River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1872-10-11

ICCuJCT, tHu ANVIL 'ehU ANtAihSo
wave after wave across the starry heavens,
| began to think ofthe disastrous omens OF
war, plague, famine which The oldep times
men drew from such sights. Somewhat of
the same emotion felt in my own mind,
and, reason asI would, felt it impossible
to shake off the growing sense of I'M
easness and gloom which had taken pos
session of me. On entering the telegraph
station, the clerk whom | had come to re-
lieve was ready TO depart.
"Yoa won't have much to do tonight,
sir" said he. "The instruments are quite
unavoidable; no signals have been received
here for the last three hours. Good
night"
When / was left alone, found that it
was as he had said. The electric currents,
which are developed in the atmosphere
during most meteorological changes, had
rendered the wires quit useless; and,
although the needles swayed ceaselessly
backwards and forwards, they made no
sign which the wisdom of man could in
terpret. Seeing that my Office was likely
to be a sinecure, drew my chair to the
stove, and taking down book which l
saw upon shelf / tried to interest my
self in the story. The volume which l
had discovered was "Jane Eyre" and
although, since that time, | have read, with
tears and laughter, it and other works
which came from The same true and loving
pen, yet, on that night, the spell other who
is so powerful to awaken our interest and
enlist our sympathy,-who has given us
Black Rochester, and ctronicled with no
unkindly hand the yagaries of the three
eccentric curates. and won hearts for Prof
Emmanuel Carl Paul,-had no power to
quiet my wild, wandering thoughts.
While was turning listlessly over the
leaves, the stiffness was startled by the
sharp, quick changing Of the electric bell,
the usual signal to prepare to read off "a
message. With SILVER of alarm, I
turned quickley to the instrument, but
soon perceived that the bell had been rung
by no earthly power, for the vibrating
needles made no Ineligible sign, and |
knew that the sound had been produced
by current of atmospheric electricity
acting upon the wires.
Smiling at the nervousness which caused
me to start at 50 ordinary an occurrence,
l turned from my desk and sat down by
he fire. But smile as would, and reason
as might, l felt that was fast succum-
bling to the vague, foundationless fears.
Thinking that the atmosphere of the room,
which felt close and hot. might have
something to do with my peculiar condi
ton of mind, flung open the door, and
stepped. outside, in hope that the cool air
might scare away the phantoms of my
brain. As l crossed the threshold, the
midnight express crashed past with speed
and force witch shook every timber in the
building, and uttering loud shrek disap-
peared in the tunnel at the end of the steep
gradient, ON the sumit of which my station
was placed. When it was g,ne there was
stiffness, stiffness broken-if car call it
broken--only by the peculiar signing of
the air passing across the wires which is
heard even i'll the calmest night. stood
and listened to the strange, melancholy
Eolian harp-like sound, now so faint as to
be almost inaudible, and anon swelling
into wild, low wailing. l looked up
and saw Orion and the Pleiades, and
thought how often on nights, not long ago,
when l had watched for Maggie in the
wood, had gazed up through the tall,
sOmbre pines and watched their trembling
fires. From that my mind reverted to the
earnestness with which my wife had asked
me to remain at home that night, and the
unusual pensiveness eff her manner when
she babe ma good bye. What could be
the meaning Of it all I? As general rule,
had most profound disbelief III omens,
prcsentiments,and all sorts of superstitions;
but, in spite of it, felt that would have
given good deal, at that time, to be
transported just for one moment to my
home, to see wether all was there. |
might have called upon my assistant, who
lodged in farmhouse not far distant, and
gone home but, as could give no good
reason for going away, ] resolved to stay
where | was, and get through the night as
best l could. If this goes on much
longer" said | TO myself, as turned iu-
side again, and picked up the Goals with
rather more noise and vigor than was alb.
solutely necessary If this goes ON much
longer, shall have to consult doctor,
that's plain" For | knew that the cause
less apprehensions which l had expcrien-
ced were often only the symptoms of an
unsound state Of bodily health. l filed
my pipe and lii it, but the weed had lost
its usual tranquilizing power. AS the
wreaths curled slowly upward, ! saw my
wife's face looking AZ me teaifully as when
| had left her. Again the bell rang
sharply, but, as before no intelligence was
made by the needles. l leaned my elbows
on the desk, ana, with my head between
my hands, watched their unending motions.
An hour might have passed thus, when
once more was startled by the clang of
the bell. This time it was londer and
more urgent, and it seemed to me, though
perhaps may err here, with peculiar