Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-10-16
THE SECRET,
Or, Something on my Mind.

Dark masses Of my threatening fcllow-crea-
lures, clOaked and croweld chosen assaSsins
equipped with noiscless goloshes and daggers
diminishing to point, whereirom drips a
gout of gore +; and executioncr with halG-lnask
and chopper, with its edge turned towards
me; vague and unknown shapes following,
with deadly unswerving purpose, whittier
socver take my frightened way thousand
strangers with uplited armed right hands, ex-
claiming together, artiStically, and in the
pauseS Of slow music: 1--WE swear, we swear"
and doing it; halEa.dozen Of intimate friends
striking at my breast with curious and va
ried collection ofweapons, from an Ovcrwhem-
ing sense Of duty, and averting their looks for
PHYS sake; secret conclaves setting down my
name in blood, with variety Of other dismal
pictures selected from the haunted chambers
OF imagination, had been presented to me in
dreams for months. was rendered miscra-
bic, through having been made free mason,
with the terror of carrying about with me so
tremendous a secret. felt that | was iateL
to bc the unhappy wretch who should betrav
that which had been held sacred by multi
tudcs for more than thousand years. Nor
was this idea altogether without grounds for
to SO great pitch Of nervousness had / ar.
rived that | was continually whispering the
matter confdentially to myself, and then. in
the belief that had spoken aloud, looking
hOrror.Stricken around me; or, not seldom,
would write it down upon slips Of paper, which
l Afterwards took care to tear up small or put
them into the fire, or devoured them.
Once. however, when engaged in this prac-
tice, high wind, coming in at the open win.
dow, scattered these interesting disclosurcsiu
every direction, and drove me as nearly mad
as q sane man could 60. There were as ma
ny as twenty distinct revelations of the most
mysterious facts in the worlds history thus
set flying over space, so that any one might
run and read them. Nineteen Of these re-
covered by means Of almost superhuman cx-
ertions Two were reclaimed, ut peril Of life
and limb, from neighbours wall with cher0ur
de trise at the top Of it; three Of them had
lodged in very lofty tapering tree. which
practically demonstrated the dreaded fact Of
my SybiIline leaves becoming popular; five
were carried into the river, and had to be res.
cued by boat; seven had been whirlcd into
the kennel Ofa proverbially savage dog, which,
however was so impressed by my eager haste
and furious vehemence, that he vacated his
quarters at the first summons, and fed, howl.
ing to the utmost extent Of his chain. One
was brought down from q chimney pot by q
very small sweep, who, luckily for me and
himself proved to my satisfaction that he
had never been taught to read one found
the kitten at play with in the garden, which
presently put to death, accordingly, without
open trial, after the manner of the tribunals
Of Westphalia; tho tScentieth could no tchere
be found. There was lying somewhere, pat
cnt to the first passer by, an explicit solution
Of the whole art Of freemasonry In my own
peculiar and well-known handwriting. This
thought, which was Of nature to make the
most stOlid anxious, excited me to frenzy.
went about demanding Of my fellOw-creatures
whether they had seen small piece Of paper
in the air lately.
"What papers What was on its inquired
they.
What was on IT, indecdi A question not
to be answered very readily. did not go to
bed for eight and forty hours, and then found
the precious missing manuscript neatly de.
posted between my ReekeFshieG and my false
collar; after which abstained from writing
out the secret any more. carried it about
with me on my mind, nevertheless, and very
dreadful burden it was. Walking or sleep.
ing, but especially sleeping, was always pic.
turing to myself the consequences Of revealing
what knew, and thereby endured the imag
mary pains Of halCa.dOzen opium eatess.-
MethOught that the Provincial Grand Of oul
lodge, who, in private live, is most rcspecta'
bic grocer, was the individual selected by
the society as the Avenger Of violated laith.-
He was wont 10 pursue me in his official cos.
tune, which, however, seemed to attract nc
greater attention in the streets Of the city
than in the deserts all bearingan absurd like
ness to the back garden Of my private resi-
denec \ whittier sometimes in vAir, 6etoot