Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-05-22

with yell of horror, that, on any other but
| howling stormy night, would have betray ed
us. 1t appeared to me as if had thrust my
spade into buried lake of fre-for the first
dirt was all aglow, like living Goals and as 1
had fancied the moaning of the storm the wall
| ings of tormented spirit, now fancied / had
uncovered small portion Of the Bottomless
| Pit itself
Fool ~ Kissed Benson, grasping my arm
| with the gripe of a vice, rs stood leaning on
| ing with terror; "another yell like that, and
| IL make subject of you Are You not
| ashamed Of yourself, to be scared out of your
| wits, If you ever had any, by lite phosphor-
escent earth? Don't you know that it is often
| found in grave yards ?''
| His explanation treasured me, though L
was too weak, from my late fright, to be of any
assistance TO the party, who all fell to with a
| will, secretly laughing at me, and soon reached
| the coffin Splitting the lid with a hatchet,
which had been brought fer the purpose, they
| quickly lifted out the corpse and then Ben
| son and another of the party taking hold of it,
one at the head and another at the feet, they
hurried it away, bidding me follow, and leaving
the others to fill up the grave, that it might
not be suspected that the body had been ex
humed.
Having got the corpse safely over the walls
of the cemetery, Benson now called on me to
perform my part of the horrible business.
Bere, you quaking simpleton, he said, Il
want you to take this on your back, and make
the best of your way to your room, and re-
main alone with it all night. If you do this
brayely, We will claim you as one of us to-
morrow and the first one that darcs to say a
word against your courage after that, shall
find foe in me- But bark you. if you make
any blundcr on the way, and lose our prize, it
will be better for you to quit this place before
set eyes on you again. Do you understand
me ?''
Y-ye-ye-ycs" - 1 stammercd with chatter
ing teeth.
9 Are you ready'''
&" Y ye-ye-yes,' l gasped.
:" W ell, come here where are you -
All this time it was so dark that l could
not see anything but a faint line of white
which knew to be the shroud of the corpse
but felt carefully round till L got hold of
Benson, who told me to take off my cloak; and
then rearing the cold body up against my
back, he began fixing its cold arms about my
neck-bidding me take hold of them and draw
them well over, and keep them concealed and
be sure and not let go of them, on any cOnsid
Grafton whatever, as l valued my life
All, tho torturing horror l experienced, as
mechanically followed his directions. Tongue
could not describe it
At length, having adjusted the corpse 80
that L might bear ii off with comparative ease,
he threw my long, black cloak over it and over
my arms, and fastened it with cord about my
neck, and then inquired
Now, Morris, do you think you can find
the way to your roOm?"
II do-do-don't know" 1 gasped, feeling
as if would sink to the earth at the 6rst step
Well, you cannot lose your way If you go
straight ahead" he replied Keep in the
middle of the road, and it will take you to Col
lege Green, and then you are all right. Come,
push on, before your burden grows too heavy
the distance is only good half mile"'
l set forward with trembling nerves, ex-
pecting to sink to the ground at every step;
but gradually my terror, instead of weaken
ing, gave me strength and was soon on the
run-splashing through mud and water-with
the storm bowling about me to fury, and the
cold corpse, as l fancied, cinging to me like a
hideOus vampire.
How reached my room, / do not know
but probably by sort of instinct, for l only
remember of my brain being in a wild feverish
whirl, with ghostly phantoms all about me, as
one sometimes sees them in dyspeptio dream
But reach my room L did, with my dead bur-
den on my back; and 1 was afterwards told
that made wonderful time; for Benson and
his fellow students, fearing the loss of their
sublect-which on account of the difficulty of
getting bodies was very valuable-followed
close behind me, and were obliged to run at the
top Of their speed to keep me within hailing
distance.
The first remember distinctly, after getting
to my room, was the finding myself awake in
bed, with dim consciousness Of something
horrible having happened-though what, for
some minutes, could not for the life of me
recollect. Gradually, however, the truth came
upon me; and then felt cold perspiration
start from every pore, at the thought that per.
haps L was occupying room alone with a
corpse. The room was not dark; there were a
few embers in the CRATE which threw out rud-
dy light; and fearfully raising my head, I
glanced quickly and timidly around:
And there-there on the floor, against the
right hand wall but few feet from me-thsre.
sure enough lay the cold still corpse robed in
i,s white shroud, with CLEAN of freight rest
ing upon its CHASTITY face, which to my excited
fancy seemed to move. Did it move? [ was
gazing upon it, thrilled and fascinated with an
undescrlbable terror, whom, sure as | see
you now. l saw the lids of its eyes unc!ose. and
saw its breast heaye and heard low stihed
moan.
Great God "a shreked and fell back in O
syoon.
How long lay unconscious | do not know.
but when came to myself again, it is a mar
vel TO me that, in my excited state L did not
| lose my senses altogether, and become the ten
| ant Of mad house, for there-right before me
standing up in its white shrOud, with its
| eyes wide open and staring upon me. and its
| features thin, hollow, and death -hued-was the
| corpse had brought from the cemetery
4
back to your grave, and rest in peace I will
| never disturb you again.
The large, hollow eyes looked more wildly
| upon me-the head moved-the lips parted
and voice in somewhat sepulchral tone,
| said:
"Where am 1? Where am L? Who are
| yOu-which world am l in? Am living or
| dead ?"
"You were dead, gasped, sitting mp in
bed and feeling as if my brain would burst
with pressure of unspeakable horror; "you
| were dead and buried, and was one of the
| guilty wretches who this night disturbed you
| in your peaceful rest. But 60 back, poor
| ghost in Heavens name and no mortal power
shall induce me to come nigh you again ~
| "Oh. feel faint" said the corpse, grad
ually sinking down upon the floor with groan.
| "Where am I2-Oh where am | 20
"Great God ~ l shouted, as the startling
truth suddenly flashed upon me; perhaps
this poor girl was buried alive, and is now liv-
ing
| / hon nded from the had and vrasned a hand