The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-05-12

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horror and curiosity kept me still. 1t
came and stood beside it, and, childlike,
I chung to my couch, moving only to tho
farther side. Slowly, and with the same
unnatural footballs, it pursued me thith-
er, and again changed my position. 1t
placed itself then at the foot of my bed,
and, moved by its piteous groans, / tried
to look calmly at il. / endeavored
to rally my thoughts--to reason with
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 q 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 trick into effect-supposing even
the experiment possible-I rejected the
supposition. How. too, could those aw-
full means be produced from an mani
mate beingp 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 CHASTITY
limbs were raised anew with the same
automaton movement, and, placing one
of its feet upon the bottom of my bed,
while its CLASSY eyes were fixed stead
tasty 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 dis
cover an open closet upon the other side
of the hall. Spripging into it, closed
the door quickly after me. 1t had Meth
er lock nor bolt, but the closet was so
narrow that by placing my feet against
the opposite wall ! could brace back
against the door so as to hold it against
any human assailant who had only his
arms for lever.
The perspiration of mortal fear start
ed upon my forehead as l heard the SUI
pernatural tread of that strange visitant
approaching the spot. 1t seemed an age
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
|
own feet upon the floor.
1t struck the door again, and, to my
intense relief, the sound was more fee
BILE than before. Surely, thought, the
hand of no living man could produce
such sound.
l 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 1 could not estimate,
from their mingling 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 other-the death-rat-
tie in human throat. 1t came with
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 I came to, knew that the
morning had come, and, scarcely know
ing whether or not it had been hide
Gus dream, l arose and opened the
door.
What words can describe the awful
horror of that momentp Before me stood
the spectre, with the full light of dayr
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.
All 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 horrible en-
brace.
gave a wild shrek and fell, with the
CHASTITY 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.
ed into the hall, and released me.
1t was the dead body of 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 mall
ady and my cowardice.
GLEANINGS.
L \ r.