Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-05-04


put my light which was Gin one, on the
hearth among feethcry litter of wood ashes,
and got into bed, with the handkerchief full
Of money under my pillow.
I soon felt not only that could not 60 to
sleep, but that could not even close my eyes.
l was wide awake, and in q high fever. Every
nerve in my body trembled-every one
Of my senses seemed to be preternaturally
sllarpened. l tossed and rolled, and tried
every kind of position, and perseveringly
sought out the cold corners Of the bed, and
all to no purpose. Now, thrust my arms
over the clothes; now, pokcl them under
the clothes: now, violently shot my legs
straight out down to The bottom Of the bed ;
now, l convulsively coiled them up as near
my chin as they would go; now. L shook out
my crumped pillow, changed it to the cool
side, patted it Hat, and lay down quietly on
my back now tiercely doubled it in two,
set it up on end, thrust it against the board
of the bed, and tried sitting.posture. Every
effort was in vain; ! groaued with vexation,
as l felt that was in for sleepless night.
What could do? had no book to read.
And vet, unless found ont some method of
diyerting my mind, l felt certain that was
in the condition to imagine allsor of horrors;
to rack my brain with forebodings of every
possible and impossible danger; in short, to
pass tac night in suffering all conceivable
varieties of nervous terror.
raised myself on my elbow, and looked
about the room-whch was frightened by a
lovely moonlight pouring straight through the
winlow-.o see lift contained any pictures or
ornaments that I could at all clearly distin.
guish. While my eyes wandered from wall
10 WALL remembrance of LIE Maistre's de-
lightful little book, "Voyage autour dc ma
Chambre," occurred to me. l resolved to
initiate the French author, and find occupa.
ton and amusement enoug TO relieve the
tedium of my wakefulness, by making men.
tai inventory of every article of furniture l
could see, and by following up to tkeir sources
the multitude of associations which even a
chair, table, or washing stand may be
made to call forth.
In the nervous unsettled state Of my mind
at that moment, found it much easier to
make my inventory than to make my rehec-
tionS, and thereupon soon gave "p all hope OF
thinking in LIE Maistre's fanciful track-or
indeed, of thinking at all. l looked about the
room a: the different articles of furniture, and
did nothing more.
There was, first, the bed I was lying in a
fourpost bed, OF all things in the world to
meet with in Paris yes, thorough clumsy
British four.poster, with the regular top lined
with chintz-,he regular iringed valance all
round-the regular sitting unwholesome cur
tains which l remembered having mechaui-
caly drawn back against the posts without
particularly noticing the bed when first got
into the room. Then there was the marble
topped wash.hand stand, from which the wa
ter had split, in my hurry to pour it out, was
still dripping, slowly and more slowly, on to
the brick floor. Then two small chairs with
coat, waistcoat, and trowsers flung on them.
Then large elbow.chair covered with dirty.
white dimity, with my cravat and shirt.collar
thrown over the back. Then chest of drawers
with two of the brass handles off, and taw-
dry, broken china inkstand placed on it by
way Of ornament for the top. Then the
Dire e,sing,table, adorned by q very small look
iug-glaSs, and a very large pin.cushion. Then
the window-au unusually large window. Then
a dark oltl picture, which the feeble candle
dimly showed me. 1t was the picture Of a
fellow in high Spanish hat, crowned with
plume Of towering feathers. A swarthy sinis-
ter rutlian, looking upward shading his eyes
with his hand aud looking intently upward
it might be at some tall gallows at which he
was going to be hanged. At any rate, he
had the appearance O: thoroughly deserving it.
This picture put a kind of constraint upon
me to look upward too-at the top Of the bed.
1t was gloomy and not an interesting object,
and looked back at the picture. I counted
the feathers in the mans hat-they stood out
in relief-three white, two green-I observed
the crown of his hat which was of conical
shape, according to the fashion supposed to
have been favored by Guido Fawkes, 1 won
dered what he was looking up at. 1t couldn't
be at the stars; such desperate was neither
astrolcger nor astronomer. 1t must be at the
high gaows. and he was going to be hanged
presently. Would the executioner come into
possession of his conical crowned hat and
plume Of feathers? | counted the feathers
again-three white, two green.
While still fingered over this very impro.
wing and Intellectual employment, my thoughts
insensibly began TO wander. The moonlight
shining into the room reminded me Of Ger.
tain moonlight night in England-the night
after picnic party in Welsh valley. Every
incident of the drive homeward through lovely
scenery, which the moonlight made lovelier
tnan ever came back to my remembrance,
though had never given the picnic q thought
for years though, if had tried to recollect
it, could certainly have recalled little or
nothing Of that scene long past. Of all the
wonderful faculties that help to tell US we are
immortal, which speaks the sublime truth
more eloquentl} than memory? Here was /,
in strange house Of the most suspicious
character, and even of peril, which might
seem to make tn cool exercise of my recoi.
lection almost out of the question nevertbe.
less remembering, quite involuntarily, pluces,
/ people, conversations, minute ci cumstances
Of every kind. which / had thought forgotten
for ever, which could not possibly have re.
called at will even under the most favorable
auspices. And what cause had produced in
moment the whole ofthis strange, complicated,
mysterious effect? Nothing but some rays
of moonlight shining in at my bedroom
| window.
was still thinking OF the picnic-of our
merriment on the drive home-of the senti.
mental young lady who acould quote Childe
Harold because it was moonlight. | was
absorbed by these past scenes and past amuse-
ments, when, in an instant, the thread on
which my memories hung snapped asunder;
my attektion Immediately came back to present
things more wildly than ever, and found
myself, neither knew why nor wherefore,
looking hard at the picture again.
Looking Tor what
Good God. the man had pulled his hat
down on his bruws No! the hat itself was
g1ne! Where was tic conical crown? Where
the leaihers-tllree white, two green? Not
there! In place of the hat and feathers what
dusky object was it that now hid his forehead,
his eyes, his shading hand?
Was the bed moving?
turned on my back and looked up Was
I mad drunk? dreaming? giddy again? or
was the top of the bed really moving down
sinking slowly, regularly, silently, horribly,
right down throughout the whole Of its length
and brealll--right down upon me, rs lay
underneath
Ny blood seemed To stanl still. A deadly