Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-03-28
AUSTIN, MOWER COUNT

laid out already with the grim formali-
ties of death 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 upon the pavement,
with crowd of people gathered, like
ghostly statues, in the twilight about
it. Some Of the men had already con-
structcd litter. was requested as
knew Mrs. Atwick, pelhaps better til II
any one in the village, to hasten on be
fore, and break the hideous truth to
her as gently rs I could. I sbrank
back appalled,. Demurred and fearful
should positively have declined this
painful duty of friendship 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
unpleasant to us in the misfcrtunes of
our dearest friends, is y rank libel upon
even medium human rnture. I should
not have been more d ntressed if Mary
Atwick, the woman to> hom I was CO.
ing on such an errand, had been my
own sister, And yet my acquaintance.
with her was very slight. She was
anything but popular woman F.; she
had mingled but little with the people
of the village, and had thus
remained without friends, while
Atwick himself had been q
universal favorite. I had visited his
house on more social terms than any one
else, I believe, and though I had never
found her varying from a cold and
naughty reserve, I had every reason to
believe that Atwick was devotedly at.
tached to her and his children. If,
however, I had known it to be other
wise-if, they had been to each other
objects of mutual Indifference, or some-
times even of aversion, should I not
still have hesitated to break the quiet
OF household with tidings of such q
death to one of it's members? Yet, 1
was stricken with q dumb sort of amaze
ment that had realized nothing of nv
position, aud hid not thought of
what was to say-even when found
my hand upon the gate of the yard in.
closure. All ut once, however, a sense
of what 1 had come to do struck terror
to my SOU, and the same shudder had
experienced in my Office thrilled me
from head to foot. There was no lights
about the house as went up the gravel
walk. But I thought some one had
come on the same errand, as I saw the
figure OF man going up before me. I
paused an instant on the threshold of
the portico, waiting for the figure. with
its back turned toward me, to lift the
knocker to strike for admission, when
the door flew open with sound, and
the person entering revealed to me, my
God-the blood-stained features of
FentOn Atwick himself!
"How, howl" 1 cried, 'have you
recovered sufficiently to get here before
me, and alone Z"
1t moved toward the door of an inner
room, beckoning to me with his mutii-
ated, bloody hand. And a voice that
I should have known, without the
words, belonging to nothing mortal,
said slowly: 1 am here in the spirit,
before you, Jerry; my body follows
on apace. Over it I have no further
control. But, that thou doeth, do quick
~, or poor Mary's heart will be bro
Twas still looking, when the figure
"anished, as 1 knew it would, and L
was again alone in the moonlight.
Wondering, amazed, everything but
frightened, I paused a moment in
dumbfounded bewilderment. There
was no stronger emotion in heart or
mind than bitter, bitter sorrow for the
woman upstairs, us I stepped back and
gave long loud rap upon the door.
A servant came to light the lamp in the
hall, and admitted me. Mrs. Atwick
came in a moment. Her face was
whittier than the gown she wore, as she
looked at me.
II was at the window upstairs.
when l saw you come in at the gate
with DR.. Atwick beside you. Tell me
where he has gone ~
tried to speak to her but could
not. My lips were still sealed, when
all at once she went down on her knees.
crying that "he was dead" She ask.
ed no confirmation from me of the hor-
rible truth that had come upon her.
never saw any creature go ON as she
did in my lite, and I hope in Gods
mercy that I never may. When Iapoke
to her at last, she rallied out at me "to
begone, and leave her alone, for I had
murdered him !" I think her mind had
entirely lost its balance. I knocked ut
the door of the next house, and bade
the woman 60 to her, for I could do
nothing. They had taken her up stairs
when the heavy tramp of the men with
litter was heard without.
He has shown no symptoms of re-
turning consciousness, / suppose 2 I"
I said to Fleet.
consciousness I should say not.
when he was dead even before Jones
had lifted him from the EARTH" I
was answered. When the body was
laid out-in spite of the horror that
came overme BY it's presence 1 looked
ut 1t. knew that he was dead, ,as dead
as you or I will be when We have slept
under the sod thousand years. And
yet l could not divest myself of the
idea that there was latent expression
of consciousness about the face. I saw
it Though the CONCEALED blood upon
his temple-even after I had touched
his brow with my fingers, and found it
colder than the marble slab upon the
table close at hand. No wonder thew
should tell me that was white and
sick! Men have been as pale with far
less cause.
They sent me home with Young
fellow named Compton. He and I and
some others were to sit up the next
night. had not slept one wink when
the day dawned again but was glad
to walk about beneath the light of the
sun, and be able to talk about that
fearfu! accident with my fellow towns
men, though in q strange and subdued
voice. When the evening came T
went back to the widowed house again.
The horrors of the thing seemed as
fresh upon them all as the evening be-
fore; and strong men sat in the shadow
OF tins great calamity, with eyes on
which the mist of tears had gathered,
ever and anon, and talked-if at all-in
hushed whispers to each other.
It was the old fashioned way. and
we were sitting in the room with the
corpse. 1t was considerably past mid
night when took book from the lit
tie table, on which pot of coffee had
been placed, and began to read. Soon
after this three of the men proposed q
walk; but,a as Charley Fleet and Comm.
ton were to remain, suid nothing. I
was still reading, as wide awake and
Us free from fear as I ever was in nv
life, when the same shudder I have
spoken of twice before ran over me
from head to foot, and froze the blood
in my veins. The book dropped from
my hands. looked up and saw Fleet
and Compton both asleep IN their
chairs. strove to call them, but nv
tongue refused to utter sound. And
again the low voice I had hearl ,anon