The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-08-16
ALONE WITH a MADMAN

..I have often heard of persons whose
hair was whitened from excessive fear,
but as I never saw myself any one so
affected, am disposed to be credulous
on the subject"
The above remark was made TO DR..
Maynard as we sat on the piazza of his
pretty villa,7 discussing the different
effects of terror on dissimilar tempera-
ments. Without replying TO- me, the
doctor turned to his wife and said:
"Helen, will you please relate to my
old friend the incident: within your ex-
perience. tits the most convincing argu-
ment can advance" 81
I looked at Mrs. Maynard in surprise.
had observed that her hair, which was
luxuriant aud dressed very becomingly,
was purely colorless, but as she was a
young woman, and also very pretty
one, Iysurmised that was powdered to
heighten the SbrilliancyE of her fine dark
eyes. .zJEE
The doctor and had been friends and
fellow-students, but after leaving college
we had drifted apart, I to commence
practice in an eastern city, he had to
pursue his profession in growing town
in the West. / was now on a visit to
him for the first time since his marriage!
Mrs. Maynard, no doubt, reading my
supposition in my look. Of .incred1Iity,
smiled as she shook down her snowy
tresses over her shoulders, and seating
herself by her husbands side, related
the following episode:
1t is now nearly two years ago since
my husband was called on one evening
to visit a patient several miles away
o. domestics had all gone toa "wake'1
~" " tho vicinity, the dead Ibeing a.
ra,,.;sa ~ tne oe re of our serving women.
rms dyas'T 7 was Left alone. :. But l felt no
fear, for We never bao heard :ot: burglars
OF any sort of desperaatss y ppl q!ieS
village, then consisting of q fe,,v, scasssellng
houses. The windows leading 'ouSy on
Che piazza were open as nov; but So
cured the blinds before my husbands de
parture, and locked the outside doors,
al1 except the front one, which left for
the doctor to lock after going ont, so that
if 1 should fall asleep before his return,
he could enter wlthog aro1slng me. l
heard the doctors rapid foofsteps,o ,on the!
gravel, by the, urgent tones Of TIE mes
senger, who awaited him, and afse1 the
sharp rattle of carriage wheels. had be-
come but an echo, I seated myself BY the
t,srlor astral and soon became; absorbed
in the book had been reading before
being disturbed, by the summons; But,
after tina my interest succumbed TO-
drowsiness, and Thought of retiring,
when the clock in the doctors study ad-i
Joining the parlor struck twelve, SO L de'i
termined to wait q few moments more,
feeling that he would be home very soon.!
I closed my book, donned q robe de cham,
bre. let down my hair, and then returned
to nv seat to patiently wait and listen. :,
Not the faintest sound disturbed the still
ness of the night. Not a breath of air
stirred the leaf. The silence was, sol
oppressive. longed, for the sharp click
of the gate latch and the :well-Enown
step OF the gravel walk. ! did not dare
TO break the hush myself by moving or
singing, I was so oppressed by the deep
stiffness. The human mind is strange
torturer of itself. began to cenjure up
vivid faucies about ghostly Yisitants, In
the midst of which the stories had
heard from superstitiousi people abort
the troubled spirits of those who had died
suddenly, like the man whom my ser
wants bad gone to wake" who had been H e
killed by an accident at the saw mill
In the midst of these terrifying reasc, ;;
tions / was startled by stealthy football
On the piazza. I listened between fear
and hope. It might be the doctor. But
no, he would not tread like that the step
was too soft and cautious for anything
less willy than a cat. AS Listened again,
INV eyes were fixed on the window bind
I saw the Stats move slowly and softly,
and the rays Of q full moon disclosed a
thin. cadayerous face, and bright, glitter,
ing ewes peering at me. Oh, horror
who was it? What was it? l felt the
cold perspiration start at every pore. /!
seemed frozen in my chair. I could not
move. I could not cry, out, my tongue
seemed giaedto the roof Of. my, mouth u5lt11
while. tie :Ideathly white. face pressed
closer, and the greater. sunken eyes wan
4dered in their gaze about the room. IN
a fewiniomeits the blind closed as noise
lessly as it had opened, and the cautious
footstep came toward the door. Mercl
c,I Loa1en p, T cried. in a horror -strickeI