East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1865-11-15
CAToCAUs.
A THRILLING SKETCH.

a THhlLblNG SKETCH.
II was a breathless night in June, Ny win
dows were all open and yet the flame Of n can
die scarcely aickered. / had beeome deeply in
torested in the pages of a new book, and wal
needless of the lapse of time; or the circumstan
ces around me, until moth Auttered into th,
fame, and the cracking of its flmy wings Mt
tracted my attention. Upon glancing at my
watch, which lay beside me on the table, I found
to my surprise that II already after midnight
l determined thereupon, 10 road no more and
| shutting my book, walked across the room Il
draw the curtain, intending Immediately to go tc
bed but the moonlight shone 30 pleasantly in al
the window, that was forced TO sit down and
lean upon the sill, and gaze out upon the scene
There were few thin, wbitish clouds han ging
about tho horizon, like the distant wings of an
enormous spirit, but otherwise. the sky was
perfectly cloudiess. Above the moon was shining
peacefully, and below, the world Of green lay
dreaming in its misty shroud, half obscured, save
where the curving river, glancing in the moon
light shone like n FURNISHED belt of steel There
is n strange facination ia sitting In the moon ght
and for almost an hour, / sat leaning out into
the air All was silent, save the monotonous mu-
sical gurgle of the frogs in the pond, and at in
tcrvals the rustlng of green leaves as tremu-
lous breath Of wind swelled gently, and then died
away, or the prolonged bark Of some lar of dog
i had fallen into vague rcverie, when heard
the bell strike one. j arose and went 10 he'd
But no sooner had left the window, than felt
sharp pain run through my heal, which after
recurring at intervals, through the next half hour
finally settled into raging headache. Ny brain
thrObbed violently and seemed 10 be loose Ia my
head, so that every motion added 10 the pain -
IL was rs il an iron hand compressed any temples
within its gripping fingers. ] lay thus tossing,
restless and sleepcss for several hours and fnal-
ly fell asleep.
dreamed that / was lying beside a waterfall,
half asleep. The water rushed hissiRg down be-
side me. ms If an ocean were loosened, and hur-
RED boiling fercely, down a rocky declivity.-
The air drizzled with spray, which fell over
me like hot sparks, and the trees above me, seen
through IT, seemed, at times, human skeletons
which bent their long bony arms down 10 INV
lace and then slowly rising, uplttsd themselves
into tho air. and became natural trees again.
thousand circles intangling and intorlacing dila-
ted and contracted incessantly. then slowly the
motion decreased, and they kept creeping around
more and more gently, until they swan into q
broad sea Of smooth, CLASSY water, and fading out
of my sight left the air above Inc all calm and
clear Soon a small eye seemed looking placidly
at me, that grew larger and larger until It filled
the wide ring Of the horizon then il changed
into face which looked close into my eyes; grad
ually the features became distorted into hideous
mask, and grinned, and thea thousand similar
faces crowded ono upon another, until the air
seemed full Of them they huddled together, and
tossed about without body like the waves OF the
ocean. Now | suddenly seemed 70 be crawling
on hands and knees over fiimy and slippery
rocks, which were covered with damp green sea-
weed. As / gmped along, the sea-wceds began
to change into snakes, until the rocks seemed
alive with nauscous crawling reptiles, that rubbed
their shiny sides against my limbs and checks,
and cast over dreadful chill Of horror; all
my flesh seemed 10 creep, and the very scalp to
move my scull
In the midst OF my horror and torment,
heard the wild ring Of bell. / suddenly and
convulsiyciy opened my eyes and heard the
breakfast bell ringing, for n moment, expert
enced the most grateful relief from the torment
of the nightmare, which has ruUrv than Once thus
affected nae snd tell the glad gush
Of feeling which came over me, when found oil
this horrible scene was n dream / lay thus for
n moment, thinking Of the change and then re-
solved TO spring from tho bed and dress myself
Immediately, but what was my surprise and
horror, when / found l could not move. My
body and limbs seemed rigid as marble, and Of
an intolerable weight. i could neither turn my
head, not stir hand nor foot. My eyebalis were
fixed en- ~ Ot upon the white wall over my head,
and could neither turn them nor draw down
tho lid In VAN strove TO novel, was per-
fectly stiff and torpid, and without the power Of
motion. There appeared 10 be some appalling
disconncction between the will and the muscular
system-bctween the mind and the body, ns il
my living soul was changed, Mezcntius like. to n
deaS body. There was no pain-only a fearful
sensation, MS if the whole air had CONCEALED into
firm transparent amber, which held me strict.
ly imprisoned.
Suddenly like the swift track of a falling star,
the thought shot across my mind that I was dead.
Yes, that could he the solusion of this dreadful
enigma-I was sure that was dead, but o God
was this death 2 Had we always been mistaken,
and did the soul remain bus to haunt the body,
without the ability to cast II OFT Was death
only a suspension of power over this 6brous mass,
and these finely organized senses. and nicely ad-
justed muscles . Only the break Of enc link in
the subtle chain, that connects all the faculties
and powers with their instruments7 Perhaps
the soul was never freed until the body had rot
ted of, little by little into Of corruption,
and exhaled or fallen TO dry dust and was
destined TO inhabit this living house, and feel ii
slough away from me aud perish, ere l could
emerge into the light and beauty Of q reuowei
life. This had never dreamed Of, and all the
10 an. luxury of existence all the sense Of light
ana sunsh me and fresh air all the thousand fold
delic,. - with which God has strewn the pictured
world. " ere not worth such price. Upon these
Iips the W, 'rm shorld feed, and could not drive
him away; these eyes, through which the soul
had looked upon a fuild, glorious world, as
were loatbsome and corrupted q God! the ago
Nv Of such thought. Nothing had ever imag-
mod eaualed Il in terror. And when rccollect-
ed the dead faces Of those whom had loved aud
buried and remembered the benign and placid
smile which shone upon them, like the last foot
prints of the feed anil rejoicing spirit, as u new
heavcnward and which seemed TO betoken the
recognition by the soul OF diviner sense, as ~
was leaving its clay tcnefuent--and thought that,
perchance, even at the We ry moment while was
bending over them 10 take last farewell look,
with this feeling in my heart they were enduring