The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1870-12-09
8tisfeIIang.
THE GHOSTS SUMMONS.


ly into my surgery. 1 entered briskly
but no sooner did I catch sight Of the
figure standing against the counter
than / started back with q strange feel
ing of horror which, for the life of me,
= could not UNDERSTAND.
Never shall l forget the ghastliness
Of that faCe-the white horror stamped
upon every feature-the agony which
seemed to sink the very eyes beneath
The contracted broWs; It was awful for
me to behold, accustomed as ] was 10
- scenes of terror.
"You seek advice p began with
8 some hesitation.
mo; l am not III. -
You require then,
Hush ~ he interrupted, approach
ing more nearly, and dropping his al
ready low murmur to q whisper. "
believe you are not rich. Would you
be willing to earn q thousand pounds ?''
y thousand pounds He words
seemed to burn my very ears.
4" should be very thankful, if could
do so honestly" 1 replied with digni.
ty. " What is the service required of
0 me?u
a peculiar look Of intense horror
passed over the face before lie; but the
blue-black lips answered firmly: 81 To
attend death-bed."
"a thousand pounds TO attend a
death-bed. Where am l to go then {?
Whose is it?
" Nine -
The voice IN which this was said
sounded SO hollow and distant, that in
voluntarily 1 shrank hack. Yours ?
What nonsense! You are not dying
man. You are pale, but you appear
perfectly healthy. YOU"
" Hush - he interrupted; " know
10 Of hr
WINGED of my physical health than I
am myself; yet know that before the
clock tolls the first hour after midnight
[ shall be dead man.
He shuddered slightly, bat stretching
out his hand cOmmandingly, motiOned
me to be silent. =" am but two well
informed of what l affirm" he said,
quietly; "I have received 81 mysteri-
! Gus summons from the dead. No NOR
| tai aid can avail me. l am as doomed
as the wretch on which the judge has
| passed sentence. did not come either
! to seek your advice, or to argue the
matter with you, but simply to buy
/ your services. l offer YOU q thousand
pounds TO pass the night in my cham
! Der, and witness the scene which takes
I place. The sum may appear to you eX-
/ travagant. But l have no further need
/ 10 cOulL the COSL VI any BEdlluCdIlOuI
! and the spectacle you viii have to wit
| ness is no common sight of horror"
/ The words, strange as they were,
were spoken calmly enough; but as
the last sentence dropped slowly from
the iiVid lips an expression Of such wild
( horror again passed over the strangers
/ face that, in spite of the immense fee,
{ [ hesitated to answer.
J " ou fear to trust the promises Of q
3 Ia
/ ed,U he exclaimed, eagerly; and the
next instant, OH the counter between
Us, lay q parchment; and following
! the Indication of that white muscular
! hand, l read the words And to Mr..
| Frederick Read, of II High Street, Al
! ton, I bequeath the sum of 1000 for
| certain services rendered to me-"
/ 81 have had that will drawn up with
in the last twenty-four hours, and
| signed it an hour ago, in the presence
| of competent witnesses, l am prepared,
! you see. Now, do you accept my offer
| or not?'
! Ny answer was 10 walk across the
room and take down my hat, and then
/ lock the door of the surgery Communi-
eating with the house.
/ 1t was a dark, icy-coId night, and
somehow the courage and determina-
/
I in the connection of thousand pounds
/ had given me, tagged considerably as
/ [ found myself hurried along through
! the silent darkness by man whose
death-bed I was about to attend. He
was grimly silent, but as his hand
! touched mine, in spite of the frost, it
/ felt like q burning coal.
| On we went-tramp, tramp, through
! the snOW-on, on, till even grew NYea-
/ 1
| struck the chimes of q church clock;
while, close at hand, l distinguished
! the snow hiilocks of a chUrchyaTd.-
I Heaven! was this awful scene, of which
/ [ was to be the witness, to take place
veritably among the dead?
'FIeVenu' grOaued the doomed man.
! 90 Gracious God hut two hours more,
and that ghOstly messenger Will bring
/ the summons. Come, come for mer-
cy's sake let US hasten"
There was but q short road separating
as now from a wall which surrounded
| q large mansion, and along this we
hastened until we reached Il small door.
/ Passing through this, in a few minutes
we We're stealthily ascending the pFi-
vatC staircase to a splendidly furnished
apartment, which left no doubt Of the
wealth Of its owner. All was intensely
I silent, however, through the house;
ana aDOuL ILLS EOOL4 IL k1esl l4S44tIl1 LIlClS
was q stiffness that, as l gazed around,
struck almost ghastly.
My companion glanced at the clock
on the mantle-shelf, and sank into a
large chair by the side of the fire with
a shudder. "Only an hour and half
longer" he muttered. "Great heaven!
/ thought I had more fortitude. This
horror unmans me.D Then q fiercer
tone, and clutching my arm, he added;
"Ha! you mock me; you think me
mad; but wait till you see-Wait till
you see :"
1 put my hand on his wrist for there
I was now a fever in his sunken eyes
which checked the supcrstitious chill
which had been gathering over me, and
made me hope that, after all, my first
4 suspicion was correct, and that my pa
tient was but the eYictim OF some fearful
hullucinatiOn.
"NIOck you - l answered soothing
~. g Far from it; | sympathize in
tensely with you, and would do much
to aid you. You require sleep. lie
down, and leave me to watch.n
He groaned, but rose and began
throwing of his clothes; and watching
my opportunity, l slipped sleeping
powder, which | had managed to put
IN my pocket before leaving the surge
~, in the tumbler of claret that stood
beside him.
The more saw the more felt con-
WINGED that it was the nervous system
of my patient which required my at
J tention; and it was with sincere salts
/ faction 1 SAW him drink the wine, and
: then stretch himself on the luxurious
bed.
"Ha thought 7, as the clock struck