The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-12-31

it close OF hand but while I stopped to
pick it mp the creature disappeared.
1 How it cOntrived to keep In with me /
know not, but I saw It again in the room
Immediately preceding the sleeping one,
/ crOuchJng sphinX-like on the red-tiled
floor. with its seals eyes immoyabiy
| fixed on me.
g I hurried past, nor turned to look
behind me. Persons in similar sitHa-
tions seldom care to do so, and closed
the door Of the room firmly behind me
/ as entered. But I was rot alone IN
my chamber; felt sure of that. Some
one or something was there before me.
A low rustling sound rem stealthily
around the walls behind the arras, and
then all was suddenly still.
g Fritz had piled some logs upon the
| hearth and thoroughly prepared a fire,
and having stirred up the red embers
into so bright a blaze that the quaint
old shepherdess on the folding screen
beside me danced and capered quite
| wildly IN the fitfui light. I drew for
ward huge chair of faded damask, and
taking a favorite volume from the
pocket of my blouse, endeavored to
read. But I could not read for trying
] ~ A-GNCEs anu NOLAA4 4OG A4SLCn III Tic
beating of my heart.
&C Suddenly it struck me that would
try to find refuge in sleep-sleep which
would fold me safely in It's wings until
| the coming of the blessed light CT day /;
and in a desperate moment I made 8
headlOng plunge into the dismal bed,
which yawned to receive me, and and
but why be ashamed to confess this,
| when we openly confess SO many worse
things ?-and hid my head under the
bed clothes. Why sheets and blankets
should be deemed impenetrable to the
subtle essence of supernatural beings I
know not, but such is the natural belief
and practice.
! s. Well, then, did sleep at last, but
dreamed as well TIE hollow voice
Of Fritz sounded in my ear in spite of
all the coverings drawn over me, and It
/ said, 1 was child at the time it hap
| pened, sir, and I'm an honest man.
| They never troubled me-.
f" awoke and sat up, and gazed with
| awe around me; buff ever the old guard
ian had been at my bedside, he was
not there then. looked shudderingly
toward the door it was closed, just as
l had left it, but an irresistible attrac
ton rlveted my stony gaze on the spot.
| - was q OO4la 0AA41s UlOIAA1lk L4OOu-
/ light, struggling with a still colder
dawn, and the fire had long ceased TO
burn. The floor of the chamber was
uneven, there was a space between if
and the bottom of the door and while
| kept looking, looking, always looking
IN the same direction, something awful
came and placed itself on the other
side of the open chink.
1T was foot; but such a foot
white, shapeless, belonging to one hu-
man-nOb OF this world. It stopped
before the chink. Then came its fellow.
They passed, repassed and stopped
again.
sob, how did long to shout out, tc
shrek, to make the place ring again
But I could not. 1 would have held
my eyes fast closed against the horrible
sight, but could not keep them from
staring wide. The door seemed to heavt
on its hinges, and to sway backward anC
forward az if the awful visitor were com
ing In. Tt did come in, something Oh
some one pursuing 1t. I knew not wha
or who. l felt it at the foot of my bed
If climbed and swung itself up by tht
curtain. It had such long, damp, tang
led hair, such miserable eyes II
sobbed and chung to me. J. swooned be
meath the deadly touch.
When L recovered my consciousness
l found myself in one of the sleeping
rooms of an inn at Audernach. The
evening sunshine was coming in gaylJ
through the red check curtains of the
window; my walking-staf a d KNAPP
sack were carefully deposited on the
table by the bedside; and the good wo.
man of the house, who kindly admins
tered cordials to me, answered my
wondering chances by stating that al
old peasant man, from a neighborinG
castle, had driven ne over that morning
IN his covered cart, and had recon
mended ms to the care of the people Of
the gGsthGus as a sick and over-tire6
traveller whom chance had thrown in hii
way the day before.
8" 1t was Hans Scheffman, in fact,
added the old woman, though he didn't
choose the name himself, he Is SO shy
and solitary like; but I remember hin
of old, when I myself was but child
and he boy. There was a sad piece Of
work up at the old castle place there
where he lives. A girl was four6
drowned In the water of the moat, and
they do say his master did 1.-THE ole
Baron OF all, father of the present one
The poor thing had dog who tried t.
I Ie@ND ANAg VAe AAO BOOu AlAAAo AL emu u
him, too --leRstWays they say twas ht
who did it all. de was a bad man, hi
was, at any rate, and only took hinsel
of in time to save his trial-here below
that's to say, for he's sure enough t.
have 1t elsewhere in the end. How
ever, to this very day no one knows how
or whittier he went, and neither Chris
tan man nor woman can live there IL
peace ever since, saving Hans, the fos
ter-brOther, who keeps IL Tor the family
You surely didn't sleep there last night
did you, sir 2
as did, said I, and may the saints
preserve me from ever again passing
such terrible night Rs the one 1 spen
under the roof of that accursed dwell
lingr
81 Amen + said the old woman. -
Here the artist paused, and morl
than one incredulous smile mingled
with the acknowledgements of his audi
tors for the ready good nature witt
which he had gratified their curiosity
Notwithstanding this lack of faith
however, there was visible and yer,
general disposition among the party t
migrate in a body to the sleeping. cham
bers. No one seemed inclined eithe
to move on first or to remain behind thu
scale the narrow staircase five abreas
two of the party rolled down it, and 81
did the lantern.
AS for myself, Will teuthfuIIy con
fess to perfect panic, when, after me
chemically tossing my boots, as usual
from my room into the passage, I per
ceived them little while after lookinI
In at me, as it were from under tn
ehink of the door. The recent impress
sion left by the artists strange nara
; tive, and, above all, by his own SINGER
conviction of its truth, made this sigh
so unpleasing to me that instinctivel-
, drew the bedclOthes somewhat highe
, up than UsHal but had had q wear,
, days journey, and, soon forgetting j
all IN sleep, was infinitely relieved il
the morning to find that had escape,
a repetition of his Terrible Night
Tunneing the Alps.