The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1888-08-03

powerless. To lie and watch from between
my closed eyelids was all I could do
Still with hands outstretched, still with tn
same tottering gait, past the foot o
the bed, and toward the Areplac
where, turning round In the mid
stream OF the moonlight, face ant
figure alike stood revealed. The same an,
yet not the same, mask rather than q fac
the lips parted, the eyes open and STARING
fxedly before them, with terrible, unmis
taxable stare of vacuity-the face Of ON
more dead than alive. Terrible as the sigh
was, it brought with 1t sudden and un
looked for relief. The first look at those ap
parently sightless orbs and that expression
less countenance assured me that the old mar
was as genuinely unconscious Of his sur
roundings as was endeavoring to appear tt
be of mine. Once before, had seen mar
walking in his sleep, and had not forgotten
that CHASTITY phenomenon.
He was still cropping about with his hands
and 1t did not occur to me at the moment al
altogether opposed to the theory had SC
readily adopted that what was in his normal
state only nearsightedness should be exag
gerated in his present condition into almost
il not total-blindness. Suddenly, while
was still watching him, for my eyes had not
quilted him for q moment, one wandering
hand found q resting place on the arm of the
big chair had noticed upon entering the
room as having been put for my accommoda.
tion. The effect upon the frame of the old
man was as though there were connected
with the wood galvanic battery. Every
nerve in his body seemed to be put in mo-
ton, but though his teeth chartered and his
eyes moved in their sockets, no sound escaped
hint was as though one had electrified a
corpse.
So strong as that, and yet not strong
enough to awaken him! A chill that could
not account for, and that seemed to be numb
ing all my faculties, was creeping over me-
The face that l was staring at, with eyes
which refused to leave it for the shortest mo-
ment of time, seemed more and more the dis
torted image Of that was familiar with;
felt as though break this unnatural silence I
must, but no words came to my assistance.
Had l, too, been struck dumb and helpless9
If only he would speak, rave, do anything!
l was scarcely conscious of the longing
that was upon me, before it was gratified;
the trembling figure erected itself, as if de-
terminedly getting the better of the shock it
had received, and once more, but this time
as Of fixed purpose, the thin grasping fingers
were stretched out in the direction Of the
chair. AS they closed upon it, the whole
face changed, an expression Of eagerness and
avidity took the place of the vacant stare I
had hitherto confronted, what looked like
flash Of triumph seemed to quicken into life,
beneath their bushy brows, the eyes whose
power of vision had thought suspended,
and with a strange, unearthly sound, half
cry, half chuckle, which made my blood
creep, the old man flung himself on his knees
before the chair.
In this attitude, and with his back to me,
what was it he was doing, or attempting
to do.
raised myself little in the bed and saw
to my increased mystifcation that he had
taken hold Of the chair-a ponderous old
continuance, swathed in a loose cover of faded
damask-and was apparently endeavoring to
tilt it up. The chances were he would upset
it, and not escape without more or less in
jury to himself in doing so. Yet how to
withdraw him from it without awakening
him, and that roughly-a measure always,
so had been instructed, to be carefully
avoided In cases Of somnambulism-
"Mr. Van Deckermann," said, finding
my voice at last with an effort, lean come
and help yous'
There was short, sharp sound as Of some
thing falling, but there was no answer-and
where was Mr.. Van Deckermann9
The old chair was still standing-and
standing on terra frma in the track of the
the homely elderly figure in
the brown suit, which had been kneeling
before it a moment before, there was not
trace. l sprang out of bed, fired with
4 sudden overmastering indignation at find
ing himself, as it were, baffled and cheated,
and flung open the doors of the closet, of the
of which had assured myself be-
,ore retiring for the night. It was as had
eft it. The only other way in which, even
my senses for the moment to have
deserted me, my visitor could have eluded
ne was quitting the room outright.
went to the door-it was locked, as had
AIKEN the precaution of locking it few hours
previously, on the inside.
stood for moment in an utter hopeless
,ewilderment, and then burst into laugh.
which sounded even to myself forced and un.
natural.
"Psha!' l exclaimed, II must have been
Ireaming."
The words had scarcely passed my lips
when something, the like of which I had
lever heard before-something between a
augh and a wall-an indescribable minglinc
f pain and mockery-sounded close at my
lbow. Turning sharp round to see whence
came, lost my balance and fell face for
yard on the bed, dragging the sheet, at
which l clutched to save myself, to the
round. AS l did SO, something fell on the
oor with thud. 1t was my watch. which
ailing it's accustomed receptacle, l had
towed away under my pillow, but of this
id not satisfy myself until the morning,
vhen, upon finding and picking it up 1 dis
overed that it had stopped at a quarter
o 4 o'clock OF the rest of that night have
10 remembrance, save a confused one of |
INTO bed with, think, the most
ervent prayer to be delivered from evil / |
lad ever uttered on my lips.
And you expect me to believe that you
we're in your sober senses when you saw, or
imagined you saw, this-what shall call it,
double of myself" said Mr.. Van Decker
mann when l had related as briefly as I
ould my experience of the night before.
II have told you already, sir, that was
vide awake. Put it to yourself whether l
hould be likely to be such fool as to let
nything which could possibly account for
D myself as bad dream or a mere optical
elusion stand in the way of my acceptance
SO substantial a benefit as that YOU offer