Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-03-13

How long had remained alone / cannot
tell. for the severe anxiety produced by
the news had heard. caused me to lapse
into another fit Of Inconsistencies, from
which | again recovered Just as the door
was closing gently. and l heard the soft
footsteps Of new comer upon the carpet.
The sheet was again turned down, and the
face-cloth removed; but this time l felt
the touch Of tender, loving hand that
had soothed my fevered brow all through
the painful illness. A few low sobs, and
my trusting, loving wife threw herself
across the bed, and exclaimed, "Oh, my
dear. dear husband how can ever part
with YOU? Why was not taken instead ?
o Lord | beg that either | may be taken
to join him above, OF that he may return
TO walk by my side through the lonely
vale of life"
A few moments Of silence ensued. broken
only by the sobs of my wife, as she lay
conyulsed with grief, across my bed. How
l longed to throw my arms about herneck,
and return the warm kisses she had left
tingling on my brow concentrated
every effort again, but all TO no purpose;
| could not burst the iron band of par
alysis that had control of every nerve and
muscle. Presently some one came and
took her away, my wife, my only friend,
and was left to myself again for q long
time
After nightfall lay musing upon my
strange condition, and thought Of all the
singular cases of trance Of which | had
ever heard. thought OF the many instances
in which people had been buried alive,
and feared that such would be my horri-
bic fate
As night drew on space. and | heard
some Of the inmates of the house
indulging in profound snore, |
thought to compose my own mind in
sleep, in the hope that slumber might
give me renewed strength for the. morn
ing. when | resolved upon another effort
10 regain my freedom, and escape the
fate that was being prepared for me.
But sleep was entirely out Of the question:;
and what seemed very strange 10 me, my
mind. although haraSsed continually, did
not experience the slightest weariness.
Some young people, who were sitting
up with the corpse" came frequently and
always very timidly, to change the cloths
upon my face; and | am certain that if
upon some of their occasional visits they
had found HE sitting up in bed (as very
much longed TO do, it would have fright
ened some Of them nearly to death. Up
on such occasions | could catch slight
glimmer Of the light through my eyelids;
and am not positive whether the ''smile"
that one Of the number observed upon my
lips was not provoked by the tremulors
hand that had recently taken the cloth
from of my face. and the perfect awe
which they evidently entertained for me"
Morning came at last, and with 1t the
coffin in which / was To be entombed.
Contrary TO my most earnest hopes, /
was unsble TO convey the slightest sign Of
life to those who were employed in re-
moving me into the narrow house. and
when once confined in it gave mp nearly
all hope for the future, for my position
was 50 cramped as TO render the strongest
man incapable Of moving after a few
! hours confinement.
Fortunately for me-, the coffin lid had
not been screwed down very snugly be-
fore going 10 the church, and the inter
stices admitted both air and sound. Al
though there could not have been any
perceptible respiration, still | think the
lungs must have been inflated occasionally
by a very slow and imperfect process. and
there must have been slight futter of
the heart. at least once every few minutes
during the entire period that | had re
manned thus palsied.
Although the space Of time could not
have exceeded an hour, yet it seemed a
moderate lifetime to me before We reached
the church; and heEd an occasional
sob, and at last the measured. solemn tones
Of the minister as he read the opening
prayers.
Then the low thunder of the organ, pre-
ceding the tempest of solemn minstrelsy,
began; and finally, the organs grand out
burst Of SORROW seem to roll away into
heaven, where its tones were lost amid the
sweet harmony Of angels.
Some one was turning away at the
screws of my coftin-lid, and l knew that
my time was almost come, and that pres
emily the congregation would be allowed
to amuse themselves by looking at the
corpse"
AS the cofin-lid was removed, and every
thing was in readiness, the congregation
was requested to ''move around in regular
order, so that all might have an oppor-
tunity to view the corpse without any
crowding or josthng."
Now was my time, and exerted all my
pent-up energies to betray some sign or
token of life. listened for the different
footballs, hoping to hear one which l
should know above all Others. 1t was that
of DR.. Lewis, my physician during my
"last Illness" and as one limb was con-
siderably shorter than the other, he walked
with a sort of halt, which had become
yery much accustomed TO. AT length |