Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-11-01


devices in Greek, in addition to his name
I Without any object in view but that O
5 aFenging myself, ! seized firmly hold O
it, and in the struggle l tore it of. Thii
circumstance he did not at that time no
tice. In spite Of my resistance, he nut
: tered between his teeth a successful issue
to the combat. And as he sank almost
exhausted on the ground in that lonely
+ place, l heard my antagonist clasp his
h knife
/. With a startled bound, l was again on
my feet, and extrieated myself from his
hands then followed a race for life.
flew, rather than ran, with the piece Of
gold in my hand I had no scruples
where I trod now I went straight before
him now evading his grasp by passing
: in and out of the graves l heard his
curses as ran. The darkness was deep
ening, and all the horrors Of my position
seemed to increase.
Nothing was left to me but to sueeumb
to my fate, and suffer the pursuing vii
lain to take the life he sought Every
earthly interest lost its attractions Ia
these moments Of despair. felt my
/ knees falling, my steps slackened in speed
a dizziness came over me and the con
seiousness that he was close behind me
became a certainty, when suddenly false
step on my part precipiJated NE into a
newly dug grave of great depth.
experienced a shock, and the pain I
suffered was acute. I believed myself
injured to such an extent that my life
was despaired Of, but held my peace
In the midst of this terrible torture of
mind and body, | listened with kind Of
savage Joy mingled with fear, to the oaths
Of my seeker, as, stumbling at every
step, he went about from spot to spot,
calling me to leave my providential Gov
vert. for he intended no harm.
The sound of his receding footsteps
became fainter and fainter, and l rejoiced
that, tired of the chase, be had left me-
In a few moments 1 heard the sound of
wheels proceeding rapidly in the direc-
ton we had come, and with feelings akin
TO happiness, I felt myself alone How
long I continued listening to the retreat
ing wheels | know not, but at length
the sound ceased.
All was still as death. Then, amid the
hushed silence. arose a sound like that of
a mans feet among the grass. l felt that
be was near. He was searching low on |
the ground [ even heard breathing |
above me. I was then impressed that he /
was seeking the piece Of gold which l
had severed from him. and I listened /
with exulting triumph to his prouaoted /
and fruitless search.
At length he likewise became a victim |
to despair. He rose erect and stood |
quite still, to detect, if possible, the (
slightest movement in that deathly en-
closure Then, at first, slowly and IN
hesitatingly, he spoke. He alternately /
made use Of threats, now of persuasion. |
Sometimes, with tremulous voice, he |
would beseech me to discover myself, but
I heard even his sobs with relentless sto-
icism.
As I crouched there, what unbidden
thoughts Of eternity filed my soul
Never did the future present itself with
such force TO my half-erazed mind. as
when hiding from the revenge Of man
uniniured by me, in that little place.
Death was, apparently, my companion.
l felt his icy presence around. Within
a few yards, perhaps a few feet Of me,
the marrowless bones and decayiRg forms
Of corpses were mouldering away at every
stroke Of time. until, in the process, they
become blended utterly with the mother
earth.
pictured to myself every horror at
tending death. from the moment that the
shrouded body feels the first touch Of its
primitive element to the last when all
traces save few bleached bones Is lost
of the image once moving among men,
made glorious by the immortal soul, but
now shrunken to an atom by the with
drawaI of the pervading and sustaining
essences Of life.
The benumbing cold Of the air, the
dark atmosphere, the offensive efluvia
and the mold did not conspire to raise
my spirits. A pang Of acute pain sent a
thrill through my frame. At length
heard the retreating footsteps Of my pur-
suer. as he groped about the cemetery
in search OF his concealed victim, become
fainter and more faint until lost them
in the distance. | suspected he was ~
ing IN wait for me somewhere, hoping to
lull me into security by his absence.
But a strange sensation that | never be-
fore experienced possessed me. A con-
fusion Of thought rushed simultaneously .
over my brain. My past career swan be-
fore me in uneasy motion. At one mo-
ment, certain event reappeared as an
other efaced it, and it sank in the great /
ocean Of remembrance My father,
mother and sisters stood around me. | |
gazed up into heaven, and fancied it
brightly Illuminated Then mist be-
dimmed my sight, and l knew no more
what happened thereafter.
When | awoke to consciousness. | saw |
myself borne along as dead by several
persons, who we're carrying me up what
appeared the avenue leading to a mansion. |
[ was conscious of intense pain, which /
resulted as was afterwards proved, from /
q severely sprained ankle, and | immedi
ately sank into q swoOn When again /,
restored to consciousness [ found myself
on bed with an attentive nurse attend
ing to my wants My ankle was com
paratively free from pain; and was in-
formed that some laborers, on going to
the cemetery to complete a grave, had
found ne.
The Chateau de G was the near
/ est house, and was borne thither, where,
by the skill and assiduity Of an eminent
physician, called by Count d,
was soon in the chair of convalesence.
The person who had been engaged as
my guide happened to have been a class
mate Of mine in college, who had taken
umbrage at trivial incident which oc-
CURED to his disadvantage. I refused to
aid in bringing one of my own fraternity
to justice, and the piece of gold bearing
his name still possess. He was, how
ever, exiled from France to expiate for
multitude Of crimes which he had com
mitted In endeavoring to satiate the
cravings Of revenge which was the first
deviation, he became the propagator for
iniquity.