The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-02-20
Rithmunb 4ispatrh.
WEDNESDAY MORNING. FEB. 40. 1901
FcoSclrpsn. !

dream, and felt certain that was not alone. -
waited. My heart beat on quicker, more
cage might futter in presence Of the hawk
And then heard a sound, faint, pat quite
distinct, the clank Of iron, the rattiing o. !
chain 1 ventured to lift my head from ."e
pillow Dim and uncertain as the iight was,
saw the curtains of my bed shake, and
caught A glimpse OF something eeyo - ~ 80. -
er spot in the darkness Ihss comm i.'a -" :.
OF my fears did not surprise me SO aa, -
checked me I strove to cry asouo, put couia
NOT inter word. The cham rattied again,
and this time the noise was louder and eieafer
Rnt though strained my eyes, they could
No. panatrate the ohscurity that shrouded the
other end OF the chamber, whence came the
snIlen clanking. In moment severai dis
tinct trains of thought, like many coiored
strands of thread twining into one, became
palpable 10 my ment tai vision. was II rob-
harS could IL be a supernatural visitants or
was the victim of cruel trick, such as
had heard of. and which some thoughtless
persons love 10 practice on the timid, Reckless
~ its dangerous results Aud then new
idea. with some ray of comfort in il, suggest
cd It.eIf There was n fine young dog OF the
Newfoundland breed a favorite of my father s
which was usually chained by night in AN
clubhouse. Neptune might have broken loose,
,o,.uu ms way 10 nay room, and, finding the
door impericctly closed, have pushed II open
and entered. / brea thed more freely as this
harmless Interpretation of the noise forced IT.
self up0p me. 1t vast must be--the dog
and was dis tressing myself uselessiy i re-
solved to call 10 him strore TO utter ms
name-'Neptune, Neptune :" but a secret APP
vreheusion restrained me, and was mute
Then the chain cianked nearer ana nearer 10
The he'd. and presently l saw dusky shape
less mass appear between the curtains on me
opposits side 10 where l was lying how !
longed 20 hear the whine of the poor animal
that / hoped might be the cause OF my aitrH.
IN, no hazard no sound save the rustic OF
the cur tains and the CLASH OF the iron chaih.
Inst thea the dying fame OF the fire leaped
up and with one sweeping hurried giahce
saw that the door was smut, ana, norrof IL Is
not tn. dog it is the semoianee oil human
form, that now throws itself heavily ON the
bed OF, tside the clothes, and lies there, huge
and swart, in the red CLEAN that lretcherous-
Iy dies away after showing so much TO AT
fright and sinks into dull darkness. There
was no " no light left. though the red cinders
vet glowed with ruddy gsaIn, Ike the eyes
of wild beasts. The chain ratified no more
tried TO speak 10 scream wildly for help, my
mouth was parched, my tongue refused to
obey / could not utter Il cry, and, indeed,
who could have heard me, alone as L was in
that solitary chamber, with no hSihS neigh
Dor. and the picture gallery between me and
any aid that even the loudest, most piercing
shrek could summon. And the storm That
howled without would have drowned my
voice, even il help had been at hand. To call
aloud-to demand who was there-alas how
useless how perilous Ii the intruder We're a
robber, my outcries would but goad him to
fury; but what robber would act thus As
Tor Il tfiCk tItl ApoSSinif' ytlr
what lay by my side, now wholly unseen l
stroye TO pray aloud, as there rushed On my
memory a flood of weird legends--the dreaded
yet fascinating lore OF my childhood. 1 had
heard and read of the spirits OF wicked men
forced to revisit the scenes OF their earthly
Crimes-of demons that lurked In certain ac-
cursed spots--of the ghoul and vampire OF the
E1sr. stealing amid the graves they rifted for
their ghostiy banquets and shuddered as l
& azed on the blank darkness where l knew it
lay. 1t stirred-t moaned hoarsely; and
again heard the chain ciank close beside me
so close that it must almost have touched
me. l drew myself from it, shrinking away
In loathing and terror of the evil thing-what,
/ knew not, but felt that something malig-
nant was near. And yet, in The extremity of
my fear, L dared not speak; / was strangely
cautious to be silent, even in moving farther
of for had a wild hope that 1.-THE phan-
tom, the creature, whatever it was-had not
discovered my presence in the room. And
then remembered all the events of the night
Lady Speldhurst's ll-omened vaticinat ions,
her half warnings, her singular look
parted. my sisters persuasions, my terror III
the gallery, the remark that ''this was the
room nurse Sherrard used to talk Of" And
then memory, stimulated by fear, recalled the
long forgotten past, the iil-repute OF this dis
used chamber, the sins il had Witnessed the
blood spilled, the poison administered by I'M
natural hate within its walls, and the tradi-
ton which called it haunted The green room
Il remembered now how fearfuily the ser
wants avoided it-hoW il was men toned rare
ly, and in whispers, when we were children,
and no we had regarded 1t as q mysterious
region, unfit for mortal habitation. Was it
the dark form with the chain--a creature of
this world, or spectrey And again-more
dreadful still-could il be that the corpses of
wicked men We're forced TO rise, and haunt in
the body the places where they had wrought
their evil deeds? And was such as these nv
grsly neighbor? The chain family ratified
MY hair bristled my eye balls seemed start
ing from their sockets the damps of Il great
anguish Were on my brow My heart iabored
as if We're crushed beneath some vast weight.
Sometimes it appeared to stop its frenZied
beatings, sometimes It's pulsatons were fierce
and hurried my breath came short and wirh
extreme difficulty, and shivered as if with
cold yet feared TO stir 1t moved, it moan
ed, its letters clanked dismaliy, the couch
creaked and shook. This was no phun-
tom, then-no alr-drawn spectre. But it's
very soldity, its palpable presence, We're a
thousand times more terrible. / felt that |
was in the very grasp OF what could not only
alright, but harm of something whose con
tact sickened the soul with deathly fear /
made desperate resolve glided from the
bed, l seized warm wrapper, threw it
around me- and tried to grope, with extended
hands, my way to the door. My heart beat
high at the hope OF escape. But had scarce
ly taken one step, before the moaning was re-
newed, II changed into threatening growl
that would have suited VOLTS throat and Il
hand elntehed at my sleeve. l stood motion
less. The muttering growl sank to moan
again, the chain sounded no more but still
the hand held its grippe of my garment and l
feared TO move. Ii knew of my presence then.
My brain ree1ed, the blood boiled in my ears,
and my knees lost all strength, while my
heart painted like that of q deer, III the VOLTS
jaws. l sank back, and the benumbing infiu-
ence OF excessive terror reduced me to
state of stupor. When my full consciousness
returned, / was sitting on the edge of the bed,
shivering with cold, and Arefooted. All was
silent, but felt that my sleeve was still
clutehed by my unearthly yisitant. The
Ia tod n Tnt In XNrl.l
chuckling laugh, that froze my very marrow,
aud the gnashing of teeth as in demoniac
frenzy and then wailing moan, and this
was succeeded by silence. Hours NAV have
passed--nay, though the tumult of my own
heart prevented my hearing the clock strike,
must have passed-but they seemed ages to
me. And how We're they spenty Hideous
visions passed before the aching eyes that
! dared not close, but which gazed ever into
the dumb darkness where it lay-my dread
companion through the watches of the night
! pictured it in every abLorrent form which
an excited fancy could summon up; now as a
skeleton, with hollow eye holes and grinning,
fieshless jaws now as vampire, with lvid
face and bloated form, and dripping mouth
wet with blood. Would IL never be light
And yet, when day should dawn, should be
forced 10 see 1t face to face. l had h card that
spectre and fiend were compelled to fade as
morning. frightened, but this creature was too
real, too foul 2 thing Of earth, to vanish at
cock-crow. No. / should see 1.-THE horro,.
face to face! And then the cold prevailed
and my teeth chartered, and shiyerings ran
through me, and yet there was the damp of
agony on my bursting brow. Some instinct
made me snatch at u shawl or cloak that lay
on chair within reach and wrap il round
me- The moan WAS renewed, and the ain
just stirred: Then sank into apathy, like an
inoiah az the stake, ia the intervals of tor
tnre. Hours fed by, and / remained I,ke q
statue OF ice. rigid and mute even slept. for
remember that started 10 find the cold grew
hsnt Vi an early winters dav was on my face.
.ha hsesanhg around the room from between
ing, DIT urged oy the impulse thai riyeis Tho