The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-02-22
SELECTED 4i1:..ssTpR1Es.
TIE FATAE TEST.

One night, while seated with some friends,
thesd6iect OF courage came up for discnssion.
and divers were the opinions advanced as to
whatritfrrly was, and Whist would be a proper
test to prove the true metal from the false. The
argument wa9ed warm, and twelve O'CLOCK
.T5assdf us far from any decision: =. , ,,,i
Albert ByIsn, scion OF the Emerald is.s, =! ,
hid been particularly boastfm, and longed ior
shePchapce,so, have his Mitesian bravery quito
's5s test boldly ayowing that no Englishman
aASSI SInesaasssd one 1.-THE of the disregard for
dsnper that belonged to his warmer blooded
'T1Rhis MAS, Of course, denied !. and Frank Les
ia. asHampshire youth, cold and passionless,
strenuously maintained that directly opposite
was the case; that the fiery ardor of the Miie-
sian was like eunpowder-a fash, and nothing
mofeIsg furious sound, ending in smoke; while
chat of the Englishman was like the thrice
shszsa2=steel,,=giuzins,= lasting TO the very
death. :.
sI dare do anything that yog dare y = =eflied e3
Albert, his angergtt theNssstsf M o1nls l Jaogf
ment. r..
s,stkHis hat and disappeared = G'Iii5'i'.l'
-tJWeheard his firm step upon the stairs
lResrd him open fhe' door, and saw his tall form
n moment in the street. Then it was lost to
us, forth night was intensely dark and stormy;
The rain swept round the corners in gusts, and
the wind fairly fatted ths Window and howled
down The chimney. 1T iwas Just the night to
nakeTone think Ct ghoats-she dead-eveY.
thinu thatths soul shrinfs from communion or
know not if other minds iyiwelt npon such
themes as mine did but certainly a spell aP-
peared to have fallen upon all, for silence took
the place Of noisy discussion, and the room
.shasa few mamenta before had rang with loud
debate. was as ifadistuYbed as the tomb. A
-hatp whisper, 'T wonder where he has gone p
were the only words spoken until Frank re-
.tnrnea, Shook the sleety drops from his person,
Ie,Solly took his seat, lighted his pipe, and re-
,aaayed xhei conversation with an air of perfect
as.T7aase fulfilled my part of the contract,
now fulfill yours" he said. ~. c,.4. -s,f..:g
% GWeh,,s What have you done?-where have
Won been2n auestioned Albert, stilhdeGant. = =
"Yoa know; $if Of you, the vault in the old
ehutehl 5afd "a the opposite corner-you know
a, Cor NE were ia, il this very morning, and re-
marked the peculiar manner in which the cof-
fnsllad been placed. They form, as you will
remember, three sides Of square, the fourth
I heEe been there-haye cEawled down the long
stebsLentered the vault in all its darkness and
faneifull Horrors walked to the extreme end,
and placed my watch ard chain on the pile OF
decayed cofins there. fYoi go .bfingit, Albert
--alone-without light@as have done and
IwilI own that, yoa are1as brave as an English
A thrill oil horrur-la sickaning, chilling SEN
aationI took possession Of us all, as we fully
.alPanRaliht theGpurp0rt Of his slowly uttered
carefully measured words; and every eye We:
turned upon the Irishnian, to mark the effect
upon him. Truly he was like marble! Every
dropoe the.ruddy blood that usually glowed
.SeIeafhihffs soft cheeks had been driven back
.Sohis Heart, and he stood like one entranced
Fhatr he &As heving himself for the task,
9pfainfy saw and that his entire nature shud.
assea at. the bare thoilght Of going alone and
.HdaykHess, into the menldy abode of the an
,gientd dead was equally plain to me. Nothing
But:hiSpride kept him from at once confessine
Elsfear and well indeed would it have been Il
-evvesi tiat had failed hin. y
=. aErank, is but ,jokiDg,n I said, anxioust,
Break the stony silence, and to awake myself
andpeomuani0na from the dreadful nightmare
that had seized every heart in its icy clutches
nIshaIEgOasnd-se p was the reply fror1
ess ashy Fl that almost refused to do she''
aYda,shsll not!l It's houid- dreadful" was
echoed on every slde.
-a-teowarfs, all p retorted Frank, reflling hi
pipe, and:watching as with his cold, iron-grai
sYea1mghf Esn ma -a coward tilf }doons.
day." replied, "before I'd go. 1t is simply Q
fool-hardy undertaking." .----,,.,.
@ssggH AFRAID ei ghosts, as i livep again
saunted Frank. "Altert is q medical student
and therefore ought TO be familiar with the
dead" WsS Nsgf-S -
aYou shallnot %, Albert" came from hal
dozen pair of lips, and as many hands were
laid upon him to retain him.
ssLet me 60, gentlemen. / am no coward
mid Yet IwM not foolishIy deny that the frs
Thought struck me with the utter desolatenes'
Of the undertaking." and he put aside ou
hands and departed 4 ~.
For moment all stood still, not knowing
what todso; ,and then, as if by intuition, W
followed him, without waiting to listen to the
mocking words and laughter Of the cold-bleed
We saw Albert lesp the high fence; VIZ
Heard !Rini creeping down the Shiny, mossy
steps and then, even We, too, had clamberec
over the enclosure and we're letting ourselves
down into the tangled grass, when we heard 6
rattling sound, heavy fall, and shrek thai
pierced our brains. ~ .i,,a
Not another word-and while one, more col
ected than the rest, hurried back to the room
fora light, we stood there with great sweat
drops upon our foreheads and hurriedly beating
hearts, but otherwise rs motionless as the long
mouidered dead beneath our feet
ssFheiighs was brought; and rendered despe
nate by our feelings, we rushed down the slip
perry stairs in body, J. and saw, great heaven
wia.any OF us ever forget it we saw the sense
ses form of our friend stretched upon the stone
pavement, half covered by dead bones and the
wreck of rotten cofins! We tore him from his
fearful surroundings, raised him in our arms
and bore him from that ghastly charnel house
--and We saw, as we laid him on couch, that
he had the watch and chain-the fatal test
grasped frmlyin one hand, while secured by O
button-hole of his coat hung fragment of a
ecfin by the rusted screwl ~
Of that night, of the day that followed;