The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1880-07-08

der. "Only an hour and half longer"
no muttered. "Great Heaven i
thought had more fortitude. This hor-
ror humans me-" Then, in fiercer
tone, and clutching my arm, he added,
"Ha you mock me-you think me
mad but wait till you see-wait till you
SEQ
put my hand on his wrist; for there
was now o fever In his sunken eyes
which checked the superstitious chill
which had been gathering over me, and
made me hope that, after oil, my first
suspicion was correct, and that my pa
tent was but the victim Of some fearful
hallucination.
"Mock your ! answered soothingly.
"Far from it; ] sympathizs Intensely
with you, and would do much TO aid you
You require sleep. Lie down, and leave
me to watch"
He groaned but rose, and began
throwing off his clothes, and, watching
my opportunity, | slipped a sleeping
powder, which | had managed to put in
my pocket before leaving the surgery,
into the tumber Of claret that stood be-
side him.
The more I saw, the more felt con-
vinced that it was the nervous system OF
my patient which required my atten-
ton; and it was with sincere satisfac-
ton / saw him drink the wine, and
then stretch himself on the luxurious
bed
"Ha," thought | rs the clock struck
u, and, instead Of II groan, the deep
breathing of the sleeper sounded through
the room; "you won't receive any sum
mons tonight. and | may make myself
comfortable"
Noisccssly, therefore, / replenished
the fire, poured myself out glass Of
wine, and, drawing the curtain 80 that
the freight should not disturb tho
sleeper. put myself in a position to
follow his example.
How long | slept know not, but sud
denly | aroused with n start and us
| ghOstly thrill of horror us | ever re-
membered to have felt in my life. Some
Ming-what, | knew not-secmed near
something nameless, but unutterably
awful.
| gazed round. Tho fire emitted a
faint blue glow, just sufficient to enable
me TO see that the room was exactly the
same as when | fell asleep, but that tho
long hand of the clock wanted but five
minutes Of the mysterious hour which
was to be the dcath-moment of the
summoned" man
Was there anything in it, then ?-any
truth in the strange story he had told?
The silence was intense. could not
even hear breath from tho bed and |
was about to rise and approach, when
again that awful horror seized me, and
ut the same moment my eye fell upon
the mirror opposite the door, and |
saw
Great Heaven! that awful Shape
that ghastly mockcry Of what had been
humanity-was it really II messenger |
from the buried, quiet dead? 1t stood |
there in visible drnth-clothcs but the |
awful face was ghastIy with corruption,
and the sunkcn eyes cleaned forth a
green, CLASSY glare, which seemed II YER
table blast from the Internal fires be-
low 70 move or utter sound in that
hidcous presence was impossible; and
like statue | sat and saw that horrid
Shape move slowly toward the bed.
What was the awful scene enacted
there | know not | heard nothing, cx-
ccpt low, stillcd, agonizcd groan, and |
saw the shadow Of that CHASTITY mcsscn
ger bending over the bed Whether it
was some dreadful but wordless sentence
it's hrcathlcss lip. conveyed, IA it stood
there, | know not but for an instant
the shadow of claw-likc hand, from
which the third finger was missing, mp
| pcarcd extended over the doomed mans
hcad and then, as the clock struck one
clear Bilvery stroke, it fell, and II wild
shrek rang through the room--a death
shrek.
am not given to fninting, but ! GER
tain y confess that the next ten minutes
of my existence was cold blank and,
when | did manage to stnggcr to my
feet, gnzcd round, vninly cndcavoring
to understand the chilly horror which
still possessed me.
Thank Godl the room was rid of that
awful presence saw that SO, gulping
! down some wine, | lighted wax-tuper
| and staggered toward the bed. All,
how | prayed that, after all, might
have been dreaming, and that my own
excited imagination had but conj,rcd
up some hidcous memory Of the dissect-
ingroom!
But one glance was sufficient to answer
that. No! The summons had indeed
been given and answered.
flashed the light over the dead face
swollen, convulscd still with the death
agony; but suddenly | shrnnk back.
Even as | gaAed, tho expression of tho
face scented TO change; the blackness
faded into n dcathly whitcncss the con
yulscd features relaxed, and, even IN if
the victim of that dread apparition still
lived, II sad, solemn smle stole over the
pale lips.
| was intensely Mortified, but still |
retained sufficient sclf-consciollsness to
be struck professionally by such
phenomenon. Surely there was some
thing more than supernatural agency in
all this?
Again | scrutinizcd the dead face, and
even the throat and chest but, with the
exception Of II tiny pimple ON one temple
beneath n cluster of hair, not II mark APP
pearcd. To look at the corpse, ono
would have believed that this man had,
indeed, died by tho visitation of God,
peacefully, while sleeping. How long
stood there | know not, but time enough
to gather my scattered senses and to re-
fleet that, all things considered, my own
position would he very unpleasant if |
was found thus unexpectedly in the room
of the mystcriously-dcad man. So, noise
lcssly as | could, made my way out of
the house. No one met me on the pri-
vate staircase; the little door opening
into the rCad was easily unfastencd; and
thankful, indeed, was | to feel again
the fresh wintry air rs | hurried along
the rOal by fine church, ward