The Portland daily press., 1869-03-27
Selected story.
THE SKELETON HAND.


imploring looks and words OF my wife; the
sight OF my wan-faced and emaciated chill
dren turning their eyes to me, the author at
once OF their being and of their misery; the
spectacle. of the proud home and broad lands,
Once mine, but now in the hands of strangers
all these, which might well have stung to
madness or driven to despair less degraded
being, reached me not, nor affected me in the
depth of my degradation. | had reached
point at which no motive that might be urg-
ed could any longer affect.
One evening was sitting in my miserable
home The children were asleep in bed
= They had cried themselves to sleep IN nun
ger. My wife sat opposite to me on the oth-
er side of the wIetched fireplace stitching
some rags OF clothing was suleh ana ST.
lent.
At last felt craving for the stimulus
that now was necessary to my life. Rising,
( walked 10 the cupboard where it was kent.
NV wife knew well my intention. She fol-
lowed me with her eyes.
went there desperate and carelass-only
eager for the qualification Of my appetite
I reached forth my hands, tremblpgly
seized the bottle and was about raising it to
my lips.
d. But at that very moment, lust as the bottle
touched my lips, felt terrible sensation.-
1t was as though some one had grasped my
throat. rae afEa san
"Wie!" l cried i'll a deep, fierce voice.
"Hag! do you dare?" and turning, with
clenched fist, struck at what supposed was
my wife. For thought that she was trying
in this violent way in desperation to keep me
from drink.
But to my surprise L saw my wife sitting
by the fireplace with her work in her hand,
looking at me in wonder.
1t could not have been her evidently.
A terrible feeling passed through me-
ShuddeIingly raised my hand TO feel what
it was that was at my throat, or if there was
anything there at all, which seemed to be
gIasping me so tightly.
Horror of horrors
As raised my hand felt the unmistaka-
bic outlines of a bony thumb and bony fin
gers pressed against my flesh. 1t was skel-
eten hand that clutched me by the throat
My hand fell down powerless by my side;
the bottle crashed on the floor My children
awoke at the noise, and wife and children all
stared at me with white faces.
There /, trembling in every limb stood
transfixed with terror, the awful feeling of
the supernatural now fully possessing me
Unable to speak gasped with fear. l drew
away my body, but my head was still held by
the same dread and invisible power. could
not move that. nj
Unspeakable horror filled me. None but
those who have experienced something like
The body seems paralyzed, while the mind
seems to be endowed with extraordinary ac-
tiyIty, and thus possesses new capacities for
suffering.
But at last l felt the grasp relax. stag
gered back, the grasp ceased altogether, and
drew off to another corner of the room,
endeayOrlng to 60 as far as possible from the
place where this mystel ious thing had seized
me.
Soon my wife and children turned away,
toe jolmer to work, the latter to sleep. They
knew not what it was that had affected me,
but concluded that it was some pain arising
from sickness or sudden faintness. did not
speak word, but resumed my former seat.
And now, gradually my craving returned.
Yet how could Isatisfy it.? My bottle was
broken. 1t lay in fragments on the floor.
All my liquor was gone. What was I to do?
The craving became irresistible. i had to
yield. .1n84aN
So took my hat, fumbled in my pockets
and found a few cents, and taking an old bot
tie that lay in corner, went forth into the
darkness. 1t was not without some feeling
OF tIepidation that l entered the dark pas
sage-way. Fear lest the same thing OF hor-
Tor might return again agitated me- But |
passed on unharned, and reached my old re-
sort, where laid my bottle on the counter
The clerk soon filed it. With an irresistible
impulse clutched the bottle and rushed
NJ ; Ilaf
hurried of for a little distance and came
to the head OF wharf. Here, unable any
longer TO resist my craving, pulled out the
cork so as to drink.
1t was very dark, no one was near me. In
the distance aiose the hum of the city, out
IL the harbor might be heard the noise of
sailors and boatmen. / had general idea
OF this as l stood there, though all nv
thoughts were concentrated ON the bottle.
At last raised ii to nv month st tai4
Scarce had the bottle touched my lips
when again experienced that terrible feel
ing.
Ny throat was seized; this time more vio-
lently, more fercely, as if by some power
which had already warned me, and was en-
aged at having to repeat the warning. My
throat was compressed painfully in that fierce
srlpe; there was anger in it. A thrill of hor-
rer again shot through me- Again the bottle
iell from my trembling hands and was crush
ed to fragments upon the stone pavement. I
Again | raised my hands to my throat.
though in deadly fear; but the motion was
mechanical-a natural and involuntary effort
50 tear away the thing that had seized my
throat-to free myself from the pain and hor-
ror OF that mysterious grasp. Again then 1
raised my hands, and again felt there un-
der my touch, plainly and enthusiastically, the
long, hard, bony hand which had felt be-
fore, One touch was enough. NY hands
fell down. tried to shrek, but in vain. l
gasped for breath, and thought that would
be suifocated.
But at length the grasp slowly and unwill-
ingy relaxed. breathed more freely. At
len 9Th the touch was no longer felt.
paced the streets for long time. At first
every vestige of my appetite had been driven
away by the horror of that moment. As time
passed it began to return. Once more / felt
the craving. True, the fear of another at
E4ao e., L
me; but at last the craving grew too strong
for the fear. Is
Nervng myself up to a desperate pitch of
resolution, rushed back to the shop where
1 had at last purchased the liquor.
''See here r. cried; "Fm crazy for a drink;
broke that bottlel Give me glass, for
Gods sake-only one glassr'
Something in my face seemed to excite the
mans commisseration. He poured out
glass for me in silence.
With trembling eagerpess reached out my
hand to seize it. With trembling hand /
raised it toward my lips. The grateful fumes
already entered my nostrils My lips already
touched the edge of the glass. saa4
Suddenly my throat was seized with a tre-
mendous grasp
1t was as though the Power which was tor
menting me had become enraged by my re-
peated acts of opposition, and wished now by
this final act to reduce me to subjection for
ever.
.N 1t was as if this Power was using with me
the means of coercion which one uses with
dog, viz: beat him for each offense, and each
time harder till he is cured. a
This time the grasp was terrible, it was
fiercef than ever, quick, impetuous.
In that dread grasp my breath ceased.
struggled. My senses reeled. | raised
my hands in dispair. ! felt again the bony
fingers. l moved my hands along bony
arms. Hsf
In my madness j struggled. | struck out
my fists wildly. They Struck against what
seemed like bony ribs.
The time during which l thus struggled
seemed endless. The horror that was upon
nae cannot be told.
At last all sense left me.
When revived found myself living on a
rude bench in the bar. 1t was early dawn.
No one was near. All my bones ached. l
rose up coniusedy, not knowing at first
where 1 was, but soon the terrific event
which had overpowered me came to my
memory. lfaf
rose to my feet and tried to get out The
noise that made awaked some one inside.
He called out to me.
"Hallo there Are you Off"
"Yes," said
Wait, Pi let you out"
be appeared in short time.
Ou had q nod f11r coli 1a M nj kindIv