Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-06-20
roIo9myEF An e nSlfow Saaa sWas ocroacfiiini

rom nS3mnS nv pillow, saaa f was a crodcifilg
forward, my knees, drawn up, my
l..,andsa claspedjobefore amsoface, & ard
INV whole iframsa 8 qaivering. with hops
Iror.S ,Issaw nothing afeF nothing
5ut,,a sound ringing in my ears
That seemed to make my blood run
|Ecold. X could NOT have supposed it
lIrossibie that any mere sound, what
lever might belts nature. could have
produced, such a renulsion ofyfetlirig'
| or Inspired such inten.e' horror as
lIthen experienced. 1t was Meta CELL
| l|of terror that I heard-that would
lave reused me to actionr-lnor the
moaning. of oneain pain-that would L
have d. tressed me, and called forth
sympathy rather than aversion: True.
lii was like the groaning of one in
anguish and despair, ,Fbut not like any
mortal voice !; itseemed tooldreadiul'
too intense for human qtlerance. The
sound had begun while +: was fast
asleep--eloseI to the head Of my bed
| r-cioae to my very pillow; it con, on,,
litinued after I was WIDE awake--a
! long, loud, hollow. pro 'racted groai
\ making. the midnight air reverber-
ate, and then dying gradually away
.lIuntil it ceased entirely. It was some
minutes before I could at all recover
| from the, terrible 4 impression which
seemed to stop[my breath and paral
I'VE n nv limbs. At, length began to
Iiook about. ms, !, for the hight was not
entirely dark, and could discern the
outlines, Of the aroomrand dithe several
pieces Of 4urpstufe in it. I theagot
out of bed and called aloud'asS SWthe ah,se
His there? What is the matter? Is
any5 one gIi1lY1DEI repeated these in,
| uuiriietss il Italian and IN French, but
| there was no answer. Fortunately 7
had some matches in my pocket and
| was able to light my candle. l then
examined every part Of the room
carefully, and especially the wall at
the head Of my bed; sounding it with
| my knuckles; 1T was firm and 8; s;!ld lid:
1 there, "a as in all other places I s nn=
fastenedsmy door, and exploredt the
passagesid the two adll dining rooms ,n
which were upoccupied and almost
destitute Of furniture they. had svi-
IDENTIFY not been used, for some time.
| Search as 1 would 1 could gain no
1Ilue to the mystery. Returning t'
my room I sat down upon the bed in
g,eat perplezity, and began to turn
overiin 4 nv = b mind whetheraaiti was pos
sibIe I could HAVE been deceived
whether the sounds which caused me
such distress might not be the off
sprlpg Of. some dream or nightmare
b1utto. that conclusion I could not
bring myself lat all, much as,L wished
it, for the groaning had contained
ringing in my ears long after | was
wide awake and conscious. While !
was thus rejecting, having neglected
! TO close the door which was opposite
the side of my bed where I was sit
i ting, I heard soft foot-step at q dis
tancs, and presently a light appear
i at the further end of the passage.
4 Then I saw the shadow of man cast
upon the opposite wall /; it moved
i very slowly, anu presently stopped
| / saw the hand raised, as if making
4 sign to some one, and I knew from
the fact OF the shadow being thrown
4 ia advance that there must have beer
a second person in the rear by whom
ths light was carried. After a short
cane they seemed to have retraced
their steps, without my having had a
glimps- of either of them, but only
Of tLie shadow which had come before
and which followed them as they
withdrew. It was hen little after
one o'clock, and I concluded they
were retiring late to rest, and anxious
to avol- disturbing me, though | have
since thought that it was the light
from my room which caused them tc
retreat. I felt hai inclined to call te
them, but l shrank, without knowing
why, from making known what hao
disturbed me, and while l hesitated
Ehey were gone; so l fastened my
door again, d resolved to sit uF
and watch e little by myself. Bui
now my candle was beginning /
!. burn low, and I found my self in thi.
dilemma: either l must extingnish Ii
at once, or I should be LETT without
the means of procuring light in
4 lease I:should1agaia, be disturbed.
regretted at l had not called for
Eanoiher candle while there were pei
ilple yet moving in he house, but
could not do SO now without making
4 explanations; so grasped my box dr
matches, put out my light and lay
down, not without shudder, in the
bed. , ~. 81
For an hour or more lay awake
thinking aoyer what had occurred,
ind by,thatsitime i had almost per-
susded thyselfathat i bad & morbid
imagination to thank TOR the alarm
(which I had suffered. sit fs an
outer wall" I said to myself: "taey
are all outer. walls, and the house is
built OF stone it is impo sible that
any sound could be heard through
SUCH a thickness Besides, it SEEMED
70 be in my room, close to nv ear
A1at an idiot / must, be to gel
Harmed and excired abont nothing +?
III think no more about it. So [
.urned OH my side. with smile
(rather a ioreed ohe) ct my own fool
ishness, and composed myself to
! sleep .
At that instant 1 heard, with more
hsiinctness than ever heard any
other sound in my life, y g!sp, q
.oiceless gasp, as-lf some one Were
agony for breath, biting AT the alr.
n lIyitg wit. cesrerate efforts 70
ry out or speak It. vas repeated .
second and third time; then there
was pause then agap that horri
ole gasplng; and then a long-drawn
Il 4 Il