The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1866-01-17

'P'' ""u ""u 'huslc, rs II IN very mock
cry Of the Internal regions All these
sounds grew wilder with the rising gale.
and, toward midnight, they were almost
As for us three-lhe patient, Mrs.
Green and myse!f-we were as silent as
death itself. Not word passed our lips
after 0 O'Clock. AS for the state of our
m'rds, God only knows. Mine, in the
wide world Of thought and event which
followed, forgot all the past save what /
have recalled and peuned, bit by bit, a.
bov'. remember only looking for the
final catastrophe, which grew rapidly
nearer, with n constant endeavor 10 con
centrate all my faculties Of mind and
sense upon the phenomenon which I, a,
least, had begun to believe would herald
the loss of my patient.
AS it grew closer upon IL o'clock (for
upon the striking Of that hour had my
thoughts fixed themselves for til. expect,
ed demonstration,) my agitation became
so great that it was with extreme Difficult
ty could control myself.
r. Nearer and nearer grew the fatal MOI
ment-for fatal perceived it &ould be,
to the patient, at least-and at last the
seconds ,rembIcd on the brink Of mid,
night the clock began to strike-one
-two-three | counted the strokes of
the hammer, which seemed as though
they never would h ave edpne-ler-e e!ev-
en-tselve! | drew my breath again.
The last lingering echo Of the final stroke
had died away, and AS yet there was no
token Of any presence save our own.
All was silent. The wind had lulled
for moment, and not a sound stirred
the air within the house. The ghosts
had led.
arose and approached the bedside.
The patient WAS alive drawing his
breath very slo~ly-dying. The inter
walls between his gasps grew Iouger-,hen
he ceased TO breathe a!tegether-he was
dead
Mrs. Green was sitting in her place,
her elbows resting on her knees, her face
buried in her hands.
closed tbs open mouth and pressed
down the eyelids Of the dead. TneG
touched her on the shoulder.
ut is over" ! whispered.
Thank God," was The fervent reply.
\
Thcl We both star;cl. There was a
rus,lng of the bed clothes Mr. II ~.
den was sitting erect, bis eyes wide open
l'is chest hessing in mighty effort for
one more inspiration Of the blessed air.
Before could reach the bed he spoke !:
AT the same instant the wind came
back with a sudden and appalling gust
and Wild shrek, as it swept through
the crevices Of the building. There was
a crash Of the outer door, then s,agger,
ing and uncertain step in the outer room.
II approached the sick room, the latch
lifted, the door swung open--and then
my God what spectacle!
| wonder, eveL now, that dare d G
scribe ii--think Of it--re nsomt sr it.
wonder believed it then, or do now ;
that ! did not go mad or drop down
dead.
Through the open door there step ped
figure, not Of Mrs. Hayden, lot Of ber
corpse, not Of death, but thousand times
more horrible, thing Of corruption, de-
cay, or worms, and rolteuness.
The features were nearly ali gone, and
the skull in places cleaned through, white
and terrible. Her breast, abdomen and
neck were eaten away, her limbs were
Putrid, green aud 'nexpressibIy loa,h
some.
And yet TO those putrescen. jaws there
was born voice--smo,hered Indeed, and
strange, but distinct:
Come, William O.! they wait for you
/ wATrp
| dared not turn my eyes from the in
truder; ! could not, il dared, though
heard a groan behind me and a fall.
Then it--,te thing before me--sanL
down upon the floor, in a heap dark anC