The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1868-04-03

the helish tattoo of thS-Aeaft increased !;
1t grew quicker and Akr, and louder
and louder every instant. The old man s
terror must have been extreme 1t grew
BOULDER, | say, londer every moment do
you mark me well?
lhave told you that am nervous so
am. And now. at the dead hour of night,
amid the. dreadful silence of that old house,
so strange>a noise as this excited me to
uncomfortable terri. Yet, fer some min
utes longer | rcfraincd and stood stih. But
the beating grew louder, louder thought
the heart must burst. And now a new
anxiety seized me the sound would be
heard by neighbor! The old mans hour
had come! With loud yell | threw open
the lantern and leaped into the room, He
shrieked once-once only. In an instant [
dragged him to tie floor, and pulled the
heavy bed over him. | then smiled gaiiy
to lind the deed SO far done. But Tor many
minutes the heart beat on with a muffied
sound This, however, did not vex me it
would not be heard through the wall. At
length it ceased. The old man was dead.
lremosed the bed and examined the corpse
Yes. he was stone, stone dead. | placed
my hand upon the heart and held it there
many minutes. There was no pulsation !;
he was stone dead His eyes would trou,
BILE me no more.
If you still think me mad, you will think
so no longer, when | describe the wise pre-
cautions took tor the concealmont OF the
body. The night waned, and [ worked
hastily but in silence. First Of all [ dis
membered the corpse. | cut off the head
and the arms and the legs. I then took up
three planks from the flooring of the cham
Der, and deposited all between the scant
lings. | thes replaced the boards so clev-
erly, so cunningIy, that no human eye
not even his-could have detected any
wrong There was nothing to wash cut
no stain of any kind; no blood-spot what
ever | had been too wary for that. A
tub had caught all-ha, ba
When [ had made an end of these la
bors it was tour o clock still dark as mid
night AS the bell sounded the hour,
there came knocking at the street door
| went down to open it, with light heart
for what had | now to fear? There en-
tered three men, who introduced them
selves with perfect suavity, as officers of the
police. A shrek had been heard by a
nelghbOr during the night suspicion OF
foul play had been aroused information
had been lodged at the police office, and
they (the oficers) had been deputed to
search the premises.
/ smiled-for what had ] to fear2 [
babe the gentlemen welcome The shrek,
l said, was my own in dream. The old
man, mentioned, was absent in the coun
try. L took my visitors all over the house.
| babe them search-search aeeH | led
them at length to his chamber. ] showed
them his treasures, secure, undlsturbed.
In the enthusiasm of my confidence |
brought chairs into the room, and desired
them here to rest from their fatigues, while
/, myself, in the wild audacity of my per-
feet triumph, placed my own seat upon the
very spot beneath which reposed the corpse
Of the victim Iet
The officers were satisfied My manner
had convinced them | was singularly at
case. They sat, and while [ answered
cheerily, they chatted of familiar things
But ere long | felt myself getting pale,
and [ fancied ringing in my ears but
still they sat and still chatted. The ring
ing became more distinct; [ talked more
tinue1 and gained dcfnitcness-unti, at
length, | found that the noise was not with-
in my ears.
No doubt | now grew very pale; but |
talked more auently and with heightcn-
ed voice. Yet the sound increased-an
what could do2 It was a to,0, duH,
9uicA, soupd--much such Soui GS a acafch
makes echen eIareloped IN cotton. | gasped
for breath, and yet the officers heard 1t not.
| talked more quickly, more vehementIy /;
but the noise steadily increased. arose
and argued about trifeS, in high key aud
with violent gesticulatons but the noise
steadily increased Why ,couid they not
be gone? | paced the floor to and fro with
heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the
observations Of the men-but the noise
steadily increased. Oh, God what c0utd
| do? ! foamed, | raved, | swore! |
swung the chair upon which ] had been
sitting, and grated it upon the boards but
the noise arose over all, and continually IN
creased. It grew louder, louder-louder
And still the men chatted pleasantly, and
smiled. Was it possible they heard it not?
Almighty God mo, no They heard =
they suspected they kRe,U they were
making mockery of my horror! This |
thought, and this [ think. But anything
was better than this agony anything was
more tolerable than this derision could
bear those hypocrtical smiles no longer |
t:it that | must scream or die land now
again = bark !-louder-louder-
"Yillians!" [ shrieked, 'sdissemble no
more! | admit the deed Tear up the
planks here, here 1T is the beating OF
his hideous heart