The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Fayetteville, N.C.) 1864-186?, 1864-05-10
A TALE OF HORROR.
BIZ ALIoCIS."


bring to mind certain disasreeabls reIn.m-
brances, which otherwise would have slun,-
Hbersd peacefully in the deep abyss Of the
|past; but which. being aroused. haunt us for
& time, then to pass away until the same i.:.
|ciacnts again recall them. There arc certain
|eoands, certain words, which, being heard, a
l .ht,ader crecps, over me, and puts me
4 1nn.Rs1t il tsses .
p But Of all the worda winch Hi ms With
sjread-vhich csuse chill, IS Of death, to
crawl over my fflue+which torment NC to
agony-none have great an effect, none
so quickly start me from my accustomed
slf-control, none make me so much wish to
escape from my thoughts, AZ the
world cannot write it: cannot speak
lit.
You who arc learned in Biblical matters
you who search the Scriptures" know
who it was that temp pied our first mother, or
rather, grandmother. of countless years ago
you know what shape he took. that he
might breathe into her unsuspectnS the
soft words Of the seducsr-you know how.
even now, he glides silently along, obcdicnt
to the mandate, upon thy belly shalt thou
go, and dust shalt thou eat, all the days of
thy life"-and you know that still he watch
es every chance to bruiss the heel Of the
genus home.
That j. the name which cannot
write, and which strikes me with ter
ror.
But why, perhaps you ask ME is it So
what horrible idex is embodied in the word
what awful raous hts or pictures dose it
paint upon your mind? Do you really i'm
agine that the Father of all Evil is wrap
ped up in that form, AND is it because Of that.
that you sh,ldder?
Not bit. | am 10 more afraid Of the
devil than TIE devil is afraid of me. AL
though he did get possession Of Dr.. .Faustus,
and Of Festt,s, and host of other weak
minded men, have no fear that ne will get
possession Of me. l defy him. dare him
to come on in any shape he chooses, and
will 60 a thousand dollars to six and a quar-
ter cents, that he Comes off second best. Not
that | wish to brag of my courage, or my
virtue. or my invincibility. No none Of
those; for | always remember that great men
lived before Agumemnon."
L dsTy r7T., .lfItf for rr,rzo-1s-- or my own
but good ane subStuutiaI reasons all.
What, then, is there so dreadful in the
word sn- had almost written it
three letters more, and it would have been
placed in black and white before my oyes.
/ will tell you why.
It was cold, clustering November night,
two years ago MAS seated before my fire,
deeply engaged in reading. Among the
stories which | pcrsl:ed, was one which made
me shudler and my ,teath chatter with hor-
ror 1t WAS of a man who, in distant land
awaking from sound sleep, found creeping
over him an anaconda. The writer had
pictured in glowing terms, the dreadful ag
ony OF. that poor man, as he lay alive to all
the horrors Of his position but yet fearful
to move, almost afraid to breathe, lost the
monster should discover that be was living,
and should put an end to his existeace.
How relieved was when l learned that
he escaped death-when the awful animal
sped away from him, leaving him unha rmed
in body, but racked in mind with the tor
ture of Thousand deaths.
drew a long breath, and pitching far
from me the book, tlanked my stars and
clastics--my wfe's I mean-that had not
been in SO dreadful situation. l thought
upon it, until could bear it no longer.
resolved to forget myself in that far off land,
so dear to all troubled minds and weary bod
ies-the land Of Nod.
l brcathed prayer for my wife who was
away upon a visit, blew out tho lamp, and
jumped into bed Whew how cold the
sheets were! Didn't pity poor forlan bach
lors Didn't vow that if ever l allowed my
wife to be absent from mo again in the
winter season, nj ght be .verlastin y
Heavens what was that7 Something in
my bed / reached out my foot-it was
long, and ronnd, and smooth in one direction
but apparently covered with on1cthing
rough, when l drew my foot q slight distance
back.
! What could it be?
A thousand thoughts rushed pell-mel
through my head but most dreadful Of all
most asonizing, cams the story Of the ana
conda. What if this should be some dcadl,
reptile! Pashaw said 10 myself, you arl
a fool. How could such an animal get int,
your bed, especially in winter it is al
1noodshine.
1 put out my foot again and touched it,
/ it moved towards me
1t rested against my leg!
A cold sweat broke out all over me
sensation As of death came upon me, an
then, regardless Of the danger of moving
thoughtless Of everything bat the prcxenc
of the dread object, sprang with lou
shreck from the bed, and sunk upon tn
floor.
Ny cry alarmed the boardcrs; in IL
costume of the midnight hours, they rashe
into ny room. could only point to til
bed and say nothing.
i They turned down the clothes. and he,
in plain sight rested, not 4 ven ,,nous rept il