, in the
mild whirl of thought and event which
followed, forgot all of the past save what
l have recalled and penned, bit by bit, :
above. l remember only looking for the s
final catastrophe, which grew rapidly
nearer, with constant endeavor to con-
centrate all my faculties of mind and
sense upon the phenomenon which I, at
least, had begun to believe would herald
the loss ofmy patient.
AS it grew closer and closer upon 12
o'clock. (for upon the striking of that
hour had my thoughts fixed themselves
for the expected demonstration. my agi-
tation became so great that it was with
extreme difficulty could control myself.
Nearer and nearer grew the fatal mo-
mentor fatal I perceived it would be,
to the patient, at least and, at last. the
seconds trembled on the brink of mid
night; the clock began to strike
One--two--three l counted the
strokes of the hammer. which seemed as
though they never would have done-ten
eleven-twelve drew my breath
again The last lingering echo of the
last stroke had died fairly away and, as
yet, there was no token of any presence
I. save our own.
All was silent. The wind had lulled
for moment, and not sound stirred
III. Il Il L 07I