The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1868-04-03
The Tell Tale Heart.
BY EDGAR A. POE.

| had been and am; but why 1Ciu you say
that I am mad? The disease had sharp
ened my senses-not destroyed-not dullec
them. Above all was the sense. OF hearing
acute. | heard all things in the earth;
heard many things in he'll. How then am
I mad? Hearkee! and observe how
heahhily, how calmly can tell you the
whole story. ID b eEEl $50 asu.. III 3. .i
1t is impossible to say how the idea first
entered my brain-but once conceived, ii
haunted me day and night: Object there
was noae; passion there was none. aIloved
tie old man. He had never wronged me;
he had never given me insult. For his
gold [ had no desire l think it was his
eye! yes, it was this! One of his eyes re-
sembled that of a vulture-a pale blue eye,
with film overit Whenever it fell up
on me my blood ran cold; and so by de-
grees-very gradually-I made up my
mind to take the life of the ole man, and
thus rid myself of the eye forever 3
Now this is the point. You fancy me
mad. Madmen know nothing. But you
should have seen me. You should have
seen how wisely / proceeded with what
precaution, with what dissemination went
to work! | never was kinder to the old
man than during the whole week before |
killed him. Aud every night, about mid
night, [ turned the latch of his door and
opened it--oh, 80 gently! And then, when
| had made an epenmg sufficient for my
head, Iput in dark lantern, closed, all
closed, so that no light shone out, and then
| thrust in my head Oh, you would have
laughed to see how cunningly | thrust it
ilI / moved it slowly, very, very slowly,
SO that might not disturb the old man S
sleep. 1t took me an hour to place my
whole head within the opening so far that
[ could see him as he lay upon his bed.
Ha! would mailman have been so wise as
this? And then, when my head was well
in the room, | undid the lantern cautious
ly-oh, so cautiously-cautiously (for the
hinges creakedl [ undid ut just SO much
That a single thin ray fell upon the vulture
every night just at mi nigh but al
impossible to do the work-for it was not
the old man who vexed me, but his Evil
Eye. And every. morning, when the day
broke, went ooldlyinto the chamber, and
spoke courageously to him, calling him by
name in a hearty tone, and inquired how
he had passed the night. So you see he
would have been very profound old man,
indeed, to suspect that every night, just at
twelve, L looked in upon him while he
slept .a g.. f.
Upon the eighth night I was more than
usually cautious in opening the door A
watch S minute hand moved more quickly
than did mine. Never before that night
had | felt the extent of my own powers
Of my sagacity. [ could scarcely contain
my feelings of triumph To think that
there | was, opening the door, little by lit
tie, and he not even to dream of my secret
deeds or thoughts. | fairly chuckled at
the idea; and perhaps he heard me; for he
moved suddenly on the bed, as if startled
Now you may think that [ drew back
no. His room was as black as pitch with
the thick darkness, (for the shutters were
close fastened, through fear of robbers)
and so | knew that [ could not see the
opening of the door, and | kept pushing it
on steadily, steadily. at h.u/
| had my head in, and was about to open
the lantern, when my thumb slipped upon
the tin fastening, and the old man sprang
upin the bed, crying out s.
who there 81 et9 v. a H}f
| kept quite still and said nothing. For
a whole hour | did not move muscle, and
ia the meantime L did not hear him lie
down. He was still sitting up in bed, lis
tening-iust as 1 have done, night after
night, -hearkeuing to, the death watches in
the wall. ~. ~ el ...-.lr
Presently | heard Slight groan, and l
knew it was the groan Of mortal terror. It
was not groan of pain or of .grief--oh,
no!-it was the low. stihed sound that
arises from the bottom of the soul when
overcharged with Awe. [ knew what the
old man felt, and pitied him, although |
chuckled at heart. | knew that he had
been lying awake ever since the first slight
noise, when he had turned In his bed
His felrs had been ever since growing up
on him. He had been trying to fancy
them causeless, but could not. He had
been saying to himself fw as.r
1T is nothing but the wind in the CHM
ney--it is only a mouse crossing the floor, !.
or, lit is cricket which has made a sir
gle chirp." g q. l'g .sa
Yes, he had been trying to comfort him
self with these suppositions; but he had
found all in vain, All IN rain; because
Death, in approaching him., had stalked
with his black shadow before him, and en-
veloped the victim. And it was the mourn
ful influence Of the unperceived shadow
that caused him to feel although he Deither
saw nor heard-to feel the presence of my
head within the room. ~.
When | had waited long time, very
patiently, withou. hearing him lie down, |
resolved to open a little--a very, very lit
tie crevice in the lantern. q So L opened IT
You cannot imagine how stealthily, steal
thily, until, at length, single dim ray,
like the thread OF the spider, shot from
out the crevice, and fen upon the vulture
eye. 1t was open-wide, wide open--and
| grew furious as [ .gazed upon it. | saw
it with perfect distinctness all dull blue,
with hideous veil over it that chilled the
very marrow in my bones. But could
see nothing else of the old man face Or
person; for had directed the ray, as if by
instinct, precisely upon the damned spot
And now-havc [ hot told you that what
you mistake for madness, is but over acute
ness ofthe senses?--now, say, there came
to my ears low, dull, quick sound, such as
watch makes when enveloped in cotton.
| knew that sound well, too 1t was the.
beating Of the old mans heart. 1t In
creased my fury, as the beating of drum
slim uiates the soldier into courage zsT
But even vet RETAINED and kent still.