The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1870-07-13

lozenge shaped squares, MADE tnes li8ht
less, and tho FIRE. being now all but ex-
was not visible on the hearth.
On a2skg s2g M NfsS Gess te
movement or breathing in the room, but
it was 80 like the usual sighing among
the old trees on the terrace, she ina
Cgined it proceeded from them. Yet she
felt some apprehension, accompanied
by. slight palpitation Of the heart.
Her eyes naturally turned toward the
trace the outline of the mantel distinctly.
After long gazing toward it, however, n
horrible impression began, by degrees,
to take possession of her mind, that she
saw something like human being reclin-
ing before the fire, but the idea stole over
her senses 80 imperceptibly that it was
long before she could bring herself to be-
lieve it was anything real. The antiquity
OF the place, the profound solitude of the
room, its distance from tho moro inha-
bited parts of the castle, and, above all,
the singularly grotesque figure worked
on the faded arras, began, by degrees, to
force ideas OF spectral apparitions on her
mind. A slight motion of the figure,
whatever it was, at last put all doubts at
rest, and convinced her it lived and
moved; but whether it was human or
brutal, she could not decide. Miss
Chamberlain was naturally courageous,
but the unusual combination of circum-
stances kept her spell. She tried
to scream, but the will refused to obey
the impulse, her eyes were rivetted on
the figure, and cold shivering rushed
through her nerves and paralyzed every
effort to master fear. With eyes strained
to their utmost power, she at length
fancied che could distinguish a pair of
thin, boDy hands or paws extended over
the embers, as if to gather warmth from
them. Then she imagined she could see
a long grizzly y-gray beard hanging down
stiff from its breast or chin, but the head
appeared to be, so low. there was no
appearance of neck. There, however,
the being or spectre certainly sat, in the
posture of an Egyptian mummy.
A cloud having passed from before the
moon, d greater degree os light was now
thrown into the chamber; and as the
spectral visitant turned toward the place
whence the ray proceeded, the lady per-
ceived, beyond the possibility of doubt,
that 1t was O man, whose head was en-
tirely bald, having an immensely long
white beard. The certainty appalled,
her-she had neither the power to move
nor speak, but lay as in q trance.
Although reason did not desert her, hor-
ror over-powered every faculty, particu-
larly when, at last, she saw him slowly
rise from the hearth-a man of gigantic
stature-with nothing upon him but the
remains of O thin, ragged garment. His
rising upward was 30 exceedingly slow,
as if to avoid noise or alarm, that before
he attained fully erect position, his
head seemed to touch the ceiling of the
lofty room; his long, spider-like limbs
were. Of enormously disproportionate
length, and the idea entered the ap-
palled gazer's. mind, that the shriveled
fingers she had observed were those of q
ghoul, coming to strangle her.
The moon now showed her his giant
figure distinctly, and the dismayed lady
him slowly and softly approach the bed
moved, until he was quite near, when,
gently raising the bed CLOTHES on the op-
posite side to where Miss Chamberlain
reposed, he slid under them, apparently
perfectly unconscious that there was any
person there except himself. Who can
describe the overpowering terror and
dismay which now seized our appalled,
heroine? In the same bed with a loath-
some and monstrous being, whose pur-
pose was unknown, and whose power. if
exerted, was evidently irresistible. AL.
though utterly deprived of volition, the
lady yet retained presence of mind sufi-
cient to know that her only safety de-
pended upon remaining as if perfectly
unconscious and immovable. She did
not dare to draw breath-and surgeons
know how astonishingly, how complete
ly, respiration may be checked and mas.
tered in moments of anxiety. There she
lay, more dead than alive. almost as
much paralyzed as corpse in coffin,
and there too lay the demon visitor by
her side, inanimate, and apparently as
unconscious az O stone.
Long did both retain their respective
positions, altb Jugh once. in turning his
head, Miss Chamberlain felt his grizzly
beard brush her beautiful cheek. After
q considerable interval, every second of
which seemed to her an age, he began to
breathe regularly end heavily, the sure
prelude of sleep, and she began to en-
tertain hope that escape was not im-
possible; provided che could so far re-
tain her feelings as still to hold her
breath and remain immovable. This, by
extraordinary exertions, and noble