The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1885-05-08

exhausted. We were glad when might
dropped her curtain" albeit she did
not "pin it with a star"
After teo, we gathered in the front
parlor to spend the hours before re-
firing as pleasantly as and as best we
could, Music, and dancing resorted
to, but failed to amuse, and finally
one Of our party was selected to read
aloud the "Fall of the House of
Usher, that blood -curdling, yet
fascinating story Of Poe 1t was but
the night for such lore. A violent
storm was raging; the rain pelted
mercilessIy on the house; the wind
whistled and moaned with. selfish
sound, while fashes Of lurid lightning Q
leaping through the darkness, follow
ed by loud crashing thunder. We
are deep in the horrors OF the story,
and there was a pause in the violence
Of the storm, when suddenly heard,
far away it seemed a wild, weird note
l started and listened intently. Again
| heard it mingling with the rain and
wind, that had renewed their fury.
There was no mistaking that voice;
we were to have another vista tion.
l glanced al Carrie who was standing
at a remote window in the large room
She had evidently heard the voice
for her face was very white, and she
trembled violently as she tried TO pierce
the blackness without, for a glimpse
of the singer. I crossed the room and
gained her side.
"You have heard it2" she asked in
whisper, looking into my face with
wild excited eyes.
"Yes, Carrie, l answered, "but you
must control yourself else these people
will think you are a great coward, to
say the least.'
Il Will, I will" she whispered, her
clasp on my arm tightening; ''but
don't leave me; if l see her again
there is na telling what may happen. "
She passed her hand over her fore
head, and 1 did not fancy the expires
sion her face was beginning to wear,
"You are nervous Carrie, come
,.-;+I - l., c,,o+I,o,. ,.s,o,,, ,-I,o.o ,-o,,
will neither see nor hear this poor
creature; she is a lunatic, perhaps, who
has strayed from hel home"
But Carrie would not accede to my
proposal, and turned again to the
window. bent on discovering the pres
ence of the singer. Meanwhile the
other occupants Of the room had heard
the mysterious voice. Had one of the
CHASTITY corpses, lying deep in the
vaults Of Usher, burst its cerements
and stalked into their midst. they
could not have looked more amazed
and terrified. One and all were under
the weird spell that Poe always exerts
over his readers, and more than one
pair of bright eyes had already taken
furtve glances at the distant corners
where huge fantastic shadows lay, as
if expecting to discover in them some
ghostly horror.
"What is it? No human being
would venture out such night as this?
How weird yet how sweet" these
we're the excIamations, uttered in deep
whispers, that broke the silence IN the
room, as one by one, they stole to the
windows. But darkness enshrouded
the figure, and bafied their attempt
to pierce her veil. "Pll get lantern,
at length excl4imed Carries brother
Tom, "and we will solve this mystery,
boysl' but before he co~ld put lis
purpose into execution, a succession oi
vivid flashes of lightning made the
/ welkin brilliant, and we saw on The
piazza, going through strange motions
the tall white figure that had terrified
vet fascinated us in the moonlight &
week before.
"Good heaven! 1t is Coral" criet
Tom, his face white as ashes as he
gazed spell bound on the phantom
eHonsense I exclaimed, making :
sign to Tom to be quiet, for his word
were having fearful effect on Carrie
She was trembling like a leaf in the
wintry blast, and her face and atti
tude expressed the greatest fear ans
horror. Quickly assuming a light
ness of tone he was far from feeling
! Ton sprang to her side. But at thi
moment the Lightning again lit tn
night. and revealed, close beside tn
window whore Carrie stood graspin,
the heavy curtain the shadowy phan
tolnshape. There was only the glas
between herand the 'ghost, " and wit
a shrek the poor girl fell to the floor
r For an instanct we were spell boun
as if that cry had been some weir
/ incarnation practiced by the ghastl