Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-12-20
I listened, half expecting to

$500 s1S Ns1NkeA - aSSs 49, "
All was still In the street, and from
beyond the street the sound of traf-
&c came feebly and duly, like the
muttering Of water in q distant
cave. ..I.. ....,
Mechanically I turned into the
narrow street the man had entered.
I could not relieve my mind Of him.
he clung to me like the vapor.-
But what was It that seemed so
strange about him' AL Of US have
experienced the phenomenon
Of Remembering, or recalling, or
reimposing on the mind, persons
and objects Of which, at the time
they we're displayed to Us, We took
no sensible mental impression. So
it was with me in this case. ! be-
gan realizing his face; although at
the time we stood opposite to one
another I had no image Of which
I was conscious, in my mind. Now
the face was beginning to foat up
out Of the gloow and to trouble me.
"At first I could make out in the
chambers Of my perplexed mind no
more Of that face than general
expression Of strange excitement
wrestling with something else
Whence came that excitement 7
and what was that something else Z
I have always taken great delight
in trying to read the heart through
the face. This mans manner puz-
zled me considerably, and when /
first felt the recollection Of his
face dswning upon me, l said to
myself, Now I shall know all"
But It never came before me dis
tiDctly. was distracted by it,
without being able to seize o firm
hold Of It, or Of any leading idea
10 connection with it beyond the
general expression Of excitement
constrained or influenced by some
contending force.
81 was very much interested in
my vague speculations, and must
have walked more than a mile
before / became aware Of the fact
that I had been taking turns with
out recording them. So that when
I awoke to sense Of my situation,
/ had lost my way. / received an
unpleasant shock; for, although
I had no fear, tho place where /
found myself was gloomy and for
bidding in the extreme.
"Overhead hung huge ware
houses, whose upper stories were
lost in the fog and night. The lane
was narrow, and practicable only to
foot-passengers. Strain my ears as
I might, / could hear no hum Of
voices. no sound of wheels, no
bells, no noise of life. A chill fell
upon me. My imagination took
fire, and it seemed to me that had
wandered beyond the confines of
life into some city which stood up
with houses and towers, but knew
no informing football of the quick,
no gentle whispering Of the dead.
II pushed on hurriedly Sud-
denly I heard q sound. Click
click-click. 'Billisrdsl / thought
JOY yously. and, following the direc-
tion given by the sound, l found a
door, pushed 1t open, walked
through a long, narrow passage,
and entered the room where the
game was going on. 1 81"
"There were Ave persons in the
room, viz, the marker, two players,
and one man sitting on a side seat.
I should have called him q specta-
tor, but that he seemed to be fast
asleep.
~ sat down directly opposite
him. His head was bent low upon
his chest his hat was crushed down
over his eyes; bis arms bung lin
py beside him his appearance was
that Of one utterly overcome, and
I Immediately came 10 the conclu-
sion that he had sat too long after
dinner. H.7 ''l ,uo ...a
al asked my way Of the marker,
and finding that l had not drifted
very far from my anchorage, made
up my mind to sit and watch
game or two. eet
81 think I must have been up
ward Of en- hour in the billiard
room. when one Of the players nc
cidentally touched the sleeper will
the but end OF his cue and srouset
him. II is impossible to expires
nv astonishment when once NOR