The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-09-09

I
with this SOLEMN imaeiniDg that !
faiat, steady, distinct movement
some ewhere in the tomb failed to arouse
me to the alarming circumstance, I'M
! til the stiff, slow, dragging noise had
been repeated. 0isfN
But il was so incOmprehensible thaI
could get but one ifea-that il was
a corpse turning in its coffin. Again
leaped mp /; again, on the same side
of my head as before, | was sharply
Z admOnished by the coffin to remain
seated.
, Had / been near the recently en-.
, tombed banker, should have seized
the idea that he was alive and strug.
Cling within his sl,rOud but a mo
menvs reasoning convinced me to
the contrary. Fne s1und was ton
guarded, too distinctto be made BY :
person screwed within coffin. -
/ listened bFesthlessly for q repeti-
ton of the sound, but it came nUt.
fhen tried TO analyze it. How could
rat have produced the sound ?
What could he be dragging about? II
was liks the hauling up OF a WON an .
dress or F"he, II it would @ bme gain
| thou DIT tiiat L could make 10 out.
II did csds faint ter but ejnld- take
my oath that i was among the { II
fins above my liead. Bah rats t5au-
queting-..ist had nearly spoken
II al o ud. There was 3 SOUND Outsids,
faint, 1t distinguishable to me Is
when one Is in Cellar and there is
trsmping overhead. SIme one is
Gaming.
1t was uRspoakable relief to hear
the key CRATE in the lock ami to know
that = living mortsl-althOu ,h a mid
night thief and assassin, perhaps :
was about Ia enter the jmh,
Cautiously Wit the 10 Dvem cuts of u
panther, lie entered "A man with a
heavy beard aad IN oustaehe. He car
ried & dark lantern, which hs sat up
on a prJj scti9n near the new cOffiI,
and fumOiing meath mis- cloak, in a
moment projuce1 8 screW-driver aud
began operations on the fasseningS,
having first softly closed the door. |
watched every movement; saw him
Faise ths lid aud glance within saw
him give q nervous start ap1 reaca
out for the lantern to turn its light
more fully upon the Corpse. de then
recoIled with such quick and unex-
pected horror that ne knocked the
Hight from his hand, extiasuishiag it,
and stumtling on some slight uneve-
ness of the fsor he fell against the
closed door, aud the sharp click struck
like a knife into my heart. The
spTingslQck had fastened the d 4aI aud
the living in together,
heard q n1uflied thud un)n the
earth, q howl OF horror, aud then,
Hod of he universe DOWN came d
coffin from over my head with q dab,
and with clammy sweat Oozing ~
every pore, under the shelf of rock, /
listened to the diabOlicai hubbub of
that ch9rnel house. Knowing that [
was not in an incubus state, believed
that had gone mad. Utter darkness
epvelOped the earthly eombstants,
but could imagine the whole soene.
The racket, the Bqbbub, and choking,
bitter dust around me, convinced me
that not only had the eOffin above NJ 3
leaped from its perch, but Others also
were Joined In the fray, Waiting on
their feet, Wriggling their lids at each
other, and butting their heads 1t
was tlo much for mortal mind TO en-
dure. [ should have shouted, but
what good wouli my voic5 have dime
amid the dull LhumPing and
sepulchTal, thingless coughs
Seiz ed with NAL impulse to Knog
the worst, / came ont from my covert
and groped and grappled for some
thing in the open space but my feet
tangled in shrOud beneath them,
and plunging and stuublingsI sI fell
clear along the whole length of the
tomb, striking the wall just as apoth-
er, ehild's casket, rushed into the
fight.
Then ensged o frightfIi sIlenoe-a
silence so awful aud complete, that
should have deemed all that had taken
place before the horror OF a dream,
had it not been for the suifocating
dust that rendered bre1thing conyul-
sive and painful
For long time this silence lasted
it seemed an age. Perhaps it was an
-FOUR wheni. that stealthy, crawling
movement began. The rObber, doubt
LEGS, Ignorant of the fact of the spring
lock, was seeking egre5s at the door.
Stunned, as | had been by my IA II,
I could only lie still, as the terrible
warfare again began with fiercer fury
than before. Had I known which
way to move, or what TO take hold of,
OCCC W
mingle in the tumult.
This tussle seemed only a faint
spssm of the other, for it soon died
down again. and the early dawn OF
/ the summer day must be a5 hand, but
1 invisible, il the clouds were piled
upon each other as thickiy as in the
evening.
Half suffocated, feeling that was
imbibing in pinches Of snuff the whole
Donald pedigree, ] inlpatientlY, saw
sgely awaited Harney's return.
4 WHAT r. business should Keep him,
or he should quite forget my case /
was obliged to Danish the idea, the
while 1 expected momentariIy an at
tack from the corpses around me. By
aud by the key grated in the lock,
crevice of tue door was opened, let
ting in the gray dawn of the clearing
sky.
rMic," called Harney's well-known
voice, "are you asleep ?''
| There was such rush and Stun
bling inside that he shut the door
again with snap.
"Mie, for Gods sake, what Is il ?'
ga general resurrection" l gasped,
struggling for the door. "For the love
Of heaven fling it open, let me out and
give me pistol %
Then ranging himself alongside the
portal while Harney, palsied with
establishment, stood herOically 10y my
side, I challenged
s'Frhe live man first. then one corpse
at time ~ Hiib5 si.iRilikH
Mustachoes made dash, but we
4 -, - L. /. y
er, simply trimmed with a shroud,
and DE-. Giles, looking extremely fool
isb, gasplng, coughing snd sneezing,
reeled along in company with his late
patient.
As revelation of possibilities of
the case burst upon my mind, I should
have exploded with a laughter, had
we not so nearly suffered sitting
death, and then my righteous indie-
nation at the "soft iob,"
A few moments will explain mat
ters. The crafty old man, 0Onsld,
had endured dosing and this severe
test toeet his 70 iud at rest concerning
i the character OF his wits aud her
4 friend. Giles, uneasy st the effect OF
his sleeping potion, given , the sup
posed dead man, had eDscOnsed HIM
self in the tomb, his patient provia-
ing him with key for this purpose,
to minister to him If anything un-
looked for should occur; while Har-
ney, on his own responsibility, had
got upa little side show. Giles, in
torture at being unable to make out
my business or identity, had under
CONS exeruciating eramp, and made
some little movement which [ had
heard. Not iiking'ths damp ground,
he bad perched himself upon q shelf
above the cofflns, and when the thief,
started at the hsif open eyes of the
corpse, Thought t8 Io0k again, and dis.
covered them wide open and slaring,
and had dashed backward, the old
banker angrily but unwisely. leaped
out and enga aged in a hand ID hand
encounter.' 81 H
L came out the best of any OF them,
through a mirEele of cool fortune, as
Giles leap, dislOdging the c0fiia upon
which he sat, would have endangered
; the life Of one not born under lucky
planet, as in its fall it grazed ms