The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-11-28

'S''Np "'t Nh'pN WV INbi lNOplNN
I" Perhaps the woman has been talk
ing in her sleep suggested, or it may
be that the man is not dead, after all.'
"'No, / have looked to both he re,
turned, 'One sleeps soundly, ard the
other will never speak again in this world. |
So satisfy yourself
" | arose, and trimming the lamp, pro
ceeded rst to the couch where the girl
lay. She, at least, could not have spoken,
for all her senses were locked in Il pro-
found stupor | then examined the
corpse, and found it as we had left it,
except that the features were more
shrunken and sall0w than before. No
voice could have come from those rigid
lips. Concluding that we both had
dreamed, or had mistaken some noe.
turnal cry for the human voice, replaced
the light and was about to resume my
seat, when my movements were arrested
by a very singular voice,
"'Hhere it is again,' muttered the
Doctor, agitatedly.
"A low, confused murmur, resembling
nothing that | had ever heard before,
arose in the room, and seemed to circus
late in the air for an instant, and died
away, Again it arose, coming from Il
point above our heads, and gradually
descending until it appeared to emanate
from some invisible source Immediately
beside us. | know of nothing with
which to compare the information except
it may be the articulation of the tee.
phOneor that of ventriloquist.
The first words we caught were, oh,
my poorSIteo
" 1t would be impossible to describe
the effect those words produced upon us.
1t was not so much the tone, weird and
uDcanny as it was, as the startling sig.
nifcance of the words that amazed us.
" Who could have spoken them ut
the husband Of the woman lying sIupe
flea upon the couch? Yet he had been
dead for many hours, Full OF rapug
nance OF the horror OF the idea, we
again started up and examined, not only
every nook and Granny of the hut, but
even the space outside for many yards
around. There was no human being be.
sides ourselves in the vicinity.
" We again Scrutinized the corpse 1t
had neither changed its position nor its
appearance. The flesh had grown per-
tectly cold, and the muscles rigid there
WAS no trace OF vitality in it," continued
the Professor, wiping his head nervously,
" | have arrived at what imagine will
be the limit of your credulity. do not
expect you to credit what followed but
swear to you on the word OF an honest
man that do not deyiate from the truth
as much as a syllable when | say while
we bent over the body we again heard
the voice proceeding from the distant
part of the room, saying audibly:
"'ln the name OF God, assist me back
TO life -
With hearts beating thick and fast,
we stood gazing at each other absolutely
thunder-struck. An experience 50 terri
flying, so utterly without precedent,
completely unnerved W. While we re-
manned stupefed with horror, the voice
was again audible:
"Oh, have pity " it said aid me to
return to life
9 1t was some minutes before either OF
us could recover from our Gma2ement
sufficiently to make any reply.
"Who is it that speaks to us" asked
the Doctor, in low tone.
"The soul of the man who lies dead
before YOU it replied.
1T is impossible that the dead can
speak answered the Doctor.
/" No, for the intelligence never dies,
replied the voice. My body is indeed
dead, but that with which lived and
thought and loved is still in this room
"'What is it that you desire? askei
the Doctor, carrying on this strange col.
lCquy with increasing wonder.
"'ro be aided to resume my former
existence was the rejoinder Il dare
not leave my poor wife unprotected in
this wilderness. can not see her suffer
| love her beyond all my hopes of iu
ture lite, and by the power of my love |
have remained near her, and have been
able to communicate with you. can
not, will not be separated from Ler. !
must return to her in my human shape
Whether the Doctors courage de-
serted him at this point | can not say,
but he spoke no more and, as the voice
was no longer audible, we remained
silent, in state of mind that battles de.
scriptiOn.
81 am morally certain that both OF
US would have fled Instantly from the
place had it not been for the poor crta.
ture sleeping upon the bed. We could
not leave her alone 10 face mystery that
shook even nerves as tougheDed as ours
After hasty consultation as to what
course we ought to follow, we resumed
our former seats, and waited in breath.
less expectation of what was next to
occur.
"Some hours had passed IN this way,
and the first dim traces of dawn were
shining upon the eastern horizon, when,
with a simultaneous start we spraug to
our feet. The voice had again spoken.
This time it had proceeded, not from
some indefinite point in the atmosphere,
but from under the sheet Cnyeloping the
corpse
"'Helpn it cried, in faint but distinct
accents; tor Christ's sake, help
"For an instant we hesitated-and
who would not then fastened to- the
body and removed the covering. There
was no alteration in its pallOr aud rigid.
ity, but nc perceived that the lips, from
which a faint mulmur WAS issuing, trem-
bled slightly. Here cur instincts con-
queled our weakness. Whatever the
m ystery involved in the matter, human
being was struggling to regain existence,
and our impulse was TO aid without
q uestlon. A powerful restorative was
administered, and, before many moments
had passed, we saw the color coming
back to the wan cheeks and the sunken
muscles reshapiug themselves with the
current of warm blood. Tken, with n
faint sigh, the eyes opened and gszed at
Us inquiringly. In word, gentleman,