The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-08-17

could watch all day long the spot where |
lay concealed my dreadful secret. 1t
was plot of ground that had been re- |
Gently dug up, ready for laying down |
fresh sods, and had chosen 1t as the
one where the marks of my spade would |
be least likely to attract notice. The
workmen who were laying down the
sods must have thought me crazy. l
was continually calling out to them to
go on faster, and occasionally running
out to help them, and stamping on the
ground, while kept urging them to still
greater haste. Their task was finished
before night and now felt compara-
lively secure.
l fell asleep at last that nIght-but
what troubled sleep it was, and what
frightful dreams were therel l fancied
l saw now hand, now head, rising
out of that unhallowed spot Of ground.
And each time that l awOke out of this
horrid nightmare l orept to the window
to convince myself it was only an idle
fancy of my brain. Then l skunk back
to bed, but only to endure the same tor
ments over and over again. Once l
dreamt that the child was still alive,
| and that l had never attempted its lie;
and the waking from this dream was
more dreadful than all the rest.
Next morning l again took my place
at the window, and never turned my
eyes off the fatal spot, which, though
now turned into a grass plot, only pre-
sented to me the appearance OF an open
grave. Ii one Of the tarm-servauts
| passed by, | expected him to sink in; il
bird allghted upon the grass, dread
ed lest he should become the instrument
that was to bring my crime to light; and
| every breeze that blew across 1t seemed
to whisper "MurderW There was no TIL
ing animate or inanimate, let it be ever
SO insignificant, but what seemed en-,
dowed with the supernatural power OF
upbraiding me for my heinous crime.
My wife, VINO was as superstitious in
her way as | was in mine, and was in
despair at the child'S disappearance,
was bent on consulting "wise woman"
residing in our neighborhood, supposed
to have the power oi reading the DEGREES
of late by spirlt-rapping. l accompanied
her most Reluctantly, but preferred be-
ing present, lest the sybll .snould 1nluSe
any suspicious of my crime into her
mind.
On my wife's asking the question.
"Where is the boyp the answer re-
turned by the rapplng was found to spell
out the words:
"With mis- motherl
My wife was deeply affected, and was
ready tosink into the ground-thouoh
l bIustered and said the woman spoke
nonsense. With his motherl Ay. it
mad double Specification to my ears
with his mother in heaven, and in the
bosom OF his mother earth! Repeated
experiments and appeals to the spirit,
still brought back those dreadful words,
and L began to think the woman knew
more Than she pretended to do, and had
seen me bury the corpse on that fatal
night.
| A few days after, a comrade of mine,
| Tho had served abroad, came to visit me
unexpectedly with a friend of his, whom
l had never seen before. l could not,
| Roweyer, resolve to lose sight of the
| grass plot and as it was fine sum-
mer's evening, l told the servants to
| bring table and bottle of wine into
the garden. 1 then placed my own chair
over the grave, and thus, feeling sure it
could not be tampered with, endeaV-
ored to make myself easy aud 10 enjoy
my glass.
My comrade expressed the hope that
my wife was well, and was not keepin z
nor room, and that she mad not been
driven away by their appearance.
1 was obliged to stammer out in reply
the story OF the .child's disappearance.
| The soldier, who was stranger to me,
did not look me in tue face, but kept his
eyes fixed on the ground all the wnlle l
was ia. king, which caused me the great
est uneasiness. L fancied he suspected
The truth.
/ l asked him abruptly whether he
thought-but L broke down without fin
ishing the sentence.
"WhetheF l think the child has been
murderedT said he, with mild look
| st(l mol what amid Gain "
numbering poor innocent clIluH
| could have told him what man
gained by such deed, for no one knew
il better than / did; but [ remained
silent, though shiYered as il had the
ague.
Seeing the state Of excitement / was
in, they endeayored TO comfort m9 with
the hope the CHILD might yet be found,
when we suddenly heard a deep howl
and couple of large dogs leaped over
the wall into the garden.
BoodhouudsV exclaimed the guests
They need not have told me, for though
had never in my life happened TO see
any dos Of that kind, l insLinctiVely
felt they must be bloodhounds, and |
but too well knew what attracted them.
| lelt like one already condemned to
death, and l grasped the sides of the
chair conyulslveiy, though l neither
moved nor spoke word.
"rhey are OF The true breed" OBJ.
served the stranger; "and have prob
ably been let loose on trial, and have
escaped their keeper"
Aud as he and his friend turned their
heads, they saw the dogs smelling tue
ground, and running rouid and round,
like mad, without noticing US, and ever
and anon raising their heads and utter
Ing prolonged howl, and then agaiu
laying their muZzies close TO The earth,
as If " get on The right scent. Present
ly, instead OF turning round SO large Il
circle, they seemed to concentrate all
their forts on one point, which they
shifted more diligently still; in doing
whIcu they approached my chair,
when they set up a more fright
ul howl than before, attempting
at the same time to tear away
its ledges, which prevented their getting
, az the gOund beneath.
"Tney evidently scent gamew erie d
my guests.
, "rha1s impossible!" cried /.
For heavens sakc" sait the one
| knew, "get up, or they Will tear you to
1 pieces"
LET them," returned I. 'Pll not sill
frn, 10 ,,.AiI