The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-06-11


ing down from IT in the centre.
| While they thus reclined at ease
waiting till either a servant or some
other bather like themselves should
enter, Osman, who had now no doubts
lett IN his mind as to the real and bodi-
~ identity OF his companion, could not
resist the temptation of recountinp to
hIm the previous adventure of the
night. So he told how he had been
awakened and beguiled out of doors bv
phantom exactly resembling in shane
and voice the friend now beside him
and how they had almost arrived at the
bath, when the spectre betrayed itself
for what it really was by the portentous
feat already described. The other lis
tened without interrupting the story in
apparent astonishment. till as the nara
tor concluded $50" he subioined.
$ 1t hung the lantern it was carrying on
the top of the big minaret, did It Do
you think he could have managed this ?"
and with these words, he Iifted a.leg
and foot, which suddenly heightened
out just as the arm had done before,
and with kick struck the very highest
point of the central vault above them.
shattering to pieces the lamp where it
hung.
Osman leapt up terrified, as well he
might be, and found himself alone in
pitch darkness, for every light in the
bath had been instantaneously extin-
guished. However, as he had often
been IN the building before, and was
thoroughly well acquainted with it, he
managed, IN spite of his trepidation, to
find his way to the door, and rushed
out, in bathing costume as he was, into
the open air, leaving his own clothes.
-suN, H.,
ter, behind him in the entrance-room.
But as he crossed the open space be-
tween the coffee-hcuse and the bath, he
looked back, and to his horror, saw the
dim and distant top of the minaret
within the fortress once more lighted
up by the spectral lanterns hanging
there. Chill and trembling, he at last
got back to his own house. There he
found his wife fast asleep and much
was she surprised when he woke her to
see him so quickly returned, and in such
strange attire. He now made a clean
breast of it, telling her of all that had
happened to him that night from first
to last, and adding, that when the day
was mp he would return to the bath and
fetch his clothes from where he had
left them.
But hardly had he finished his narra-
tion when, to the alarm of both, the same
rap that had twice been heard before
was repeated outside. Osman's wife,
naturally enough, entreated her hus-
band to pay no attention to it. But,
like Tam-O-Shanter in a similar case, he
would not take advice:
All, gentle danes it gaes me greet,
To think how monte counsels sweet
How monte heightened, sage advices,
The husband frae the wife degDiseE
"But to our tale" Osman. who was
by no means a cowsrd, and whose met
al was now fairly mp, swore that he
would see the matter out to the end
besides, added he, the dawn must now
be near, and it could hardly be a phan-
tom again this time. So he got up,
went, in bathing apparel as he still was,
to the house-dOor, and opened it. Sure
enough, there stood his friend, or what
seemed his friend, waiting. What is
the matter with you," asked the figure,
" that You stare so wildly at me and
how came you in such dress?" "My
own wearing clothes are at the
bath" replied Osman and forthwith
proceeded to give an account of all that
he had seen that night, and how ne had
been twice spectre-tricked, THU king TO
himself, eff this timeit be aphantom, too,
like the others, I may as we'll provoke
it to show its true character at once, be-
fore we go further" But his friend, on
hearing all this, expressed the utmost
astonishment. "Me - he said; "why
I have only this minute left my house,
and I was going quietly by myself to
the bath, when it occurred to me that
might as we'll pass by your door and
take the chance OF calling you up, in
case you might not be awake already.
You must have been dreaming somehow.
Anyway, let MS now go at once, and look
for your clothes, where YOU have left
them, lest anybody else may come in
the meanwhile and take a fancy to
them" Once more Osman felt sure
that the speaker was his own neighbor,
and no other. So, after a little more
parley, they went together, and soon
stood before the bath. As before. the
outer door was wide open, and the inte-
riOr of the building brightly lighted
no, but neither bath-keeper at the en-
trance, nor any other living creature.
Osman went to the corner where he had
first undI essed, and there found his
clothes lying, untouched and folded,
exactly as he had left them. His first
impulse was to put them on without de-
lay but his friend suggested that as
the bath was heated, they might as well
make use of it so the two entered the
inner room, there to wait till the ordi-
nary attendants should enter on service.
They sat awhile and talked no one
came. But suddenly a confused noise,
like that of a crowd, was heard proceed
ing from one of the deep corner recesses
of the hall. Osman looked that way.
but saw nothing then turning his head
back a moment towar2s his seeming
friend, perceived that his face was
changed and horrible, and his stature
gigantic.
And no from the dark niche whence
the sound had been heard, issued long
procession of countless fgures-men,
women, chiIdreo, oE foot, on horseback,
armed, unarmed, soldiers, peasants,
townsfolk, spears, lances, swords, drums
and flies a mixed multitude, large,
small, grotesque, fearful, hideous. They
filed the entire place; they swarmed
round Osman they pointed ut him,
they laughed, they danced, they clam
ored, they sung, they played the strang-
est antics, till in n moment, as the first
sharp cry that summons to wakefulness
and morning prayer sounded from the
minaret gallery of the old mosque out
side, they all vanished into nothing
the lights went suddenly out, and Os-
man, left alone in the darkness, fell
fainting on the stone pavement of the
floor.
There he remained till he was thus
found by the bath-keeper who entered
at daylight, and was carried home, still
insensible But before long he recOv-
cred consciousness, and told his story
for some hours, even, he seemed none
the worse for his spectral adventure.
As evening approached, however, feves
came on and for several days he war
like to die; when the crisis had passed,
it left him paralytic, hopelessly impaired
in mind and body, a mere wreck. Such
he now continues. His friend, whose
semblance the "mocker" had thrice as
sumed, had never, as they afterwards
found, left his house during the fatal
night, nor ever till late the following
morning.
WHILE company d, of the Twenty
eighth Pennylsvania volunteers, was do
inU r,ickek dutv Holm Nov WAS placed