Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-06-07

The sky closed down upon the earth like
huge pail, and the blackness of death
lay on the valley. For seven days and
nights the storm ragged with undated
fury. The doors and windows were
blockaded by the drifting snow. and an
Arctic night reigned throughout that
long to-be remembered week.
To this day, children gather around
the old men and women, and listen with
wondering eyes to the story of "The
Snow-Storm. How the bright, prom
Using lad, "the flower of the family, by
long Odds" persisted at his own door;
that be was supposed to be safe with
friends, until his body was found while
digging path to the barn; how many
of the cattle died of thirst, while others
were wounded unto death by the horns
of their companions, who, driven to
madness, broke loose from their stan
chions, and SO on. The stories are legion
| that had their birth in that storm.
Happily, we had no such severe ex-
periences. Our woodshed and barns
were joined to the house by covered pas
sages, and, aside from the anxiety felt
! for our neighbors, and sensation as of
being buried alive, we got along very
well, devoting all our waking hours to
amusements of the lightest sort. Ny
father threw away his habitual reserve
and played blind-man's buff" and
puss-in-the corner" with all the agility
of youth. He also astonished us by
signing old ballads learned years and
years before, and for the first time in my
life awoke to the fact that at some re-
mote date he had had a boyhood.
Among the other surprises, he suddenly
developed a gift for storytelling; but
never touched upon any but cheerful
and amusing subjects, until one evening,
when the wind moaned and sighed around
| the house like lost troubled souls. he
succumbed to the influence of the hour,
and narrated thrilling ghost story.
At its conclusion we huddled together
with bated breath, and half-dread of
something horrible coming out of the
shadowy corners. But our minds once
turned in that direction, the fascination
became irresistible, and we talked of
things supernatural till the Pickering
lights from the wide-mouthed fireplace
seemed so many huge shadows hooking
and nodding at us, until at last they dis
appeared IN the darkness.
Lillian had been sitting with far-away
look in her eyes, apparently unconscious
but as she felt our gaze fixed upon her,
she drew shuddering sigh, and said:
"Oh, that horrible dream how it
haunts me tonight; / cannot shake it
off," And her face grew SO pale that we
feared she would faint, and drew near in
alarm. In moment, however, she re-
covered and, in answer to our inquiries,
told us the following dream, which was
as strange as it was thrilling.
CT was only six years of age at the
time; but, young as / was, the shock to
my nervous system was so great that
fears were entertained of serious and
lasting results, and it was only by con-
slant amusement and change of scene
that the remembrance of that fearful
night was driven from my mind. A sis
ter of dear papa had recently become a
widow; she was strongly attached to her
husband and her bereavement seemed
almost more than she could bear. She
was of singularly sensitive and excit-
able temperament, SO her friends were
not seriously concerned at her terrible
outbursts of sorrow; but with the reac-
ton came more alarming symptoms. 1t
was the calmness of despair, instead of
resignation. She must be reused out
of this at once, the old doctor said, elise
she will go mad. Active grief is the
safest. And, as last resource, he
begged my parents to bring me, hoping
the strong resemblance I had borne to
her only child, whose death she still
incurred, would turn her mind in an
other direction. How well I remember
the look of hopeless misery IN her dry
eyes as she held me in her arms and gen
tly kissed my cheek; but with no thought
apparently, of her own lost darling
After our arrival, she made an effort to
appear more cheerful and her family
hoped she might be her old self again;
but when they appealed to the doctor for
a confirmation OF their wishes, he shook
his head as he answered, L would rather
see her weep.
9 L occupied a room with my nurse in
the remotestp part of the house from Aunt
Nina's apartments and was entirely sep
arated from them by long corridor, the
door of which was kept constantly
locked; so what [ am about to relate
could never have been seen with my
physical sight.
81 had slept soundly during the early
part of the night, and it muat have been
nearly morning when I became suddenly
conscious of peculiar light. was in
Aunt Nina's bedroom, and every object
was distinctly visible. I remember see
ing scrap of crumpled paper lying un-
der table which was found exactly as I
described.
"Aunt Nina was kneeling by the bed,
her long hair falling in disheveled masses
around her. Her low, imploring voice
was full of agony, and sobs convulsed
her slight form, as with clasped hands
she raised her streaming eyes to heaven.
Her words were distinct. and burned
themselves into my very brain:
"FOh, God! spare rne this and keep
me from myself! Crush me beneath
greater load of sorrow, if it be possible,
but take from me this horrible tempta-
ton. Let me not be carried beyond
Thy saving goodness, but give me. be-
cz4,, Il 70, co.