The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-22

room in which the two travellers, dined is
shown to this day, and is called 1.-THE
room OF lucky assistance
ALONE WITH A MADMAN
BY A. e. FREsE.
81 have often heard of persons whose
hair was whitened through excessive fear
but as [ never saw myself any one so af.
fected am disposed to be credulous on
the subject
The above remark was made to DR..
Maynard as we sat on the piazza of his
pretty villa discussing the different eff.
feets of terror on dissimilar tempera.
ments. Without replying to me, the doc
tor turned to his wife and said:
"Helen, will you please relate to DR..
Maynard the incident within your own ex.
perience. 1t is the most convincing ar
gument can advance"
l looked at Mrs. Maynard in surprise.
had observed that her hair, whic h
was luxuriant and dressed very becom.
ingly, was purely colorless, but as she
was a young woman, and also very pref.
ty one, surmised that it was powdered
to heighten the brilliancy of her fine dark
eyes.
The doctor and I had peen friends and
fellow students, but after: leaving college
we had drifted apart. to commence my
practice in an eastern city, he to pursue
his profession in growing town in the
West. | was now on visit to him for
the first time since his marriage.
Mrs Maynard, no doubt, reading my
supposition by my look of incredulity,
smiled as she shook down her snowy
tresses over her shoulders, and seating
herself by her husband s side, she related
the following episode
at is now nearly two years ago since
my husband was called on, one evening,
to visit patient several miles away.
Our domestics had all gone to a "wake"in
the vicinity, the dead man being a rela-
tive OF one of the serving women. Thus
was left alone. But I felt no fear, for
we never bad heard Of burglars or any
sort of desperadoes in our quiet village,
then consisting of few scattering houses.
The windows leading out on the piazza
were open as now, but secured the
blinds before my husbands departure,
and locked the outside doors, all except
the front one, which left for the doctor
to lock after going out, 50 that if I should
fall asleep before his return he could enter
without arousing me. I heard the doc
tors rapid footsteps on the gravel, quick.
ened by the urgent tones Of the messen-
ger, who awaited him, and after the
sharp rattle of carriage wheels had be.
come but an echo, seated myself by the
parlor astral and soon become absorbed
in the book had been reading before be.
ing disturbed by the summons. But after
time my interest succumbed to drowsi.
ness, and though hit Of retiring, when the
clock in the Doctors study ABIDING the
parlor struck twelve, so I determined to
wait few moments more, feeling sure
that he would be home now very soon. I
closed my book, donned robe de
chambre, let down my hair, and thep re.
turned to my seat to patiently wait and
listen. Not the taintest sound disturbed
the stiffness of the night. Not breath
Of air stirred leaf. The silence was so
profound that it became oppressive. l
longed for the sharp click of the gate.
latch and. the well.known step on the
gravel.walk. did not dare to break the
hush myself by moving or singing, was
so oppressed by the deep stiffness. The
human mind is strange torturer Of
itself. l began to conjure up vivid fan.
cies about ghostly visitants, in the midst
of which occurred to me the stories I had
heard from surerstitious people about
the troubled spirits of those who had
died suddenly, like the man whom my
servants had gone to wake, who had
been killed by an accident at the saw
mill. In the midst Of these terrifying re-
Elections l was startled by stealthy
football on the piazza. I listened be-
tween fear and hope. It might be the
doctor. But no, he would not tread like
that, the step was too soft and cautious
for anything less willy than cat. AS I
listened again, my eyes were fixed on the
window-blind. I saw the Stats move
slowly and softly, and then the rays of a
full moon disclosed thin, cadaverous
face, and bright, glittering eyes peering
at me. 0, horror who was it ? what
was it! l felt the cold perspiration
start at every pore. I seemed frozen in
my chair. could not move, could not
cry out, my tongue seemed glued to the
| roof of my mouth, while the deathly
white face pressed closer. and the great
sunken eyes wandered in their gaze
| about the room. In few moments the
blind closed as noiselessly as it had been
opened, and the cautious footstep came
toward the door. >,'Merciful heaven! I