The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-08-19

Jerk TO the DOuN. and its feet pon,;, ~
the ground rs if they were moroS ,NI
some mechanical impulse, and u q
wholly wanting in the elasticity % " e
ing members. j."
1t approached my bed. and m;r,,.
horror and curiosity kept me still
caRae and stood beside it. and cbiIn,
chung to my couch. moving only tos
farther side. Slowly. and with tba s.a
unnatural footballs, it pursued me tbs I'
er, and again changed my position ,''I T.
placed itself then at the foot of nv ~
and. moved by its piteous groans. t Ivy
to look calmly at IT, / endeavo.'5
to rally my thoughts to reason v rfS
myself, and even to speculate unor a
nature of the object before me ~
idea that went through my brain was
extravagant mott remember. Itbopcl
among other things, that the pbon97o.s,
was corpse, animated for the NOM.
by some galvanic process, in ori, =,
terrify me. Then as | recollecteds..
there was no one in the village to csr,y
such a trick into effect-supposin aTss
the experiment possible rejected II.
suppoSition. How. too, could those a,
full means be produced from an man
mate being? And vet it seemed az =
every thing about it was dead. eyoarl
the mere capability of moving ifs fag
and uttering those unearthly,expression
of suffering. The spectre. however
so it may be called, gave me but EHs
opportunity for reflection. Its ghastr
limbs were raised anew with the sam.
al fnF
of its feet upon the bottom of nv bai
while its CLASSY eyes were fixed stead ,
fastly upon me, it began slowly STALKING
towards my pillow,
/ confess that / was now in an aeonr
of terror. 1 sprang from the couch ami
fied from the apartment The keen.
sightedness of fear enabled me to d,.
cover an open closet upon the other IA.
of the hall. Springing into it. closed
the door quickly after me. 1t had Meth.
er lock nor bolt, but the closet was 81
narrow that by placing my feet agap,t
the opposite wall | could brace bgct
against the door so rs TO hold it against
any human assailant who had onIy his
arms for lever.
The perspiratiOn of mortal fear STAR.
ed upon my forehead as / heard the 81.
pernatural tread of that strange visitan,
the spot 1t seemed an ace
before its measured steps brought tito
the door
1t struck it; the blow was sullen and
hollow, as if dealt. by the hand Of
corpse. 1t was ike the dull sound Of is
own feet upon the floor.
1t struck the door again. and. to nv
intense relief, the sound was more fee
Die than before. Surely, | thought, The
hand of no living man could produc.
such sound.
know not whether it struck AGAIN.
Tor now its thick breathing became 50
oud that even the meanings, which
we're mingled with the respiration. be-
,ame inaudible.
AT last they subsidized entirely. bqcom-
ng at first gradually weaker. and then
udible only in harsh, sudden sObs
whose duration | could not estimate
rom their mingling with the blast which
wept the hillsides.
The last sound that l remember Q.
caring was the most terrible of all-tie
Ouud which once heard can never be
for any other-the death-rat-
e in human throat. 1t came with
orTible distinctness; it seemed in nv
cry ear. 1t appeared to me that the
formulated horrors of the whole night
ad been concentrated in that sound
nat audible connection between life
nd death.
What might have been heard of that
now not, for insensibility came to my
lief
When l came to, knew that the a.,
forming had come, and, scarcely know
% whether or not it had been hide
Is dream, L arose and opened the
lor.
What words can describe the awful
)rror of that moment? Before me stood
e spectre, with the full light of dayre-
Ealing its revolving features in all Their
deous deformity The face was swol-
n and Ivid, the tongue protrJlded from
e mouth, and its ewes, bursting from
cir sockets, glared at me and froze the
God in my veins.
All this is impressed upon my mind
tn terrible distinctness, although
e view | had was instantaneous, for
e next instant the apparition, whose
ms were extended forward, fell upon
E and clasped me in a horrible en-
ace
l gave a wild shrek and fell, with the
astly thing upon me.
Once more insensibility came to my
lief.
The rest of my story is soon told. Tho
usehold of the inn heard my cry, rush
into the hall, and released me.
It was the dead body of a guest of the
l. He was afflicted with some organ
of the system, and was sub
t to grievous fits of nightmare, dur
, which he still preserved sufficient
wers of volition to move to the bed OF
servant, who, being used to his az
ks, would take the necessary means
relieve him. The servant had that
hit remained out late, and when he
urned found his way in the dark to
xx-v-rV,rx v-x,or,. o.1 oil tho he'd