Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1865-03-04

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home, half dead with terror, nerves
slackened, and scarcely able to speak
above whisper | tried the doors
They we're locked There was but one
other way to obtain entrance, and that tried.
The roof OF the bakery gave opportunity to
reach second story window, opening into
a chamber off which was my sleeping apart
ment With the aid of barrel | climbed
the low roof and, pulling myself along
reached the window, which being partly oper,
| entered with ease My fright had now in
a great measure abated, aud [ drew long
breath of relief as dropped from the sill
softly into the room. Dripping wet and chilled
through, | experienced yet deadlier thrill,
as, feeling in the dark for my door, something
seemed to pass suddenly before me, and
knew the phantom was with me again
hastily flung off my garments, and burying
myself in the bedclOthes, strove 10 sleep -
Tossing and tdrning for an hour, | at last fell
into an uneasy sumber, from which | was
suddenly awakened by a sound as Of singing
and moment aiterward hand, slender and
delicate as that of woman, but cold as that
OF corpse was laid upon my burning fore
head For moment the blood settled round
my heart, but with sudden effort ] sprane
u pright in bed and called aloud There was
no answer Nothing stirred / could hear
20 step or breath, listened / ever so intently,
and again closing my eyes | sank back,
stupefed and exhausted, with terrible
fear that was going mad Time dragged on,
and reused at last by the noise below, sat up
in bed striving to collect my thoughts, and
looking back on the events Of the past night
as horrid dream. 1t was broad day. The
storm had ceased, and the Gun was shining
brightly in at the windows. I rose and went
down Something was said at the breakfast
table respecting my appearance, which | as
cribed to illness, and the subject passed For
weeks lived in nightly terror lest it should
come to me again, but time went on, and
growing bolder, began to believe had been
laboting under deusion.
One night, nearly six months afterwards,
was standing in front Of the Arcade at Proyi-
dence waiting for friend with whom had
an appointment when a cold gust of air seem
ed to pass me, and close by my side-I could
leel twas the Thing All my old terror
came back, and | should have Aed-I know
not whither-when my friend approached, and
it vanished suddenly rs it came After this,
for three months it visited me often-some
times twice p week, and then ceased
altogether. Nearly two years passed by
Wntut III tue ullVNl Ol 'ttTTluC gaze
in thee Bay Of Funday, during which we
narrowly escaped getting wrecked, it came
again. was lying in my berth, sick aud
unable to stir, and waiting the death | ex-
pected every moment would bring, when the
hand was laid upon my forehead and drawn
slowly across, brushing my hair aside with It's
motion. THIS time it brought no terror aud
closing my eyes let it depart at its will
Still later, and scarcely year since, while
walking one evening on the desolate Cape
Negro coast, heard the voice, clear, distinct
and with the same unnatural, thrilling tone
as ut first IL is impossible to describe il or
its effect upon me- 1t was As il some DESC
late spirit, cast out from its fellows had striv.
en- to break through the mysterious veil
which hangs between the bodily and the spiI-
itual, and wall its unreyealsble agony into the
ears Of some one who might guess at and pity
its mysery. For weeks dreaded its repeti-
ton. 1t never came again, however, and |
trust never, until the eternal gates close upon
me, shall again listen to its utterance.
A thousand times | have tried to persuade
myself that il was Imagination, bnt reason
CRIES out against it When least expected
il, then it came--when waited, and watched,
aud dreaded, it came not In this life it is
and will be a mystery-but as surely as there
is world beyond, so surely do | know that
Il will there one day be made plain to me.