The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-05-20

/. ! stone and the h0Or IS OF OAK no one
saw YOU cross the quarter of the Tan
ners: no one would think Of looking
for YOU here. 1t is finished. Kasper-
it is finished. Poor Catharine Wogel
is your last resource; or rather you
are the last resource the one to the
other"
All this passed through my mind
like a fash; and, when at the same
moment the pale face of Wolfgang,
with his little lamp, appeared at the
opening above, tried to supplicate
him. but only stammered horribly,
and not a word came from my trem-
bling lips.
Seeing this he began to laugh and +,
In the silence, could hear him say
ing, I" The coward he implores me p
This was my finishing stroke. / fell
face downward on the floor, and 1t
was only the fear of being attacked
by the old woman that kept ne from
sWOoniDg. She, however. had not as
yet moved, or In the least manifested
her presence. The face of Wolfgang
was withdrawn; but | could hear the
maniac walking to and fro Ia his gar
ret. My ear was so quick that the
slightest noise did not escape me. L
heard the old woman utter a kind OF
yawD, and, turning round, l perceived
for the first time her eyes glitterlng
in the darkness.
At the same time Wolfgang descend
ed the ladder, and | counted his steps
one by one until they died away in
the distance. Where was the wretch
going? | knew not; but through all
the day and following night he did
not return. ~E
1t was not until the morrow, at
about eight o'clock in the evening, at
a moment when the old woman and
myself were shrieking to make the
very walls tremble,. that he came
back. / had not once closed my eyes
during the night. / no longer felt
either fear or anger, but only de-
vouring hunger, which l knew would
increase all the time.
When | heard the faint noise in
the garrett | became silent, and look
ing up saw by the brightness coming
through the opening, that Wolfgang
was lighting his lamp. | doubted not
that he would come to see me and
with this hope | prepared a touching
supplication. But the light was ex-
tinguished aud no one came. This
was the most frightful moment of all. |
seemed TO feel my hair whiten upon
my head-which it really did at this
very mOment-until at length my
agony became such that l lost all
consciousness.
About midnight | was aroused from
this stupor by feeling something
touch my body. | started up from
my position with disgust. The old
woman had approached, urged on by
hunger. Her hands were on my
clothes, and at the same moment the
cry, as of cat, filed the place, and
sent a cold shivering through my
whole body. l expected she would
attack me, but the poor wretch had
not strength enough left; this was
her fifth dayI
Then the words of WoIfgang re-
turned to my mind: AS soon as the
animal soul becomes exhausted, the
vegetable soul gets the advantage;
the hair and nails grow under the
ground; the green moss takes root in
the openings of the skull.
pictured to myself the old woman
reduced to this state-her skull COW
cred with moldy lichen, and myself,
lying near her, our souls INTERVIEWING
their vegetation, the one with the
other, alone in the silent darknessl
This image took such possession of
my mind, that | scarcely felt any long
er the cravings of hunger. Stretched
out against the wall, my eyes wide
open, | stared before me into the
empty space.
As lay thus, more dead than alive,
faint light penetrated the surround
ing darkness. l raised my eyes. The
pale face of Wolfgang appeared at
| the opening. He did not laugh; he
| seemed to experience neither joy nor
satisfaction; he merely observed me
with cold, pitiless eye. Thus we re-
manned, our eyes fixed on one an0th-
err, fear stricken-he cold, calm,
attentive, as though looking at some
| lifeless object. The insect, pierced
by the needle, which we look at
| through a microscope, If he could
think, ii he could understand the
mans eye, wo1ld have just such a
vision as | then had. | saw that
prayer would be worse than useless,
and | said nothing.
After scanning me thus, the maniac
turned his head IN order to look at
| the old woman. / followed mechan-
/ lCdAiy NuG QlEECblOu VI MS BdAO.
! What [ saw the human tongue cannot
! express; a face CHASTITY meagre; the
| limbs shriveled, and so sharp that they
seemed about to pierce the rags hlch
/ covered them; something shapeless,
| frightlul-a deaths head, the hair
MATTED around the skull like long
withered grass, and in the midst of
| this, two eyes bun ming with the fever
light, aud two long yellow teeth; and,
horrible to tell, saw wO snails crawl
ing over this living skeleton.
Then, closing my eyes with a con-
vulsive sigh. L said to myself, That
is what you will be in FIVE daysP'
When | again opened my eyes, the
light was gone.
Wolfgang," cried [, God is above
us-GOd sees us, Wolfgang; His curse
be upon you"
My worst suffering was from thirst;
at this point it was intolerable. When
the first uncertain light of the morn
ing appeared suddenly a wild fury
seized upon me.
The villain is there" said | to
myself; :" he has some bread, pitcher
of water-he drinksl"
Then L imagined him raising the
pitcher to his lips. l seemed to see
the torrents of water pass slowly down
his throat. 1t was delicious stream,
which flowed - flowed Increasingly;
and | saw the throat of the wretch
rise and fall voluptuO1sly with the
refreshing current. Anger. despair,
indignation, seized me, and | began
to run round my prison, crying out,
Water, water, water
And the old woman reused up. re
peatiDg after me, Water, water,