Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-09-20

only 10 complete tne Work. AT the
moment that the shroud was unrolled
a horrible cry fairly raised my hair on
end. 1t proceeded from a woman by
my side. at is a vampira," she
shrieked: " the worms have not eaten
it, and her words were taken up by
100 mouths. Twenty musket-shots
shattered the head of the corpse to
fragments, while the father and rela-
tives Of Khava hacked the body saw
agely with long knives, and the wom-
EN- dipped linen cloths in the red Ii
quid that oozed from the wounds to
apply to the sufferers throat. The
body was dragged from the grave and
firmly tied to the trunk of a small
tree that had been cut down and pre-
pared then drawn to the house of
Poglonovich, where a pile of fagots
and straw had been erected. Fire was
set to it and the body tossed into the
flames, while the people, yelling mad
ly, danced around the pyre. The
ahominable stencil from the burning
flesh soon compelled me to take refuge
in the house
The house was crowded with Wis
itors, the men all putting at their
pipes, the women all speaking at once
and overwhelming with questions the
sick girl, who sat pale and stupeiied.
the blood. soaked bandages round her
neck forming CHASTITY contrast with
her white, half-naked shoulders. Lit
tie by little the crowd diminished, till
we were left alone. Khava grew more
and more uneasy as night came on, and
Insisted that some one should watch
by her bedside constantly. AS her pa
rents were worn out with fatigue and
excitement, offered her my services
as nurse, and they were accepted CRATE
fully.
! shall never forget the nights
spent by the bedside of this unfortu-
nate girl. The creaking of board,
the very murmur of the wind, made
her start and shudder. She could not
fall into doze without seeing visions
of horror, and from time to time
would waken with fearful start and
a cry of anguish. She had had one
horrible dream, and the village gossips
had succeeded in completing the ruin
frightful stories about vampires that
they could remember or invent. Often
as she felt her eyes closing she would
say to me: For Gods sake do not
sleep! Take my rosary in one hand
and your sabre in the other, and watch
over meW Nor would she sleep save
with her two hands locked about my
arm, locked so tightly that the convul-
sive grip of her fingers would leave
vivid marks in my flesh. Nothing
could distract her mind; she was alb
jectly afraid of death, and believed that
she must certainly perish.
In few days she became shocking
~ thin; her lips We're colorless end
livid; her great black eyes seemed
0Nan laraar moro brilliant, she
was pitiable thing to see. ! tried to
impress her imagination 10y feigning
to believe as she did. but, unhappily,
as | had at first derided her credulity,
| could not easily gain her confidence.
| told her. however, that | was pos
Sessed of a potent charm against evil
spirits, and that if she desired | would
pronounce it. AT first her natural I'M
permit her to allow me to draw the
wrath of Heaven on myself, but final
ly the fear of death overcame her
scruples and she implored me to try my
spell. pronounced loudly and solemnly
some lines of Racine as an Invocation;
then, after rubbing her neck, pretend
ed to draw theretrom aSmall red agate
l had concealed between my fingers,
and assured her gravely that | had re-
moved the source Of her illness, and
that she was saved. But, with sad
smile, she said: " You have deceived
me; you had that stone in a little cas-
ket; | had seen it before. You are
not magician. :" Thus my ruse did
her more harm than good.
From that moment she grew worse
rapidly. On the night before her death
she said to me: eff die, it is my own
fault. My lover (and she named one
of the young men of the VILLAGE
wished me to elope with him, but |
would not, and asked him to bring me
a silver chain. He went to Marcaska
to buy me one, and it was then that the
vampire came. After all, if | had not
been at the house it might have killed
my mother 50 perhaps it is ali for the
best. ~ Next day she made her father
promise himself to cut her throat and
open her veins after her death, that she
might not also became vampire; she
would have no otker hand but his to
commit upon her corpse these needless
atrocities. Then, embracing her moth
er, she desired her to take rosary to
the tomb of a local hermit or saint,
there to sanctify it, then to bring it
back to her | could not fail to admire
this peasants thoughtfulness in find
ing such a preteXt to keep her mother
from witnessing her dying agonies.
Shn took an am IL Lot from hnr rnncl. and