The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-03-05

foolish, but II you had observed the
glancos between the Goliath and the
crone below, aud studied them both as
had studied them, think you would
have mounted guard as / did. III
leave 1t to our new arrival here, If
was coward or prudent man
Come, nowl" exclaimed the agent, ris.
ing and clapping his hand on the stran.
gers shoulder, "you look like wise
man--for / never saw. tall man will
a students bend and blue glasses but
had some sconce do you think l was
wise or foolishr"
saw CLEAN behind the spectacles,
and two hands moving in the strangers
pockets, where he everlastingly carried
them, and then he answered in his high
voice.
"Wise, sir,-wise, of course" .N
ga DanielP' returned the agent, jo-
coscly. "Now that question settled,
III proceed Excuse me, gentlemen,
but saw that one or two of you look
ed as if you thought was little scar
ish about nothing, but our umpire has
settled the question. Now let us sec
how near the mark he has hit" The
agent cast a lightning glance at the
stranger, which think no one noticed
but myself, and then went on with his
story.
81 heard heavy steps below and some
mumbling from the innkeeper and
squcaking from the crone, and then all
was silent. threw myself on the bed
without disrobing, and was lost in the
enjoyment of the tempest. My candle
| left burning, though the constant
flashes of lightning made its light un-
necessary. AS | lay on the bed one
hour, and then two hours, listening TO
the thunder as it died away, and then
burst upon me again, grew weary of
the deafening sounds and dazzling
lights, and found myself sinking into
those states of semi-slumber, as i term
them, or waking dreams, which one
often experiences while watching with
the sick and dying. l heard voices in
the thunder, and there seemed to be a
warning all around me. There was n
horrid feeling coming over me which |
found it impossible TO throw off,"
saw by the expression working over
the agents face that some awful de-
nouement was approaching, and | OBJ
served that The original five ofour num-
Der were bracing themselves for some
fearful revelation. The stranger in
blue glasses worked his coat pockets
and seemed to draw back from tbe
lightning that bazed incessantlv. The
rain poured harder than ever, and the
thunder was one continuous roll.
don't know why it was but that stran.
ger, with bis blue glasses, and mass OF
dark beard, brought 10 my mind stories
of storm demons; and it really seem.
cd to me that the storm of that night
suddenly increased on his entrance in.
to the inn, and was kept up in fury by
his presence. Some mystery abont him
made my blood creep, and | found :
certain comfort in forgetting him for $
time, in the story of the agent.
"Well," continued the apcnt. "l
grew more and more drowsv. waking
by fits and starts, as some vivid fiasl
would illume the room with its hin,
light, or burst OF thunder shake tn,
inn. But as if voice whispered in m,
ear during momentary lull and stat,
} of partial wakcfulncss, heard th,
words, "Beware! the chamber is drug
l gcd!" Gods, gentlemen! know no
TO this day whether those words cam
from an uneartt y source, or were tn
warnings originating from the abnor
NAL state of the bra'n. | seized m
pistol and the knife, and larping fron
the bed made for the window. With
5 blow of my fist | smashed a pane @
: glass and the rain beat in upon th
/ floor. The candle was Just Pickering
1 preparatory to going out, but the light
+ ming lit the chamber as light as day.
"The breaking of the glass gave m
t new life, and | was prepared for an
e emergency that my awakened imacir
c alton could conjure. Am l making
b. fool of myself or am not! said
half musing. AS if in answer to m
e brief soliloquy, a puff of wind blew OH
t ihe dying light of the candle, and tn
f lightning ceased for season, leayin
e me i'm utter darkness.
: "I was now in high state Of excite
+ ment, for this sudden darkness SCENE
n All omen of evil. can tell you that
e clutched my revolver and knife wit
dread and determination combined.
c peered into the darkness. but couldn
It see yard ahead of me. bent nv ca
+ to listen, but aside from creakin
II somewhere in the chamber, which a
Is tributed to powerful gust of win
If that just then passed over the inn,
J. could hear nothing to cause alarm
IS This creaking alarmed me for an instal
IS but silence following Immediately,
] gave it no further heed.
70 "For two or three minutes | stood l
l. the window, vainly peering into Il
room and listening, to convince myse
d that ! had some reason for placing m
lc self on guard. At last sheet of Gle
n, tric flame threw light into that char
" der, so that | saw everything in
is Yes, gentlemen. every object seem,
s. preternatural, so vividly was it reves
N ed 10 me. There was the stand, Il
r bed, the old mantle and the two O
h. chairs, but gentlemen great Go
n gentlemen! there stood beyond the be
in confronting me like horrid spectl
W the dark, towering form of the in
III keeper! have seen MANY sights tn
| have chilled my blood. and have pass
sc through many perils, bnt the sight
that shadowy form, the great hand Il
on raised with glittering knife, and {
n, murderous gray eyes fastened like {,
tn devlish fireballs upon me-that sic
cd froZe my blood in my veins, and ma
IT. my hair staHd on end. For nome
90 I was helpless, but as the light we
n out, leaving us both in blacker dan
'er ness than before, felt the blood sui
Ii ing back into my veins; and at I
w. same instant the voice of the innkes
n; er, which We'd with the thunder in
mi power, demanded my surrender"
of just at this point of the narrative
FOR gust of wind and rain shook the inn
,us if it would take it from its foundatio
no and this WAS foliowed hv n torrific IA
that struck us with consternati,
he Each looked at the other as ior ass
he ance of safety.
cn "Heavens" eiaculatedthe innhold
al, at the bar, "your story and the thun,
)u, are well matched. Get through as sc
4 as you can, for believe the diaboli
)ut scene that you call up in the chamber
The what brought this thunder"
ian We all laughed at the sally of 4,
ith host, and yet not one of us but W
IL III IL