The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-01-08
which sufocation was doing it's deadly

Thrilled with a supernatural. terror, T
blundered up the steep, ladder-like
stairs, and, in far less time than it takes
to tell, was in the room whence the
dismal awe-inspiring cries proceeded.
It was the room where we were to have
slept. All was dark, save for the pale
light of the moon that was now strug-
Cling to cast titful rays from behind the
storm driven clouds that sped hurriedly
in broken, dense, black masses across
the turbulent, tempest-tossed sky.
Lying prone on the floor, Immediately
in front of a wide-open cupboard door.
was great, spra Wing motionless, white
heap, that stirred not at my approach,
only faint groan from beneath it an
nouncing that it was not entirely life
less. With a silent horror that pre-
vented me calling aloud I moved to-
ward it, and the. hideous sight that met
my fear-stricken eyes well-nigh curdled
the blood in my veins.
Face downwards- stretched at full
length, with its arms slightly extended,
wrapped in winding sheet-lay the
corpse of man, while underpeath it,
with her poor upturned face as white as
that of her loathsome companion, whose
cold bloodless lips seemed glued to her
death-like cheeks in close embrace, was
my dear child.wife Amanda. In one
hand she still hell the battered metal
candlestick, from which the candle had
dropped and been extinguished in the
fall, while the other, with outspread,
rigid fingers, grasped the shoulder of
the CHASTITY thing, and seemed as if in
the act of trying to repel and avert the
itself on her gentle bosom in its forward
fwoop from its impromptu charnel-
house, to bury under it's fetid corrup-
sion my parlings PROSTATE form.
Summcning all my strength of reso-
luton ana presence of mind, yelled
madly for help, while I struggled to
free my unhappy Amanda from the
touch Of the horrible shape that was
crushing with its death-weight the
breath out Of her body.
Suddenly I saw as in a dream four
blanched, staring, terror-fraught faces
huddled together in the doorway.
Jamie" at the back of the little group,
clutcbed in his shaking, bony fist a
lighted lantern, that he held high over
the other three heads, whereby lurid
glare was thrown into the dismal garnet
and helped to render more distinct the
features of the dead and living. His
mother stood in front wringing her
hands and making unceasing doleful
means. In frenzy of nervous appre-
hension and nearly petrified with hor.
ror, managed to beckon the woman
to come forward. She came and assist
ed me to extricate my swooning wife
from the oppressive incubus Of the
corpse and to place her gently and ten.
derby on the truckle-bed in the middle
of the room, while the three men lifted
and carried down stairs the poor lifeless
body, the innocent cause of this direful
catastrophe.
All through the watches of that ter
rible night, until the gray dawn was
streaking the east, sat by the bedside
of my darling, endeavoripg by every
known means to restore vitality to her
lnanimate form, but all was in vain.
The catalepsy into which she had fallen
defed all human skill. The weary
hours wore on, and yet there came no
change in this hideous mockerv and
counterfeit of death, until I dared
gaze on her no longer, lest the CHASTITY
semblance should imnerceptibly trans
form itself into immutable reality.
Haunted by a sickening distrust that
increased as the seconds flew, and filled
with nervous fears that unnamed and
almost n1addened me, felt at last that
were to remain another instant in the
murderous howell my senses would like
lecting together all the rugs. cloaks,
and furs, I swathed them about my
poor Amanda, and raising her in my
arms I carried the precious burden to
the carriage, where I deposited it be.
side me. Then ordering the horses to
be put to without moments delay, I
determined at all risk to make for the
nearest town where efficient medical
assistance could be procured, and where
my beloved invalid could rest in sec1