Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-02-03
John. He was winding his watch, with MS
hack tllrnad toward mo

John. He was winding his watch, with MS
back turned toward me.
quickly filled the glass which contained
the drug and extended it to John. He
quaffed the contents with great relish,
meanwhile watching him over the rim of
my own glass. esmacked his lips critically
after his glass had been drained.
sit seems to me that there is singular
flavor to that champagne"
I felt guilty thrill and affected not to
hear him.
''How sleepy am" was his next remark.
SIT must be the effect of riding in the cold. u
Then he turnbled into bed, and the next
minute had sunk into deep sleep. The
drug had taken effect with surprising, not to
say startling, promptness, and l listened to
his heavy breathing with satisfaction.
now began to give serious thought to the
situation, and to deliberate on the necessity
of removing every trace by which the reality
of our nights adventure could be proven I
knew that John could by no possibility find
the place we had visited, for the route was a
long and circuitous one and had been trav-
eled in darkness. All! There was the $40
gold piece which the woman had paid him.
Without hesitation I removed it from his
pocket and placed it in my own. Was the
trail covered? l thought So In the morning
I would declare that we had not stirred from
the house during the night, and after per-
suading John that the whole thing was but q
dream-making him commit himself fully to
that view of the case-teu him the truth and
thus confront him with a demonstration of
my theory!
I smiled with satisfaction. But hold
There was the boy! Suppose he should turn
up. I must find him and purchase his silence
I was so intent now on the success of the plot
that would have expended hundred dol
lars rather than see it fail. decided to go
to the livery stable in search of the urchin
who had driven us to the abode of the sick
child.
First, approached the bedside to make
sure that Johns slumber was so sound that
he would be sure to take no notice of my de-
parture and return. He lay perfectly quiet,
but there was something singular in his ap-
pearance.
I gazed at him more closely, and was hor-
rified at a change that had come over him.
He no longer breathed deeply, but in quick,
convulsive and exhausted manner His lower
jaw hung down. his eyes were half open, and
he looked like one vainly struggling for
hold upon life.
was paralyzed with dismay, and stared at
him in an agony of fascination. More faint,
rapid and spasmodic grew his breathing;
more distressing the heavings of his chest;
more CHASTITY the pallor of his countenance
Spellbound, as if in nightmare, still
gazed upon him. The ebbing of vitality pro-
ceeded with frightful rapidity; there was at
length a mere hutter of breath; and then
came that awful repose, that unspeakable
silence, that dreadful calmness of the un-
tenanted clay!
Then the full horror of the situation burst
upon me- The drug had done it's work too
well; John Gorham was dead! I was his
murderer
"John!" shrieked
And then, with rapidly scattering senses,
staggered and fell heavily to the floor.
:. ). ;.
"Ha! Ha! Hap
What hooking laugh was that ringing
through the air? Consciousness was return
ivg, and with it the sound of harsh, discord-
ant merrinlent.
Again came a peal of laghter. Was it my
own voice, and was a lunatics
I opened my eyes and looked about was
still lying on the floor, but not by Johns
bedside. John seemed to be sitting in chair
with a book in his hand. stared at him in
state of bewilderment
Again the laugh. It was his voice. Then
he spoke:
"Do you want me to come and help you
up"
"Where am I, and what has happenedr' I
asked.
''You appear to be sprawled on the floor,
and it is quite evident that you fell asleep
and rolled off the COUCH" he answered
At these words I hastily rose and pulled
my wits together. The truth was soon ap-
parent. Following our discussion of dreams, I
he'd read ''Zanoni" until sleep had stolen upon
me, and both the conception and carrying
out of the plot to convince John were but
the visions of dream. I was somewhat
mortified but at the same time immensely
relieved, for John was alive and well, and
still held in his hand the medical report
which he had been perusing when our dis
cussion began.
We soon retired for the night, but neither
at that time nor on any subsequent occasion
did relate my dream to John, for in it is
the keynote of an experiment mean to try
some day for his benefit. 1t is the only way
in which he can ever be convinced that the
phenomena of dreams involve possibilities
beyond those dry, matter of fact realities
that now form the boundaries of his expert
ence and mental vision.--O. S. Adams in
Tho Fnoob