Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-09-23

wishes might have been.
/ began to think that either or the
book or both were bevitched. / was out
nearly all that day, and hardly know
whether was surprised or not when, on
coming home, / found the "Contract
Social" which / had left shut up in a
drawer with several other odd volumesand
magazines, lying on its face on the floor,
still open at Chapter ", while the other
contents of the drawer, which was stand
ing open, were in state OF the widest
disorganization. / had left the windows
shut and the door locked, and found both
in the same condition on my return. No
one could possibly have gained admis-
sion. What did it mean ? was lost in
wonderment.
That night when retired 10 rest I
took the thing with me and placed it
under my pillow, thinking that should
thus be sure OF no one meddling with it.
OF the horrors OF that night can hardly
speak without fear OF mourning the
charge of extravaganza and exsggera-
ton.
L suppose I must have gone off to
sleep very quickly, though what fol-
lowed seemed so real-so horribly. so
Enthusiastically real-that it is hard, even
now, to believe that after all il was only
q dream. / thought that | suddenly
found myself IN o vast gloomy cavern.
So dark was it that at first l
could not distinguish its dimen-
sions and extent, but after a time
ray of ghostly white light pierced
through the darkness. which increased
and broadened slowly but surely until 1T
lit up all surroundings with lurid,
/ CHASTITY radiance. Then [ saw that what
/ 1 ut irst took for cavern was III reality
vast charnel-house, from the damp,
noisome walls OF which rills OF water
trickled ceaselessly down upon dark, in-
animate, recumbent forms, which cover
ed the ground so that it was impossible
to stir without coming in contact with
some one OF them.
| Once / moved. or tried 10 move, for
was pslsied with horror, but at the first
motion something fell rattling down
from a niche above my head-something
which passed go closely that it brushed
my face as it fell, and then lay motion
less at my feet-a human skull, with
wide, empty eye-sockets, and white,
grinning teeth Then from the gloom
at the furthest end of the cavern there
came voice Such an unearthly, awful
voice, which sounded as though the
tongue OF the speaker were swollen and
protruding. Brothers and sisters OF the
guillotine, rise and greet the stranger "
/ If ha n
graye-clothes on every side, as the dark,
shapeless forms rose upright upon their
| fleshless feet row upon row, men and
women, every one OF them with features
distorted with agony-blackened lips
drawn back showing the clenched teeth,
quivering eye-balls, and distended nos
trils-while round the neck OF almost
every one was thin red line. They
came nearer and nearer, closing me IN
ON every side, rank behind rank IN q
moment more | should be pressed and
trodden underfoot by their bloodless
skeleton feet. Again there came the
voice-that indescribably horrible voice
from the gloomy unseen recesses OF that
fearful place brothers aud sisters, take
him he is yours, serve him as they served
YOU at Meuden!" Hundreds Of bony
arms were stretched ont to seize me. |
was almost within their grasp, when with
the supreme horror of the moment L
shrieked and woke. Woke with the
sound OF my own voice ringing in my
ears and the perspirat1on pouring from
me. Woke shaking as with an ague,
with horrible voices still glbberng IN
my ears. 1t was some moments before
| could sufficiently command myself so
as to rise and strike a light. When |
did 80 | found it was ten minutes to .
o'clock, and on bebolding my CHASTITY
face in the glass found it hard to believe
that had merely suffered from an extra
bad attack of nightmare.
looked toward the bed, when ! saw
on the pillow close to where my head
had lain that cursed Social Contract, "
which knew / had placed under it,,
standing upon the end, balancing Itself
carefully on the soft, uneven surface,
wide open as before. Opening my WIN
dow wide, took the book in nv hand
and flung it from NE with all my
strength.
The next evening when / was con-
graduating myself on having got rid OF
nay tormentor, received visit from my
old chum. Jack Alargreayes, who bad
been ont OF town and whom had coDse-
duently Lot seen for n week or two. l
was delighted to see him again, and We
smoked two or three pipes together,
while he tod me ali he had been doing
since we last met. Suddenly he stopped
short.
by Jove I'd quite forgotten, b" put
ting his hand in his pocket. "ls this
yours, old man ] found it lying on
the doorstep as l came in, as though
some one had dropped it there" and he
laid before me on the table tue book |
had thought myself well rid OF. Ny
look, | suppose, surprised him, for he
asked: Whats up? Isn't it right? "
les, yes" Ihastened TO reply. Its
my book, but don't care much for 1t,
because it's written in French, and That's
O language | don't know much about.
Now, Jacks a capital French scholar -
spent two years at = school near Rouen,
so when, after looking at the hook, which
he knew well by repute and declared to
have been a powerful instrument III help
ing forward the French Revolution, he
asked noe to lend it to him for day or
two. was only too glad to let him have
it. lie took 1t away with him, aud l
slept in peace that night, undlsturbed by
any of the horrors which had haunted
my dreams of the night before. 1t was
some two or three days afterward that be
came to my rooms again. He seemed
rather thoughtful. and several times
seemed on the brink OF saying some
thing. Finally he remarked:
"1bats a queer sort of book you lent
me. that work of Rosseau's. is there
though it seems ridiculous to ask such a
0uestion-is there anything uncanny
about it? / can't make the thing out. "
Why-how ?" / put in breathlessly.
"Why," he continued, otis always
shifting itself about as though it were a
live tling. If put it in one place I'm
hound to find it in another. Once
locked it up in my cupboard, but it was
no good L found it lying outside on the
floor and everything in the greatest con
tusion inside. as though il had been