The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-05-04

pdTelLly par Id4y Ieu ny lUo oi'to, ohu olro
only nerve set rigidly in the frame ap-
peared about Its brow. The eyes were
dilated and fixed with the expression Of
ghastly horror, and the petriied lips
moved not, as the hideous moaning,
which came from the bottom of the
chest, escaped them
1t began to move across the floor in
the direction of my bed, its knees at ev-
cry step being drawn up with sudden
Jerk to the body, and its feet coming to
the ground as if they were moved by
some mechanical impulse, and were
wholly wanting in the elasticity Of liv-
ing members.
It approached my bed, and mingled
horror and curiosity kept me still. Il
came and stood beside it, and, childlike,
cung to my couch, moving only to the
farther side. Slowly. and with the same
unnatural footballs, it pursued ME thith-
er, and again changed my position. It
placed itself then at the foot of my bed,
and, moved by its piteous groans, tried
to look calmly at it. endeavored
to rally my thoughts-tO reason with
myself, and even to speculate upon the
nature of the object before me. One
idea that went through my brain was too
extravagantnotto remember. Thought,
among other things, that the phantom
was corpse, animated for the moment
by some galvanic process, in order to
terrify me. Then as / recollected that
there was no one in the village to carry
such a trick into effect-supposing even
the experiment possible rejected the
supposition. How, too, could those aw-
full means be produced from an inani-
mate being? And yet it seemed as if
every thing about it was dead, except
the mere capability of moving its feet
and uttering those neutrality-suspicious.
of suffering. The spectre, however, if
so it may be called, gave me but little
opportunity for reflection. Its ghastly
limbs were raised anew with tho same
automaton movement, and, placing one
of its feet upon the bottom of my bed,
while its CLASSY eyes were fixed stead
fastly upon me, it began slowly stalking
towards my pillow.
/ confess that | was now in an agony
of terror. 1 sprang from the couch and
fled from the apartment. The keen
sightedness of fear enabled me to dig
cover an open closet upon the other side
of the hall. SprinGiDg into it, closed
the door quickly after me It had Meth
er lock nor bolt, but the closet was so
narrow that by placing my feet against
the opposite wall l could brace back
against the door so as to hold it against
any human assailaDt who he'd only his
arms for 81 lever.
The perspiration Of mortal fear start
ed upon my forehead as l heard the su-
pernatural tread of that strange visitant
before its measured steps brought it TO
the door.
1t struck it; the blow was sullen and
hollow, as if dealt by the hand OF a
corpse It was like the dullsound of it's
own feet upon the floor.
1t struck the door again, and, to my
intense relief, the sound was more fec
BILE than before. Surely, | thought, the
hand of no living man could produce
such a sound.
/ know not whether it struck again,
for now its thick breathing became SO
loud that even the meanings, which
were mingled with the respiration, be-
came inaudible.
At last they subsidized entirely, becom-
ing at first gradually weaker, and then
audible only in harsh, sudden sobs,
whose duration I could not estimate,
from their mingGng with the blast which
swept the hillsides.
The last sound that l remember of
hearing was the most terrible of all-the
sound which once heard can never be
mistaken for any Dther-the death-rat-
tie in q human throat 1t came with q
horrible distinctness; it seemed in my
very ear. 1t appeared to me that the
accumulated horrors of the whole night
had been concentrated in that sound
that audible connection between life
and death.
What might have been heard of that
know not, for insensibility came to my
relief.
When. came to, / knew that the
morning had come, and, scarcely know
ing whether or not it had been hide
Gus dream, arose and opened the
door.
What words can describe the awful
horror of that moment? Before me stood
the spectre, with the full light of day re-
Yealing its revolving features in all their
hideous deformity. The face was swol-
len and livid, the tongue protruded from
the mouth, and its eyes, bursting from
their sockets, glared at me and froze the
blood in my veins.
AL this is impressed upon my mind
with terrible distinctness, although
the view [ had was instantaneous, for
the next instant the apparition, whose
arms were extended forward, fell upon
me and clasped me in q horrible en-
brace
1 gave wild shrek and fell, with the
ghastly thing upon me.
Once more insensibility came to my
relief.
The rest of my story is soon told. The
household of the inn heard my cry, rush
cd into the hall, and released me-
1t was the dead body of a guest of the
inn. He was afflicted with some organ
ic affection of the system, and was sub
ject to grievous fits of nightmare, dur
ing which he still preserved sufficient
powers of volition to move to the bed Of
his servant, who, being used to his at
tacks, would take the necessary means
to relieve him. The servant had that
night remained out late, and when he
returned found his way in the dark TO
the wrong room, and occupied the bed
intended for me, whilst had stumbled
into the room occupied by his master,
and got into the servants bed. The
poor man had fallen victim to his NAL
ady and my cowardice.
Care of China, Glass and silyerware