The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-17

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would have been the first to scout such an
idea. Credulous and mistaken as l was,
allowed the whole of the next day to pass
contenting myself with the messages received
from the sick-room, and with sending to the
invalid all the little tempting delicacies which
my culinary imagination could conjure up.
That day was a particularly busy one with
me, for it was Thanksgiving Day, and all my
boarders remained at home, excepting fer an
hour or two in the morning, when some of
them went to church. However, when our
Thanksgiving feasting was over--for it was
feast-day and not fast-day with us-and the
last filbert had been cracked, and the last
glass of sherry swallowed, and the whole
house had fallen asleep, too laid my head
on the pillow, thankful that the set season for
thankfulness was over, and that might luxu-
riously yawn off into sleep my discomfort at
the unequal distribution of blessings in this
tantalizing world.
The door of my bedroom was locked, but
that of the adjoining room, in which my two
young children were sleeping, had unac-
countably been left open. l could hear their
gentle breathing as 1 lay awake, and was
as wide awake as l had ever been in my life,
by strange, ponderous, muffled sound,
which resembled nothing so much as the
footsteps of an elephant trying to get up
stairs.
1 had not time to speculate as to what it
could be before / heard it stop before my
bedroom door. For moment or two there
was perfect silence, all the more horribly tan
talizing from the mysterious sounds that had
preceded it, Then there was a sweeping
hurried, indefinite motion over the panels of
the door, l could endure it no longer, but,
starting to my feet, exclaimed
"Whos there 2"
A voice which l did not recognize, in a
deep, hoarse, yet perfectly distinct whisper,
replied
Brandy! brandy! 1 want brandy" For
an instant or two there was the same sweep
ing, hurried, indefinite motion, as Of huge
hands blindly feeling their way over the panels
of the chamber door; then the ponderous,
muffied tread repeated itself, and an instant
after turned sick with horror, as heard the
frightful step enter the next room, that occu-
pied by my children, and commenced wander
ing uncertainty around tnefe.
Frightened as l was, l took no tms for
thought, but leaping from the bed, rushed
through the open door that connected the
two apartments. scarcely know what
expected, or what thought, but I certainly
was not prepared for the sight encountered.
By the dim light of the gas turned down very
low, and shaded 1 saw Mr.. Hillary bending
in, n CHI ri ha1 ia1 l,,,
my children, and fumbling, with actions in
describable, over their counterpane.
Some faint CLEANS of the beauty of his
natural expression must have shone in his
face, or could not possibly have recognized
it under the hideous distortion of the mo-
ment. Every feature was inhamed and
swollen The eyeballs burned like molten
lead, a crimson flush was on his cheeks, and
his lips were parted with a painting express
sion that was horribly repulsive. 1 don't
know what words used, as pulled my dress
ing-gown around me, and preserved just
enough presence of mind not to ring the bell
1t was well that / did not betray any
timidity at that moment, for seeing me appa-
rently calm, and looking steadfastly at him,
he knelt down on the floor, and repeated in
the same low distinct whisper I had heard
few moments ago at my bedroom door
''Brandy! brandy. give me brandy at the
same time paving the carpet with his hands,
as a wild beast might use his claws.
| woke one of the children and sent him
up stairs to wake James and Elizabeth and
send them to me- Then I addressed myself
to the miserable man at my feet, and by dint
of entreaties and kind words got him down
stairs and into his bed. Upon turning on the
light in his room, however, most unex-
pected and disastrous spectacle was presented.
The atmosphere was poisoned with the per-
fumes of almost every species of malt and
spirituous liquor. In many cases, so eager
| had been the haste of the wretched mono
maniac that he had not stopped to pull the
corks, but had broken the necks of the bot
ties, and drank their contents at the imminent
risk of cutting his mouth into slices. At
least dozen broken -necked champagne bot
ties were on the mantel-piece; uncounted
Scotch ale bottles were flung in a heap under
the bed and from some not quite emptied
ones the frothy liquid was streaming over my
nice new carpet. Sherry and brown stout,
and gin, and brandy, and whisky alternated
with one another over the various pieces of
furniture Under his pillow found three
quarter empty phial of McNIunn's Elixir, and
upon little stand by his bedside were
several bottles containing various prepara-
tions of ether. In fact the whole room was
such pandemonium as only the long-esta-