River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-10-21
THE BASILISK-
A STORY OF TODAY.
CHAPTER ".
AMAZING.

CHAPTER V.
AMAZING.
In the midst Of a terrible mental
chaos, a state of conscious inability TO
comprehend my own personality, l am
brought back to a semblance of sense
By hearing q murmrr Of many voices.
whispered Bnrestful words, which irri-
tate my faculties without redeeming
me from the nightmare of a lost identi-
IT, Sense slowly seems to permeate a
frame reluctant 10 revive; but, surely as
the tide gains On the shore. the senses
eft void BIZ that earthquake ebb of con-
sciOusness are filed by its returning
low. Gradually the relations of mind
and body were resumed. but ere the
sharp and anxious whisperings con-
yeyed meaning to my mind. stroye to
feel the assurance of bodily existence,
and made u feeble effort to raise my
hand. The effort WAS failure, but it
helped to restore me. / soon tried
again. and this time was aware Of ex-
erting muscular power. / raised my
right arm a moment. and dropped it
helplessly. l felt ike one partially
paralyzed.
''Hush,' said voice. HE moves. !"
This time the words were plain, and
understood; but where l was, or what
had happened, still failed to grasp.
nor did | yet think or care to know.
The idea Of reality was like light in
darkness TO my returning senses. The
T vague horror Of smothered person
ality had been so terrible. that instinct
lively I sought to greet the human
brotherhood on finding myself. under
! whatever circumstances, restored TO it.
/ again reached forth my hand, this
time more strongly.
Hes coming round, said a harsh
voice. Then louder: ''Wait! don't
fetch a doctor.
1 did not yet attach much meaning
70 what / heard. l chiefly craved for
some reinsurance. some sign of SYM
pathv. Again / lifted my hand to-
wards the voices Of fcllOw-men.
This time M mute appeal was not
made in vain. 4 hand took mine with
a delicate bat comforting clasp. Feeling
that here was something to keep me
Z safe. even IN the nebulOus wilderness
Of fOrgetfuluess- ! gave up the tension
Of struggling to regain my footing
among realities, and slipped cOntented-
ly into yacuitv.
From q dreamless slumber 1 awOke
with clearer faculties, | remembered
with no EFFORT the incidents of my
journey from st. Bartimeus' ;. my ar
rival At the lodge gates, m progress
to the house, the gathering storm, the
opening door. the voice that had called
to me through the storm. then the crash
that had hurled me into insenSibility.
This time there was no painful striving
to resume the powers Of life. A feel
inc of safety and rest pervaded me. /
no longer sought to mOye-to prove the
existence Of bodily powers. l was con-
tent to be.
Time had not vet resumed its signi-
ficanco. l had no idea how long had
been where | was; no notion whether
it We're day or night, or what day or
night it was. / did not trouble my
il. / might have been in 4 swoOn of an
hours duration; l might have been
sleeping an enchanted sleep of many
centuries.
The touch Of reality was again
supplied by voices. | awoke from an
other spell of slumbcr TO hear tie
sound OF incisivc whispering
whispering. which Is Of all sounds
the most irritating to nerves that long
for quiet, and of all means TO escape
hearing the most futile.
"'Iic must be moved from here, !"
said man voicc-Mr Beaufoy's. l
remembered all about him and myself,
/ as if / bad no concern IN the matter.
A woman S step came close to me.
He IS asleep-s0und asleep" said
the voice of Miss Beaufoy.
This struck me as being quite true. I
was still outside all the active concerns
Of life.
There Is nothing the matter, " said
Mr.. BeaufOy, close 10 me. That's a
quiet and wholesome sleep. | was
quite right in not having a doctor iu =
He might be moved now said
Miss Beaufoy. There is evidently
nothing the matter
He ought not to have been brought
in here. said her father in tone
Of g-eat irritation.
1T was Hardy brought him in. He
ought TO have known better"
"Hardy is a fool. He was frightened
out OF MS wits bv the thunder"
The lightning, | should think. 1t
was enough TO brighten him."
Nothing was enough To Justify him
IN dlsobeviug orders. And Mary, too
she was in here.
"Oh. Mary doesn' t matter. If she
had the sense 10 see ANYTHING, she
would never dare think Of it or speak
of it.
Where Is she?'
'.She went TO her room crying OF
course. She won't soon forget what |
said TO her"
There was a cruelty in the way this
was said. which reminded me OF the
tone l mad noticed before in some OF
Miss Bcaufoy remarks 10 her cousin.
IL hi 1ught back associations still more
strongly. and woke me up more
thoroughly. / recalled also the hand
that had been, a il seemed, stretched
ont 20 me in the abyss from the whole
sale living world of substance. That
clasp. 50 full OF WomanlY sympathy
and help. could not have been from The
hand Of the imperioUs creature who
spoke 80 coldly and so cruelty.
Mary ForteScUe sent away in tears
Nv coming had brought trouble to hel
already. 1 pondered over it with
truthful feelings. while the whispered
conversation between father and
daughter went on unheeded. The note
of trouble being thus struck, what
hai heard began TO gather some shape
aud meaning TO me. | had begun ms
new career here Oy causing evident iu-
convenience. My presence in this par
tiCuiar room was manifestly highly dis
pleasing. 1t occurred to me that |
oEght TO apologize aud depart. but
did nothing. Ny mind ran on the ides
with some sort OF satisfaction, but
could not think how anything of the
kind was to be expressed in action.
Again Mr.. BeaUfoy's voice came 70
my ears-anSry. evidently. Ii seemed
that he could not get the attendance
that ne wanted. He was tuning. and
the calm tones Of his daughter evident
" did not assuage his annoyance.