The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-06-24

he groaned, but rose, and began
throwing off his clothes, and, watching
my opportunity, I slipped sleeping
powder. which I had managed to put in
my pocket before leaving the surgery,
into the tumbler of claret that stood be-
side him.
The more I saw, the more I felt con-
vinced that it was the nervous system Of
my patient which required my atten-
ton; and it was with sincere satisfac-
ton I saw him drink the wine. and
then stretch himself on the luxurious
bed.
"Ha," thought I as the clock struck
-, and, instead of groan, the deep
breathing of the sleeper sounded through
the room; "you won't receive any sum-
mons tonight. and I may make myself
comfortable"
Noiselessly, therefore, I replenished
the fire, poured myself out glass Of
wine, and, drawing the curtain so that
the freight should not disturb the
sleeper, I put myself in q position to
follow his example.
How long I slept know not, but sud-
denly I aroused with q start and as
ghostly thrill of horror Us I ever re-
membered to have felt in my life. Some
Ming-what, I knew not-seemed near !;
something nameless, but unutterably
awful.
I gazed round. The fire emitted q
faint blue glow, just sufficient to enable
me to see that the room was exactly the
same as when I fell asleep, but that the
long hand of the clock wanted but five
minutes of the mysterious hour which
was to be the death-moment of the
summoned" mani
Was there anything in it, then ?-any
truth in the strange story he had told?
The silence was intense. I could not
even hear breath from the bed; and
was about to rise and approach, when
again that awful horror seized me, and
at the same moment my eye fell upon
the mirror opposite the door, and
saw
Great Heaven! that swful Shape
that CHASTITY mockery of what had been
humanity-was it really o messenger
from the buried, quiet dead? It stood
there in visible death-clothes but the
awful face was CHASTITY with corruption,
and the sunken eyes cleaned forth a
green, CLASSY glare, which seemed YER
table blast from the internal fires be-
low. To move or utter q sound in that
hideous presence was impossible; and
like q statue I sat and saw that horrid
Shape move slowly toward the bed.
What was the awful scene enacted
there I know not. I heard nothing, ex-
cept low, stifed, agonized groan, and
saw the shadow of that CHASTITY messen-
ger bending over the bed. Whether it
was some dreadful but wordless sentence
its breathless lips conveyed, as it stood
there, 1 know not; but for an instant
the shadow Of claw-like hand, from
which the third finger was missing, ap-
peared extended over the doomed mans
head and then, as the clock struck one
clear silvery stroke, it fell, and wild
shrek rang through the room-a death
shrek.
I am not given to fainting, but Ger
tainly confess that the next ten minutes
OF my existence was cold blank and,
when I did manage to stagger to my
feet, gazed round, vainly endeavoring
to understand the chilly horror which
still possessed me.
Thank God! the room was rid of that
awful presence saw that; so, gulping
down some wine. I lighted q wax-tape1
and staggered toward the bed. All,
how prayed that, after all, might
have been dreaming, and that my own
excited imagination had but conjured
up some hideOus memory of the dissect-
ing,room!
But one glance was sufficient to answer
that. Mol The summons had indeed
been given and answered.
I flashed the light over the dead face,
swollen, convulsed still with the DEATH
agony; but suddenly I shrank back.
Even as I gazed, the expression of the
face seemed to change; the blackness
faded into deathly Wilderness the con-
vulsed features relaxed, and, even as if
the victim of that dread apparition still
lived, O sad, solemn smile stole over the
pale lips.
1 was intensely Mortified, but still
retained sufficient self-consciousness to
be struck professionally by such a
phenomenon: Surely there was some
thing more than supernatural agency in
all this?
Again scrutinized the dead face, and
even the throat and chest but, with the
exception of tiny pimple on one temple
beneath cluster Of hair, not mark ap-
peared. To look at the corpse, one
would have believed that this man had.
indeed, died by the visitation of God,
peacefully, while sleeping. How long
stood there I know not, but time enough
to gather my scattered senses and to re-
fleet that, all things considered, my own
position would be very unpleasant if
was found thus Unexpectedly in the room
Of the mysteriously-d dead man. So, noise
lessly as could, I made my way out of
the house. No one met me on the pri-
vate staircase; the little door opening
into the road was easily unfastened and
thankful, indeed, was I to feel again
the fresh wintry air as 1 hurried along
the road by the church-yard.
There was O magnificent funeral soon
in that church and it was said that the
young widow of the buried man was in
consolable and then rumors got abroad
of horrible apparition which had been
seen on the night of the death and it
was whispered the young widow was
terrified, and insisted upon leaving her
splendid mansion.
I was too mystified with the whole
affair to risk my reputation by saying
what I knew, and I should have allowed
my share in it to remain forever buried
in oblivion had I not suddenly heard
that the widow, Directing tomany of the
legacies in the last will Of her husband,
intended to dispute it on the score of m
sanity, and then gradually arose the ru-
NOR OF his belief in having received q
On this I went to the lawyer, and sent
a message to the lady, that, as the last
person who had attended her husband.
l undertook to prove his sanity, and
besought her to grant me an interview.
in which I would relate as strange and
horrible story as her ear had ever
heard.
The same evening I received an invi-
tation to go to the mansion. was ush-
cred Immediately into a splendid room,
and there, standing before the fire, was
the most dazzlingly- beautiful young
crnafNrQ I had ovor ooon Che MOO ,,or1,