The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-09-20

1fe had nobody belongin' 10 him, % you
urednv be Altered TO take H. He must hev
AIKEN : likin' to yon, for be thought heap OF
H. Take il, Doctor And 80 the wa'en wan
mine.
i, VIVA ,lumb and motionleae, and reuained
40. I took II to matchmaker, and he laughed
~ the idea Of it's ever going again. ms was
alter had left the West and dwelt in a large
and ropulous city in the Eastern States, some
eipht or nine months after poor Mike Barlow's
death. The matchmaker only confirmed my
own suspicions. It was strange convenience
that il should last exactly his masters lifetime,
but that was all So hung 1t upon my cham
Der wall a memento OF those Gays ot 'oh anu
struggle in the far West.
One morning awoke early. The bushes
Of dawn were just breaking over the earth IL
was the month Of November, but still the day
was lovely There was AN unWonted sound
in my room. Had the sky been cloudy should
have imagined il to he the rain upon the roof.
Then began To feel that this sound heard
was too delicate for the patter Of rain. II
might have been the Clang of a fairy hammer,
or the tapping Of the beak of some minute
bird. save that it was too regular. But the
mystery of the sound was that it seemed to
appeal 10 me-io reproach me with forgetting
it.
| sai up and looked about me-. In an instant
| understood the sound 1t was tue tick OF
the old watch upon the wall Silent Tor
twelve month, it had suddenly found voice, as
though some spirit hand had touched ,ts springs
| looked at ms memorandum book. Twelve
O'Clock of the past night was the anniversary
of Mike Barlow's death. His words had colue
true AT hast He had said that, when it once
again began to move II Would he as my moni-
tor of safety or danger. All else had happened
as he had foretold why should not this come
TO pass l Wore upon my guard cham a dainty
little Geneva watch. l untistened 1t, and put
the battered silver monster IN its place. The
budding development of the mystery made II
moie precious to me than If II had been set
with Jewels.
1t did not stop again heard the soft clear
"tick, tick, tick, all day and when awaken
ed in the night. Once or twice 1t beat more
rapidly than usual, and always before peril
the first time when n fever threatened me the
second as stood upon broken bridge, which
was swept away one hour afterwards; and at
other moments which have. forgotten, bat
which served To keep alive the fancy that
have loved to cherish. Never was its voice
SO clear and soft as Gu that evening when
first met Rosa Grey. | loved her from the
first moment and she loved me in return. We
had neither of Us any friends to interfere, Tor
she was an orphan. brotherless and eisterlees;
and SO, after brief courtship, We were mar
ried
lie while she learned the story Of the watch.
She had faith in it, and thought OF iancied that
che could detect the very shades OF difference
in its nttetance When was weary she SAID
the watch was weary, too; when was glad,
il had JOYOUS echo. | know that on that
night when feeble breath iinttered III Tee
bier frame, and The little creature IL whom onr
hove had gwen existence struggled Valnly i"f
its life, there WAS Il plteons cadence III the
4 that ola watch | hone never Ia hear
again
So we lived on together. 1t was Gods will
that We should be chidless, but we loved each
other all the more. grew rich and prosper
ous, and our only grief was the missing OF those
baby eyes and voices which we had hoped 10
have about our hearth.
1t was my fortieth birthday never shall
forget the d.ty-when the watch began Its
warning MY wife and head it al one NO
ment. Never before had the voice OF that
watch been so loud OF rapid All day long, all
the next, and all the next, that warning con
tinued. The strong pulse within the watch
shook the table on which ii rested when drew
il from my pocket, and made the garments on
my bosom rise and fall when replaced 1t
Were we threatened with illness? No! her
cheek was blooming and my pulse was iegn-
lar What could it mean!
After four days began 10 laugh 1T my own
credulity, and even Rosa began 10 lose her
faith in the monitor. About noon lett her,
and went along to 4 little room where kept
my medical works and some rare drugs and
cuiiositiea. 1t wss my purpose to study Tor a
lecture which | was To deliver that evening. L
seated myself at my desk aud commenced TO
read, but after few moments l began to eX
perience II singular iaintness, and 10 inhale a
disagreeabie od0r. l recognized the smell IN
a moment In one OF the jars upon my shelves
was rare essence Of great use III cases where
a suspension of consciousness was necessary,
hut excessively dangerous save III skillful
hands Some one Ia servant probably had
been meddling with the jar, and removed the
stopper, and the room was full of the powerful
odor | ,nust leave it, if would live. I stag
gered to the door, put my hand upon the lock,
when, horror of horrors 1t remained immov.
able--something had happened TO the catch. |
strove to call aloud, but my voice failed me.
eutched the table for support, but lost my hold
and fell heavily TO the floor could see no.
thing; all grew dark about me. Mechanically
l placed my hand upon the watch within my
bosom 1t had stopped-and | remember no.
thing more.
Consciousness came back TO me, as it may
come to new born babe, for aught l know. l
felt without understanding; | Was conscious OF
facts for which | cared nothing; | was i'll the
dark; was very cold, and my movements
were constrained; bat it did not seem as though
that were any affair of mine. Hunger al last
awoke me; the animal aroused the mental, and
| began TO wander where l had been and
where was | pat up my hand az we'll as
could There was a low roof over my head
folds of muslin lay about me, and something
was upon my breast which emitted Il sickly
fragrance--a bunch of flowers seeming halt
withered | knew this by the touch. What
was the matter with me! Why could | not
breathe freely! Was blind and deaf, that
conld neither see nor hear! Suddenly truth
flashed across me; had been buried aiire!-l
lay in my coffin!
And all this time YOU ask, where was my
wife! How had she borne the blow which
had fallen SO suddenly upOn her? She it was
who found me senseless upon my study floor
and she it was who hoped for returning con
sciousness after all others despaired. At last
they told her l was dead, and shrouded me for
burial. Learned men decided that the strange
preservation of my frame was caused by the
manager of death, and at length my body was
committed 10 the tomb.
had often made my wife promise NE that
if died first she would take the watch into
her own possession, aud wear il while she
lived and 80, now that all was over, she took
it, voiceless as il was, and laid it next her bo-
som. For three days and nights she never
slept, but at last exhaustion did its work,
and she fell into heavy slumber She was
awaked by sound as strange as it was unex-
pected The watch, silent since that fatal day
had begun to tick-fast and furious. as it never
licked before; loud enough to arouse her
loud enough to make her spring to her pillow
in an agony of hope and fear.
Those about her thought she was 4 mad
woman but nevertheless the strength of her
purpose bore all before her. Ont into the
midnight she went, and they followed
Through the streets of the deserted town she
passed in her white night robes like a ghost,