The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-08-20
" Beneath the lightning an the moon
The dead ! en- gave groan.
The grosned. ihey stirred, they all uprose,
Nor - Ike, nor moved their eyes.
IL had been strange, even in d dream,
~ had been strange, even in d dream
4 o laYc sceu iIe... d..u.I msn ris.. ~


| Nor - Ike, nor moved their eyes.
| u had been strange, even in d dream,
10 have seen these dead msn rise
! was going on to read the next verse wheI
was interrupted by a cause which chilled
every drop of blood in my BODY ant
brought cold drops Of mortal fear To ml
/ forehead From the direction OF the cot
fin there fell on my ear the sound Of a long
/ continued demoniacal laugh. 1t was low
and hollov. but fcarluIy Il stinct-a mock
ing. fiendish sound. such As has never fall
en- on my ear before and | pray never may
greet them aguin, llorror-struck ! listen
ed and not III vain Once more there came
the same low, hideous laughter, and thi.
time undoubtedly from the coffin itself
cannot express the appalling nature of til,
sound. \ groan would have been horrible
enough coming from the lips Of dead
man, but rude laughter issuing from hin
who had presented so horrible so l)ath
some spectacle, poss, ssed a power of no,
ror which can neither be imagined or dc
scribed. simultaneously with the las
sound perceived that there was a Sigh,
movement among the clothes with which
the corpse had been covered This motion
recalled Inc TO my duty, and though trem
bling with fear, walked to the coffin and
removed the cloth which had overspread
the face of the corpse
Well might stagger back with a shrick
for III that coffin, instead of the rcvivin,
features Of my dead father. | beheld the
face and the eyes which had haunted me
asleep and awake for the last twenty-foul
hours. Well might ! struggle and shout
for that Is no puny strength which the
mad,nan, sprlng!ng from the coffin, eXert-
10 hurl me to the floor aHd a. heard him
push L. the IOOr with his foot and
the spring clasp with snap. | knew
that was alone with my horrible visitor
Soon the contest was ended and | lay on
my back in the power of this fcnd Ill Lu
man shape, and gagged as scarcely to be
able to breathe. He looked at me with
those wild eyes moment and then as il
a new thought had struck him. exclaimed
d" know what we II do, | have played dead
man good while. L., us see how you Il
do. With perfect ease he picked me W
and put me III the coffin from which he
had lust risen " Now. said he. " lie still
Or-you see this and he fouri,hed a keen
hatchet over his head. Apparently salts
ned with this assurance OF Iay quictudc. he
removed the bandage from my mouth
watching me all the time. however. with
uncea~inE vigilance. suddenly he said
you breathe too much for a dead man
but We Il stop tnat and lie raised the
hatcnet over rnv head a. it to strike At
such an emergency thou Iht and action are
simultaneous. and | cried. You cannot
Judge by yourself how well can look
when am dead, You had better let ,ue
alone and we both together can Judge bet
ter Never mind, said he, " I've got 4
friend back here who will help better than
you will Perhaps you would like TO see
h:m. He laid down hi, weapon. stepped
back, and drawing aside tie hang!ngs p
vcaled tn" body Of my father propp-d uT
against the wall. IN the hahilimcnt~ of I'll.
grave. The banda-c was torn of from the
head, and the chin fell down upon the
breast. showing the mouth 10 be already
black with modification. The maciinan
pointed al him i'll triumph, and seeming
not to notice that III watching his motions
! had partly raised from my former posi-.
ton, etNciaiinea--' Hero i, tho friend who
wl!l-but' with an anxious look) he
cant sec; his eyes are shu;: I'll omen
them, though. He caught the corpse bv
the meek. aud pressed It till the tonyue
swollen - nearly double il, natural size
p.otrude from the mouth. and the eyes
seemed - b" forced from their sockets -
mo. and | saw that nov; va, the time for
action Quick a. thought. slipped from!
tine table on which the coffin had rested
sized the hatchct and with one vigorous
blow laid him l!fcic>s at my feet
X w"s but a moment work to ring the
bell and open the door, the next. a licht
streamed through the corridor. and the
sound of footsteps icll on INV ear rush
ed forward L. meet them, and tainted on
the re>hold
The reader viii OF course have imagined
events which brought about these occur
Fences. How the Inan;ac'S madness had
been directed to me, and how. actuatcd bv
it, h. had escaped from his Keepers, fol
lowed he home, got into the room bv the
window OF the vault below, and supplante,i
the corpse. through some vague whm
while ! slept
have watched with corpscs since then
but even now can never enter a room
where there Is a dead body without fcelinc .
as though those ha>iii-k eyes were about to
meet mine, and that same voice sounding
in my cars IL IS ieJdf'