Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-05-16
lieht and Law down, not without shud-

L OF all uOuT VI IlIOIC lay oN dhOf
thinking over what had occurred; and
by that time / had almost persuaded
myself that / had nothing but my own
morbid imagination to thank for the
alarm which l had suffered. 1T is an
outer wall, I said to myself they are
all outer walls, and the honse is built of
stone; it is impossible that any sound
could be heard through such thick
ness. Besides, lit seemed to be in my
room, close to my ear. What an idiot |
must be to be excited and alarmed about
nothing; I'll think no more about it.
So | turned on my side, with smile
(rather forced one) at my own foolish
ness, and composed myself to sleep.
cat that instant, | heard with more
distinctness than | ever heard any other
sound in my life, gasp, volceless
| gasp, as if some one were in agony for
breath, biting at the air, or trying with
desperate efforts to cry out or speak. 1t
was repeated second and q third time
then there was a pause; then again that
horrible gasping and then long drawn
! breath, an audible drawing up of the
/ air into the throat, such as one would
make in heaving deep sigh. Such
/ sounds as these could not possibly have
! been heard unless they had been close to
! my ear; they seemed to come from the
wall at my head, or to rise up out of my
! pillow. That fearful gasping, and that
/ drawing in Of the BREATH III the dark
ness and silence of the night seemed to
! make every nerve in my body thrill with
! dreadful expectation. UncOnsCiously
$hrank away from it, crouching down,
as before, with my face upon my knees.
! 1t ceased, and Immediately moaning
sound began, which heightened out into
an awfnl, protracted groan, waxing
louder and louder, as if under an increas
ing agony, and then dying away, slowly
and gradually, into silence; yet pain
fully and distinctly audible, even to the
last.
''As soon as | could rouse myself from
the freezing horror which seemed to
penetrate even to my joints and marrow,
| crept away from the bed, and in the
farthest corner of the room, lighted,
width shaking hand, my candle, look
ing anXiOusly about me as | did So ex-
pecting some dreadful revelation as the
light flashed up. Yet, if you will be-
lieve me, | did not feel alarmed or fright
ened but rather oppressed, and pene-
trated with an unnatural, OverpOwering
/ sentiment of awe. | seemed to be in the
presence of some great and horrible mys-
/ terry. some bOttOmless depth of woe, or
misery, or crime. | shrank from it with
sensation OF intolerable lOathing and
suspense. 1t was feeling akin to this
/ which prevented me from calling to my
. landlord. ! could not bring myself to
speak to him of what had passed not
knowing how nearly he might be him
stif involved in the mystery. | was
was only anxious to escape as quietly as
possible from the room and from the
house. The candle was now beginning
TO flicker i'll its socket; but the stars
We're shining outside, and there was
space and air to breathe there, which
seemed 10 be wanting in my room so
hastily opened my window. tied the bed
clothes together for rope, and lowered
myself silently and safely to the ground.
There was light still burning in the
lower part of the house but | crept
nOiselessly along, feeling my way care
fully among the trees, and in due time
came upon a beaten track which led me
TO a road, the same which had been
travelling on the previous night walk
cd on, scarcely knowing whittier, anxious
only to increase my distance from the
accused house, until the day began to
break, when almost the first object I
men approaching me- 1t was with no
small pleasure that ! recognized at their
head my friend the Cabo di Polizia.
All" be cried, unfortunate Inglese,
what trouble you have given me! Where
have you been God be praised that |
see YOU safe and sound But how !?
What is the matter with you? You
look like one possessed.
Il told him how | had lost my way.
and where | had lodged =
And what happened to you there p
hr cried with look of anxiety.
/ was disturbed in the night. |
could not sleep. | made my escape.
and here | am. ! cannot tell you more. -"
- But you must tell me more. dear
sir forgive me; you must tell me every
thing. | must know all that passed in
that house. We have had it under our
surveillance for a long time; and when |
heard in what direction you had gone
yesterday, and had not returned, | fear
ed You had got into some mischief there,
aad W" were even now upon our wav to
look for you.
could not enter into particulars, but
| told him had heard strange sounds,
and. at his request, | went back with
him to the spot. He told me- by the
r~,ort Of banGitti; that the landlord
harb0red them, received their goods,
and helped them dispose of their booty
''ArriYCd at the spot, he placed his
men about the premises and instructed a
strict search. The landlord and the
man who was found in the house being
compelled to accompany him. The
room in which | had slept was carefully
examined; the floor was of plaster or
cement, so that no sound could have
PASSED through it ; the walls were sound
aud solid, and there was nothing to be
seen that could in any way account for
the strange disturbance | had expert
cnCed. The room on the ground floor
underneath my bedroom was next in
spected. 1t containeda quantity of hay,
straw, tirewOOd and lumber. 1t was
paved with brick, and on turning over
the straw, which was heaped together
in corner, it was observed that the
bricks were uneven, as if they had been
recently disturbed
- Dig here said the officer, we shall
find something hidden here, | imagine.
''The landlord was evidently much
disturbed. Stop he, cried. l will tell
You who lies there; come away out of
doors and you shall know all about it.
Dig, [ say, we will find out for
ourselves
< Let the dead rest, cried the land
lord, with trembling voice. For the
love of heaven come away and hear
what | shall tell you
q Go on with your work, said the
sergeant to his men, who were now ply
ing pickaxe and spade.
81 can't stay here and see it, ex-
claimed the landlord once more. Here.
then! 1t is the body of my son. my only
son let him rest, if rest he can. He
was wounded in a quarrel. and brought
home here to die. / thought he would
recover, but there was neither doctor
nor priest at hand, and in spite of all we
could do for him, he died. Let him