Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1874-02-21

1 struck a fusee, once not Il momen
too soon. Another step and L hGC
r fallen into a disused quarry hole, tn,
depths Of which my feebe, hickerinl
light failed to fathOm.
= l reached the lodge at Wyvcrn Hall
!. My instructions were so complete tina
= / was enabled to open the wicket gate
and pass through as though 1t haC
y been my hourly practice from child
hood.
The avenue leading to Hall lay be
fore me cavernOus as a railway tun.
mel
}. l plunged into it.
% Was there no hand TO warn me
y back: No semaphore TO denote eau
n | tion: No red light to warn me of dan
o ger?
0 L had walked, possibly, about four
:. hundred yards in o. darkness so in
e tense that had been blindfolded and
> placed IN an apartment from which
; every ray Of light had been excluded,
my vision could not have been more
] securely sealed. held my bag IN my
left hand, and groped my way with
my umbrella in my right. My fusces
! had become damp, and were rendered
! useless. l stopped irrssOlutely, with
out exactly knowing why or where
fore.
4 strange, sicl1ening sensation stole
over me, as though some fnul and
filthy animal were crawling upon and
covering me with his noise-some
saliva.
One awful sound. One rush of
thought, and k,nelg / lCas not alone.
L have not been brought facet face
with death at the cannon's mouth. /
have not been upon the verge of eter-
rity on the deck of the sinking ship.
/ have not been placed in any of these
perilous positions, where the men are
/ taxed to the utmost limits of their en-
| durance, and therefore l cannot de-
termine whether am what is termed
a brave man or a cOwardly one, but
| that shock, such as startled my soul, !
was fraught with so mysterious hor- !
| rOr that no human nature, however |
/ bold-no human mind, however even |
| ly balanced by philosophy, or forti- |
| fled by the sublmities of religion /
! could have experienced it without re-
i coiling in swoon of indefnable terror. |
There was something beside me in |
| that cavernous gloom, and that thing /
was not of this earth!
L called upon my reasoning power to
! strike one blow in my behalf, and
crush the maddening thought by the
sheer weight of common sense.
1 endeavOred to speak, but my
mouth was dry and parched, and my
tongue refused its Office. a cold per-
spiratiOn bathed me from head to foot,
and shook in palsy of terror.
would have given thousands, had
l possessed them, for the company of
the tilthiest plague-stricken wretch
ever Vomited from prison or hospital;
thousands for a CLINT of Gods sun
shine. Every instant l expected to
be touched by it. Every instant that
it would reveal its presence in some
awful and ghastly manner
Suddenly there came upon me the
impulse to fly, and 1 obeyed it. ;
l rushed through the darkness with (
a swiftness that must have destroyed
me, had 1 come into contact with any
intervening obstacles. a moment be- I
fore and 1 had been treading with !
the caution of feebleness and |
age Now l was dashing onward as s
though trayersing some grassy slope S
in race in which the victory lay to
the heetest.
The squirt passed away, and 1 slack
ened my pace, but the same terror {
clung to me, for the same presence
evolved it. s
At length, when nearly spent, for S
my heart was in my throat, dim but S
friendly star told me that the avenue t
had been passed, and that the Hall
had been reached. l staggered to the
door, and clutching wildly at the t
knOcker, thuudcred with the rapidity d
of a steam hammer, and with a din ]
that would have awakened the dead.
My appeal was responded to, the last e
bolt had been drawback, and the i
door was about to swing open when, t
great hcavenl a clammy, icy hand was i
laid upon mine, and two soulless, T
ightless, lifeless, CHASTITY eyes i'm
beddGd in a green OoZe- Il
Ugh. my flesh creeps as 1 recall the f
horror of that unearthly Il
gaze. n
The old crone, who was both deaf b
and blind, led me, quivering like an s
aspen, along n series of gloomy pas
sagcs by the aid Of a solitary candle, c
which rather seemed to make dark t
ness visible than to afford the neces- t
sary adjunct of light. Her shadow G
upon the wall, as we silently trayersed Q
the corridors, seemed weird and v
witchlike, and singularly cn rapport J
with the fever of my thoughts. S
4 bright fire cracked in the huge I
CRATE of the oaken wainscOted room G
into which she ushcred me, and upon @
a small table drawn closely to the a
hearth stood decanter labelled bran /
dy, from which poured into tum- "
bler about half pint, aud drained il L
at Il gulp. | still retained the bag in L
my grasp, and 1 cast Il hurried glance S
at the back of my hand to ascertain
if any mark had been made by that c
awful touch. No; my hand, usually /
white, now blanched with rain and '
cold, seemed whittier than usual.
Why did 1 not cast the bag from 4
me is still q mystery, and can only be +
accounted for by the instructive de- a
sire to retain that which contained
the papers of my deceased friend. c
With something like shiver, per- /
ceived that the table was laid for two I
persons.
Surely the wretched old hag, who '
was busying herself with the fire, did I
not intend to plague me with her {
presence.
Reeve informed ME distinctly that {
he had shut up the house, leaving &
this solitary person in charge of it.
He knew 1 was in no mood for com /
pany. What could it mean?
"You have laid the table for two?" {
| shouted into the old woman's ear.
''NeS, have; that's right" was the {
croakinE response.
"Who Is to take supper here to-
night;'
''Yo on, and Mr.. Richard Bcutick"
reeled as though stricken by we'll {
directed blow. The mention of my I
dead friend in such a manner,
Mr. Richard Bentick is dead" I ,
cried. hOarselv.
The Old woman shook hex head slow
ly from side to side, and with a leer {
which meant to convey that she was {
too wary to be deceived by so weak
an invention, chuckled:
''NO, sir; he's not dead; 1 seen him
this evening"" and, lowering her voice
to awhiuing whisper, she added, ''and
l seen her"
"Her-who do you mean?' ] cried.
This was the woman's reply:
"She was standing on the steps 4
when let you in. D"
1 sank into a chair. Those souIIess
eyes! l was feebly struggling in an
! ocean of mystery, and being sub
merged by every wave.
1 dared not question the hag any
! further, ut hcast not yet. "She's very
| tipsy,'' 1 reasoned: evidently fond of
| the bottle. Yes. tipsy'" And filling
up a glass full of brandy l offered it
/ to her. Hero, old lady. this viii
! cheer you
Inever take it-I am thankful to
/ yOU. sir The woman was sober.