, 1876-07-01
{ Continuation from 1st Page.)

''o u 80 IL Wdb Will livery
sound of the night. | never was subject to
physical fear, but now I started at a breath.
a mouse gnawing at the door made q noise as
though a legion of burglars, with a full equip
mems OF carpenters saws, were attempting to
cut taelr way into the apartment, | propped
myself up IN bed, revolver in hand, ready to
deliver a volley at the first man who crossed the
threshold. My movements alarmed the mouse
probably-at least | heard no more Of bur
glars.
Again 1 fell asleep. My dreams were all
OF violence and blood, but strangely vivid.
After a prolonged battle with bearded ~rutfians
| thought one stole upon me in my sleep and
was filling my mouth with pitch.
| awoke nearly stided, and tearing black
GODS from M mouth, with an impression that
a man was standing over me. And Indeed in
the darkness distinctly saw tho outline of a
man a few feet distant from my bedside. Qui.
city grasplng the pistol which always lay ready
to my hand, | cooked it quickly and noiselessIy.
when 1T occurred to me that perhaps it was nv
ohum, who, sleeping in an adjoining room, had
occasion to como into mine for something. IA
| gazed the figure assumed a new 8hape-that Of
a g%rinning skeleton, And while l looked q
whole procession of skeletons filed 10 and
marched in solemn procession through the
room. The bars of moonlight upon the walls,
shlnisg through the lattice work of the blinds.
began to dance and burn in vari-colored flames,
Aud said to myself Here are the jim
Jims!"
The first idea which occurred to me was that
q pistol, under the circumstances, was scarcely
the thing to have within convenient and ready
reach. SO | deposited it safely in the wash
bowl. Then | sat up in bed and prepared to
enjoy myself as much as could be expected un-
der such strangely abnormal conditions. There
were more flames and burning wheels, spiral
rockets and scinGliatlons and corrusoations Of
all kinds than | ever saw on any Fourth of july
day. Dragons flew and aerial toads hopoed
through the air. My skeleton friends RANGED
themselves for the Lanoers aud went tbrouob
that dance in grand style, butting their bare
skulls together In the courtliness Of their bows,
and shaking their doshlcss shins 10 the wild &c.
stacy Of couvolution and iuvoluti0n till they
ratified like oastanets.
L was fully conscious the while that the scene
was unreal, that all was an illusion. But sail
the figures and flames were as plain to me as
the sun is at this moment. The only alarm
which | felt arose from an apprehension that
this might be the beginning of a really serious
attack; that | might lose the control of myself
winch then possessed, and come to regard the
shapes as roal-become, in short, a &" demnition
maniac" AS it was ! had no other fear. That
one apprehension aside, the whole thing seemed
an entertainment, gotten up for my special
amusement, and | was sitting apart in a private
box. Indeed, | decidedly enjoyed it rather
than otherwise. The walls burned with all the
oolors OF the rainbow, and The monsters, dragons,
gritius, and such things were more gorgeous in
their attire than lizards, let alone lilies of
the valley.
had a pet monster in the collection no.
thing less than the soa-sorpent. The next
morning attempted to sketch the opLidian fox
the benefit of Nantucket people, but without
success II any artist would like to reproduco
the animal, can at present only suggest that
green scales, and a gaping mouth as tho leading
features, for am not good at remembering de-
tails. II was quite a pretty monster, however,
and gazed at it that long night through with
feelings more akin to admiration than fear.
forgot to say that at an early stage fthe
proceedings [ had arisen aad lighted the Gas,
the better to see what was going on. Letting
light on the scene made no difference at all
indeed it rather multiplied the phantoms.
Everything about the room underwent a strange
sea-change. The figures of the carpet became
snakes, which wound and dashed themselves to.
gether in a perfect wilderness of contortions
it was impossible to follow their motions. 50 "a.
pid were they. The faces oarven upon the
panels and the bedposts transformed themselves
into frst-class fiendS, aud [ thought what 3
good thing it would have been could Dor6 have
had a slight acquaintance with the Jim.Jims
r. "