Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-02-01
from my own bosum, deepening, with it's

me. | say | knew II well. | knew what
the old man felt and pitied him, although
J chuckled at heart | knew that he had
been lying awake ever since the first
slight noise when he had turned in
the bod His fears had been ever sluce
growing upon kim. He had been trying
to fancy them cnuseless, but could not
| He had been saying to himself-'it is
nothing but the wind in the chimney-it
is only mouse crossing the floor," or at
is merely cricket which has made n sim
glo chrp.' Yes, he Ind been trying to
comfort himself with these suggestions :
but he had found oil in vain. Az sD cain
| because DEATH, in approaching him, had
staikej with his black shadow before
| him, and enveloped the victim Aud it
wns The mouruful influence Of the upper
ceiyed shadow that caused MIN to feel
although he neither saw nor hear,l.--to
feel the presence of my heed within the
room.
When | had waited II long time, very
patiently, without hearing HIM lie down,
1 resolved to open little--a very, very
little cIcvico in the lantern. 50 opened
| it-you cannot imagine how stealthily.
staaitmly-until at length . single dim
ray, ike the thread Of spider, shot from
out the crevlce and fell upon the vulture
| eye.
10 was opyu--wide, wide open--nnd
! grew furious us I gazad upon it. I saw
! 1t with perfect dis.iuctnes4- all " dull
| blue, with II Aideous veil over it that
chilled. the very marrow in my bones ;
| but l could see nothing clpo Of the old
mans face or person : for | had directed
the ray, rs if by instinct, precisely upon
tho damned spot.
And now have / not told you that
what you mlstock for madness ls but over
acutetne5s Of the senses ?-uow, [ say,
| there came to my ears a low, dull, quick
sound, such as u watch makes when en-
veluped in cotton. ! knew that sound
well, too. 1t was the beating of the old
mans heart. 1t increased my fury, as
the beating of drum stimulates the sol
der INTO courage.
But even yet RETAINED and kept still.
1 scarcely brenthcd. I held the lantern
notiGnless l tried how STEADILY could
maintain the ray upon the eye. Mean
time the hellish tattoo Of the heart In
creased 1t grew quicker and quicker,
and louder aud louder every instant.
The old mans terror must have been
extreme 1t grew louder, L say, louder
every moment do you mark re we'll |?
have told you that / am nervous: so
am. And now at the dead hour Of the
night, amid the dreadful siicuco # that
old mans house, 81 strnnge noise as
this excited nae To- uncomfortable terror.
Yet, for some minutes longer | rcfrniued
aud stood still. But the beating grew
louder, louder / thought tue heart
burst And now & new anxiety seized
me the sound would be heard by n
neigubor. The old mnu's hour had come!
With Il loud yell, | leapcd into the room.
He shricAcd unce--oucc only. In IN in
stant dragged him to the floor. and pulled
the heavy bed over him. | then smiled
gayly, 10 find the deed, SO far done.
But for many minutes, the heart beat on
with a mutlied sound. This however
did not yeX ne it would not lis heard
through the wall. At length it ceased.
The old man was dead. l removed the
bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he
was stone, stone dead. I placed my
hand upon The heart and held it there
many minutes. There was no pulsetion.
He was stone dead. His eye would
trouble me no more.
II still you think he m4d, you will
think so no longer when I describe the
wise precautions I took for the con-
cealment Of the body. The night waued,
and | worked hastily, but in silence.
First OF all | dismembered the corpse. /
cut off tie head and the arms and the
legs.
then took up three plauls from the
flooring Of the chamber, aud deposited
all between the scantlings. 7 then re-
placed the boards SO cleyerly, SO cln-
niugly, that no human eve--uot even his
could have detected anything wrong.
There WAS nothing 10 wash out no stain
of any kind no Dlood-spct Whatever.
/ had been too wary for that 4 tub had
| caught all -hn ha
When l had made an end Of these In
bors, it was four o'clocl-still dark as
midnight. AS the bell sounded the hour,
there came knocking at the street door.
| went down to open it with {, light
heart, for what had / nor to fear /?
There entered three men, who intro
dnced themselves, with perfect suavity,
as officers OF the police. A shrek had
been heard by neighbor during the
night; suspicion Of foul play had been
aroused information had been lodged at
the police office, and they (the officers)
had been deputed to search the premises.
smiled-for ,rh0t had I to fear? !
bade the gentlemen welcome, The Shrek,
| said, was my own in dream The old
man, l mentioned, was absent in the
country. l took my visitors all over the
house. bade them search-search ueU.
L led them at length to his chamber. !
showed them his treasures, secure, IN
disturbed. In the enthusiasm Of nv con.
tidence | brought chairs into the room
a, H. I<.. -.
fatl8ues, while / myself, IN the wild au.
dacity OF my perfect triumph, placed my
own eeat upon the very spot beneath
which reposed the corpse of the victim
The officers were satisfied. NY man,
ner had convinced them. | was singh
larly at ease. They sat, and while | an
swered cheeriy, they chetted Of fanjlia,
things. Bnt ere long, / felt mysel
growing pale and wished them gone
| Ny head ached, and 1 fancied a ringing
in my ears : but still they sat and still
chatted. The ringing became more dis
tlnct-it continued aud became more dis
tinct: | talked more freely to get rid O
the feeling but it continued aud game,
detihltlveuess-until at length / fouu,
the noise was not in my ears.
No doubt now grew rery pale bu
talked more fiuently and with height
cned voice. Yet the sound increased
and what could l do? 1t was lo,e, dull
quick Soemd-nuch such q sound as
tgatch makes lghen enceloped in cotton
) | gasped for breati-Gud yet the officer
heard 1t not. 1 talked moro quickly
more vehemently; but the noise steadil
increased. ! arc Sc and argued about tii
! Ties IN high key and with violent gestic
l nlatlons, but the noise steadily increased
Why seould they not be gone? [ pace
! the tloor to and fro with heavy strides
as II excited to fnry by the observation
7 OF the men-but the noise steadily in
| creased. Oh, God what could | do?
foamed-l laved-I sworel [ swung th
char upon which | had been sitting an,