The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1872-02-22

look upon him frightlul to behold.
"Come jerry" he said, while his
teeth chartered. 81 have been sent
to fetch you. A fearful accident
has Just happened. DR.. Atwick-"
"What?" | asked, while shud-
der l thought to be mortal ran
through and through me.
"Is already dead, and as have
already said, by an accident as hor-
rible us it was unforeseen. Jones
was with HIM in his Office, and they
had risen to come up here, when
Atwick, extinguishing his lamp, and
turning suddenly, stepped out OF the
window instead of the door, and
fell upon the rocks below. He was
a dead man when Jones got down
to him."
"My God, how horrible !"
Twas at the scene of the catastro-
phe in few moments. And there,
laid out already with the grim for
malities of death, I gazed upon the
dead body of my friend Atwick-
whom I had beheld but few hours
before in the perfection of health
a mangled, bloody corpse, lying still
on the pavement, with a crowd Of
people, like ghostly statues in the
twilight, gathered around it. Some
of the men had already constructed
litter. was requested, as | knew
Mrs. Atwick, perhaps better than
any one in the village, to hasten on
before and break the hideous truth
to her as gently as l could. l
shrank back appalled,. Demurring
and fearful, L should positively have
declined this painful duty of friend
ship, but for the temporary absence
of our rector and the necessity Of
speedy action in some one. The
statement of great writer that there
is something not altogether unpleas
ant to US in the mistortunes Of our
dearest friends, is rank libel upon
even medium human nature. |
should not have been more distress
ed if Mary Atwick, the woman to
whom 1 was going on such an er-
rand, had been my own sister. And
yet my acquaintance with her was
very slight. She was anything but
q popular woman; she had mingled
but little with the people Of the vii
lage and had thus remained without
friends, while Atwick himself had
been universal favorite. l had
visited his house on more social
: terms than any one else, l believe,
and though l had never found her
varying from cold and naughty re-
serve, l had every reason to believe
that Atwick was devotedly attached
to her and his children. II, howev-
er, | hal known it to be Otherwise
if they had been TO each other OBJ
: jects oil indifference, CT sometimes
even OF aversion, should | not still
have hesitate to break the quiet Of
household with tldings OF such a
death to one of its members? Yet, |
Was 50 stricken with dumb sort Of
amazement, that | had realized no.
thing OF my position, and had not n
thought OF what | was to say, even
when 1 found my hand upon the
gaze OF the yard-enclosure. All at
once, however, a sense OF wha5 |
had come To do struck terror to my
sui, and the same shudder | had
experienced III my othcc thrl lei Inc
from head to loot. There were no
lights about the house as | went up
tue gravel walk. But | thoughl
some one had come on the same er-
rand, as l saw the figure of man
going up the steps before me.
paused an instant on the threshold
Of the portico, waiting for the figure
:, with its back towards me, to lit the
|. knocker to strike for admission
when the dor flew open with
| sound, and the person entering re-
/ vealei to me, my God-the blood
= stained failures of Fenton Atwicl
, himself s IL ... ....
) "How, how I cried, "have yol
, recovered sufficiently to get hers be
fore me, and alone ?"
Y 1t moved toward the door Of al
inner room, beck0ning to me with it,
1 mutiated, bloody hand. And
), voice that l should have known
: without the words, belonged to no
: thing mortal, sad slowly: II an
: here in the spirit before you, jerry
l my body follows on space. Over il
l have no further control but "tha
, thou doest, do quickly" or poor Ma
= rvs heart will be broken"
1 was still looking when the figure
= vanished, as knew it would, and
was again alone in the moonlight
, Wondering, amazed, everything bu
A frightened, I paused moment il
Y dumbfoundcd bewilderment. Their,
t was no stronger emotion in heart Of
t mind than bitter, bttcr sorrow fol
the woman upstairs, as | steppec
D back and gave long, loud rap upor
!, the door. A servant came to ligh
t the lamp in the hall, and admitted
/ me. Mrs. Atwick came in a moment
Her face was winter than the gowI
r she wore as she looked at me.
= az was at my window upstairs
;, when I saw you come in at the gate
/ with DR.. Atwick beside you. Tel
me whtre he has gone"
+ 1 tried to speak to her, but I coult
d not. My lips were still sealed when
s all at once, she went down on he
K knees crying out that he was dead
I She asked no confirmation from me o
Y the horrible truth that had come up
I on her. I never saw any creature g
9 on as she did in my life, and I hop
e in Gods mercy that I never may
, When l spoke 10 her at last, sh