New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-12-26

the appointed hour was summoned, was total,
unfit for the office. My nerves were unstrung, my
body weakened by want of rest, and grief to such
1 an extent, that was incapable Of any great exer
ton either of body or mind. Ashamed, however,
Of my weakness, and unwilling to burden another
on account Of my foolish fear obeyed the call and
1 withdrew to the chamber of the dead. As en-
tered found all things as have already described
them, with one or two trit1ing exceptions. The
room was lighted by four candlesteks placed about
the corpse, and two more on table apart, which
1 was spread with books and papers to relieve the
solitude of my watch. The tapestry appeared
brighter, and the coors more brilliant than by day.
light and no longer wondered at the taste which
4 led my father to preserve it. The servants and as
slstants at my duty were to remain in the chamber
at the other end OF the corridor whence they could
be summoned by bell, whose chord hung near
me.
These facts being explained, the old house stew.
ard, who acted as usher, departed, and his foot
steps echoing through the passage and followed
BY the closing of the door, told me that was alone
with the dead. l first looked at the body. The
face by that dim light seemed even more CHASTITY
than before, and the symptoms of modification
were more distinct and repulsive. turned away
to seek for something less horrible, and taking up
book attempted to read. The application and
the utter silence brought about what could not
awoke the candles had burned low, and the long
| untrimmed wicks threw heavy shadows in all parts
| of the room, and gave everything dimness which
seemed well suited to the place, and in accordance
L
| began to examine the tapestry more particularly
and to study the figures. One scene which first
attracted my attention was representation of the
temptation of our Lord. The face of the Saviour
had been partly effaced by some rude act of vio-
ence which had rent the fabric aud the attempt to
| repair it had produced but miserable scar. On
| the other hand the face of Satan, as well as the
whole figure, was admirably preserved. 1t was
nearly as large as life, and worked with skill
which made it seem to stand out from the silk
background in bold relief 1t was represented ac-
cording to the popular idea of the fabrcators age,
| as furnished with horns and tail, and was ebony
black in all parts of the naked body. The face
was human in feature but marked by an express
sion of mingled hatred, fear and yet of triumph
which no face but a demons could wear; and
wondered that human Imagination could have con-
celved SO horrible countenance The beads which
had been wrought into the eyes gave them a
brilliancy which recalled like a flash the remenl-
brance OF my very strange encounter OF the day.
He was represented, probably, at the time when
meath them, and his right arm was raised and his
forefnger extended as if to mark them for atten-
ton. So lifelike was the posture and perfect
the execution that nstinctively and nvoluntarily
turned to see at what it pointed. From where I
stood it seemed to point right at the coffin and as
withdrew my eyes hastily from that object, there
seemed to be characteristic of his expression
which had not noticed before. There seemed to
be delight at pain inflicted, and mocking smile
which, as the head nodded from the motion of air
behind the tapestry, seemed to repeat as plain as
whisper in the ear, Don't you know? he is dead"
| shuddered, turned away and, snufing my two
candles, took up the first book touched and be-
gan to read. 1t proved to be Coleridge's Ancient
Mariner. Soon the graphic description and wierd,
unearthly character of the tales, mingled with
consciousness of my own situation, pervading and
tinging all with an additional power of horror,
gave it fascination which bound my attention as
far as the middle of part fourth, where the Mari
ner is
-" Alone a wide, wide sea-
and his dead comrades rottng on the deck about
him. The hour, my position, the nervousness of
my condition, all combined to give his words
power not their own. read on till | came to this
passage:
Beneath the lightning and the
The dead .a.d men gave gave , gLoan ~,
5. Nor spake, nor moved their eyes.
II had been strange even in dream,
To have these deal men rise.
was going on to read the next verse when
was interrupted by a cause which chilled every
drop of blood in my body, and brought cold drops
of mortal fear to my forehead. From the direction
of the coffin there fell on my ear the sound of a
long continued demonacal laugh. 1t was low and
hollow, but fearfuly distnct-a hooking, tiendish
sound, such as had never fallen on my ear before,
and pray may never greet them again. Horror
struck, | listened and not in yan Once more
there came the same low, hideous laughter, and
this time undoubtedly from the coffin ITSELF can
not express the APPALLING nature Of the sound
groan would have been horrible enough coming
from the lips of dead man, but rude laughter is
suing from him who had presented so horrible so
loathsome a spectacle, possessed power of horror
which can neither be imagined or described. ST.
multaneously with the last sound perceived that
there was a slight movement among the clothes
with which the corpse had been covered. This
motion recalled me to my duty, and though tremb-
ling with fear walked to the coffin and removed
the cloth which had overspread the face of the
corpse.
Well might stagger back with a shrek, for in
that coffin, instead of the reviving features of nv
dead father, beheld the face and the eyes which
had haunted me, asleep and awake, for the last
twenty -four hours. Well might l struggle and
shout, for that is no puny strength which the
mailman, springing from the coffin, exerts to hurl
me to the floor, and as heard him push to the
deor with his foot, and the spring clasp with
clasp, knew that was alone with my horrible
visitor. Soon the contest was ended, and / lay
on my back in the power of this tiend in human
shape, and gagged SO as to be scarcely able to
breathe. He looked at me with those wild eyes a
moment, and then, as if new thought had struck
him, exclaimed, 81 know what We'll do | have
played dead man good while, let lis see how
you'll do" With perfect ease he picked me up
and put me in the coffin from which he had just
risen. Now, said he lie still or-you see this y
and he fourished keen Ratchet over his head.
Apparently satisfied with this assurance of my
quietude, he removed the bandage from my
mouth, watching me all the time, however, with
breathe too much for dead man, but we'll stop
that and he raised the Ratchet over my head as
II to STRIKE AT such an emergency thought and
acton are simultaneous, and / cried, :" You can
not judge by yourself how well l can look when
am dead. You had better let me alone, and we
both together car Judge better.'' Never mind y
said he, Eve got a friend back here who will
help better than you will. Perhaps you would
like to see him. He laid down his weapon
stepped back, and drawing aside the hangings,
revealed the body of my father propped up
against the wall, in the habments of the grave.
me bandage was torn off from the head, and the
chm fell down upon the breast showing the mouth
to be already black with modification The mad
man pointed at him in triumph, and seeming not to
notice that in watching his motions had partly
raised from my former position, exclaimed, q Here
Is the friend who will-but'' (wth an anxious look
I" he can't see; his eyes are shut; I'll open them,
though. He caught the corpse by the neck, and
pressed it till the tongue, swollen to nearly double
the eyes seemed to be forced from their sockets.
The madmans face was turned away from me,
and saw that now was the time for action Quick
as thought slipped from the table on which the
coffin had rested, seized the Ratchet and with one
vigorous blow laid him lifeless at my feet
1t was but a moments work to ring the hell and |
open the door; the next, light strcamed through
the corridor and the sound of footsteps fell on nv
ear. rushed forward to meet them and tainted !
on the Threshold.
The reader will of course have imagined events |
which brought about these occurrences How the
maniac's madness had been directed to me, and
how, actuated by it, he had escaped from his keep
ers, followed me home, got into the room by the
window of the vault below, and supplanted the
corpse, through some vague whim, while slept.
have watched corpses since them but even now
can never enter a room where there is n dead bodv