Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-21
RETURNED TO LIFE.
A WONDERFUL. VISION IN THE
WATCHES OF THE NIGHT.
A Young Lady Comes Back to Life
After a Long Trance, but Only
for q Few Minutes.

hcA - - CIV nAAAuNOC.
It was Christmas Eve, that presager Of
the good to all the world; for whatever
brings good to one most s,elp all in degree
We had gathered about the open blaze OF
the coal-fre in the large, square keeping
room of the old New England homestead
There were father, mother, brother Ray
and cousin Dana md their wives azd my
self, who had ali come down on the after
noon train for aiuiet holiday.
1t was storming fiercely, and ever and
again the spewhakes were hurled against
the window.glass with decBing sound
which told eff the bitter conflict of the ele-
ments, and enhanced the comfort within
by contrast with the tediausness of out
side exposure.
When the early twilight of the short
winter day had merged the somber gray
of the storm-clouds into dark blackneSs
and mother had dropped the curtains, as
Il seemed little too early for lights we
drew our chairs little closer about the
fell, we chatted of many things.
When we had exhausted the topics of
present interest a silence fell upon us, and
We had been sitting for some minutes with
ont speaking, when a terrible blast came
tgumpeting around the old house, ending
in a half scream; half sob, in the chimney.
Ugh ~ said Dana, struggling his shout
ders. This makes me think of my adj
venture in Canada during the war. Did /
ever tell you about that ~
Dana was an apt story-teller, and we all
begged him, with the eagerness of chill
dren, to tell us the adventure Throwing
back his head and settling himself COM
fortably, he began:
Late in the fall of "a there were sus-
picious movements along the Canadian
frontier which made the Government
anxious for some exact data by which to
guide future movements. | was detailed
from my command to do the required
work. The time given was very short, as
| was ordered imperatively to report to the
War Department at Washington in person
the first day of January, 1865.
. 1t Is very easy thing for those who
sit in luxuriously furnished rooms, behind
rosewood desks, to measure the work for
subalterns, sending them out, sometimes to
death, and always to more or less priva-
walton, with lightly orders.
" l had about me papers of great value
to the Government. Their loss, as / now
know, would have made far different
showing i'll the closing up of the civil
war. l met with several vexatious DELAYS
but, as | had a good horse and a light,
easy travelling sleigh, l pressed on with
the courage Of necessity. My route lay
so near the frontier that | was part of the
time in the States aud part of the time in
Canada. The sleighing was absolutely
perfect.
The oath of December had dawned
brightly. As the day advanced, however,
slight haze from the southwest over
spread the whole sky, growing more dense
and hanging lower and lower until, as
night come on, the first scattering flakes of
snow thickened into one binding sheet of
driving sleet, through which objects on
the leeward side were barely discernible.
Imagine my feelings. / was still miles
from the nearest town, on a lonely road
with only an occasional hostelry. Ny
horse began to show signs of fatigue. 4
mile or two ahead a dense pine forest
doomed up, through which the road passed !;
and from here came, on the wings of the
gale, that horrible barking, wailing cry,
which once heard no one ever after mis-
takes for other than the bowling of
wolves.
Suddenly, as the condition | was in
dawned on my mind, there doomed up out
of the mist and gathering darkness large
two-story, old-fashioned, gambrel-roofed
house. Although | could see no lights,
had no alternative; | must at least have
shelter for both myself and horse. Turn
ing into a lane that led to outbuildings
attached to the house, L drove to shed
that was part of lean-to built close to
the house, and as | judged, used as a barn.
Leaving my horse there, knocked at the
door of the house, but receive no response.
| concluded they had probably gone to
some Christmas jollifcation, and believ-
ing that no Christian would, under the cir
cumstances, refuse shelter, l unhitched,
managed to lead my horse to Manager in
the barn, where / secured and blanketed
him. Going back to the cutter, ! got my
robes and climbed into the loft above, and
finding NOW Of good hay, threw down
large armful to the horse, and then crop
ing my way over to the part of the NOW
next to the house, scooped out a bed,
spread out my two heavy bearskins,
loosened my revolver in my belt so as to
be ready for an emergency, and crept into
my impromptu bed. | grew warm. and
congratulated myself on my good fortune
as ! listened to the pitiless pelting of the
storm outside. You know, boys, we slept
IN good many worse places during the
war.
How long slept l never knew. | was
awakened by the snorting of my horse, as
if in terror. Instantly was wide awake.
The whole interior of the barn was filled
with a clear, soft light, like nothing | had
ever seen before, and the effect of which |
cannot describe 1t seemed to come from
window just above my head, in the house
which here formed the side of the loft
where | was. With my revolver in hand.
| crept softly to the window. You NAV
laugh at this precaution as being unneces-
sary and absurd, but, to tell the truth,
something uncanny about the light had
given me quite nervous thrill
Gaining a position where | could get a
good view of the interior of the room, |
noted rapidly the contents, and l do not
hesitate 10 Confess lney Qlu not tenQ IN the
least to quiet my startled nerves You
know am not given much to nerves, any,
way 1t was large square room-foor,
sides and ceiling made of some kind of
white wood, in which were laid the SYM
hols of the old Cabalists in red and black
tracery, the whole brought to the highest
possible finish and glistening like a pol
ished mirror. The reflected luster was
soft and powerful. From the center of the
ceiling hung a globe of crystal 1t was
evidently the source of the light, but it
did not yield it the same way as an ordin-
airy lamp, for no glare prevented its being
distinctly seen in the universally diffused
light coming from nowhere in particular.
On one side of the room was circle
about five feet in diameter, inclosed by
triple circumference of red, white and
biack-the outer being black and the inner
red The area of this circle seemed like
the ground glass of camera, and over its
surface formless shadows were moving il
some kind of regular rhythm, but | could
not hold my attention of tbic alone Ionor