The Shasta courier., 1869-05-29
SHASTA COURIER
THE SKELETON HAND.

1leidlng 10 a miserable haDlt mad rulneu
me. 1t hadsblasted my prospects, destroy
ed my business, alienated my friends, and
brought me down to the lowest point of
existence The habit had altogether over
come me. In vain struggled against it.
The implering looks and words of my wife
the sight of my wan-faced and emaciated
children turning their eyes to me, the
author ut 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. l had reached a point at
which no motive that might be urged could
any longer affect.
One evening was sitting in my miser-
able home. The children were asleep in
bed. They had cried themselves to sleep
in hunger. My wife sat opposite to me on
the other side of the wretched fireplace
stitching some rags of clothing. l was sui
len and silent.
At last l felt craving for the stimulus
that now was necessary to my life. Rising,
l walked to the cupboard where it was
kept. My wife knew we'll my Intention
She followed me with her eyes.
lwent there desperate and careless, only
eager for the qualification of my appetite
l reached forth my hands, tremblingly
seized the bottle and was about raising it
to my lips.
But at that very moment, just as the
bottle touched my lips, | felt terrible
sensation. 1t was as though some one had
grasped my throat
"Wife % [ cried in deep, fierce voice
Hag! do you dare ?" and turning, with
clenched fist, / struck at what l 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 | saw my wife sitting
by the replace with her work in her hand,
looking at me in wonder.
1t could not have been her, evidently.
A terrible feeling passed through me-
Shudderingly [ raised my hands to feel
what it was that was at my throat, or if
there was anything there at all, which
seemed to be grasping me so tightly.
Horror of horrors
As raised my hand | felt the unmis,
taxable outlines of bony thumb and bony
fingers pressed against my flesh. 1t was a
skeleton hand that clutched me by the
throat.
My hand fell down powerless by my
side; the bottle crashed on the floor. Ny
children awoke at the noise, and wife and
children all stared at me with white faces.
There l, trembling in every limb, stood
transfxed 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. Unspeak
able horror filed me- None but those who
have experienced something like this know
what it is to have such feelings. The BODY
seems paralyzed, while the mind seems to
be endowed with extraordinary activity,
and thus possesses new capacities for sui.
fering.
But at last l felt the grasp relax. I
staggered back, the grasp ceased altogether,
and l drew off to another corner of the
room, endeavoring to go as far as possible
from the place where this mysterious thing
had seized me.
Soon my wife and children turned away.
the former to work, the latter to seep.-
They knew not what it was that had affect.
ed me, but concluded that it was some pa,p
arising from sickness or sudden faintness.
| did not speak word, but resumed INV
former seat.
And now, gradually my craving returned.
Yet how could | satisfy it? Nv bottle
was broken. 1t lay in fragments on the
floor. All my liquor was gone, What
was to do? The craving became ir-
resistible. l had to yield.
So took my hat, fumbled in nv pock-
cts and found few cents, and taxing an
old bottle that lay in corner, l went forth
INTO the darkness. Itwas not without some
feeling Of trepidation that l entered the
passageway. Fear lest the same thing of
horror might return again, agitated me-
But L passed on unharmed and reached NV
old resort, where laid my bottle on the
counter. The clerk soon filled it. With
an irresistible impulse l clutched the
bottle and rushed forth to drink the liouor
1 hurried OF for little distance and
came to the head Of wharf. Here. nm
able any longer to resist my craving. I
pulled out the cork SO as to drink.
1t was very dark, no one was near me
In the distance arose the hum of the citv
out in the harbor might be heard the noise
of sailors and boatmen had a general
idea of this as l stood there, though all INV
thoughts were concentrated on the bottle
At last raised it to my mouth.
Scarce had the bottle touched INV ,;ns
when again experienced that terrible feel.
ing.
My throat was seized; this time more
violently, more fercely, as if by some powe,
which had already warned me. and wa,