Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-06-29
THE MAN In BLACK.
BY w. N. II.

(Continued from last aOeek
Legrand was behind me but |
could see his face in the mirror be-
fore u.s. As | read be turned pale, bit
his lips and clasped his hands. 1t
seemed as if he were going mad
Making an effort to conceal his emo
ton he said:
"Strange things transpire in this
world;" and then added in mutter
as be sta!ked out, Strange things,
strange things"
| bade him goodnight, but he
made no reply. The oftener l came
in contact with him the more myster-
ious be appeared | feared he had
lost bis reason from some deep, dark,
secret occurrence | tried to discov-
er that; but in attempting to throw
light npon it | blinded myself. Then
the Man 10 Black was black enigma
and every thing connected with him a
black unsolvable mystery. What
relation did one thing bear to another
in this triangular case Of circGm
stanses, with the cemetery at one
point, this probable murder at anoth-
er and the Man in Black at the third,
equi distant from each sat in that
sanctnm Observation-Disclosures
ing until my head grew dizzy and my
eyes grew dim. Time passed on and
the little clock kept up it's monoton-
uos bedtime, bed time, bedtime
sing song The gas fire murmured a
low requiem and threw ghostly
light about the room. The little
panes in the doors Of the antiquated
book.cas did stare at me with
strange, uncomfortable stare The
dust-begrimed stack of our con-
temporary's issues looked SOL
emnly upon me from
the top of the bookcase, and its sole
companion, decapitated bust Of Lin
coin, awakened strange fancies within
me. Even the old agricultural re-
ports and impotent political pam
weird light and made me uneasy.
Ever and anon the deep breathing of
Victor, whom some perverse fancy, |
then thought, had led to sleep in an
adjoining room, sounded upon my
ears Furthermore, it was said sotto
voce in the village that this building
was haunted. 1t was seriously be-
lieved that nine servant girls, who
persisted in hotel fire on that site,
revisited the house each midnight.
Even then | thought | heard trip
ping sound on the second floor Skep-
tic, though ! was, the tale of the up-
fortunate girls came uppermost in my
mind. But twas only the rats play
ing on the bare floors of the deserted
rooms. Then l took up volume
it was Poe's Poems-and tried to
read. The clock said, bedtime, bed
time, bedtime, but ! heed it not
Strange coincidence that laid my
hands on the songs Of that weird poet
and opened the volume at that wild
fantasy, The Raven. The similarity
between my feeling and the poets
thoughts pleased me strangely:
"Ah distinctly | remember, it was in the
December
And each separate dying ember wrought
| its ghost upon the floor
Eagerly wished the morrow; vainly had
| sought to borrow
! From my books surcease of sorrow''-
and the clock struck twelve long,
| 4 IL - L,
for ghosts" | muttered; and the
words had hardly left my lips when
the door leading to the street was
opened and yelled figure entered:
1t was clad in white gown or stole
with flowing sleeves, and the head
and shoulders of the figure were en-
yeloped in the heavy folds Of a white
veil. 1t held in its gloved right hand
an envelope AS it approached me |
did not hear footstep. / trembled.
The figure raised its right arm
with deliberate majesty and held the
envelope in full view. All was 81
lent: fearfully, awfully silent. | saw
the envelope was addressed to me.
In the upper left hand corner were
the words, "Important 10 The Man IN
Btack;" in the upper corner opposite
was black death's-bead with the
words, "IFeaI- Woe" over it. and
"Delight-Deat" beneath. These
enigmatical words were either writ
ten in red ink or blood My ghostly
intruder lowered its arm slowly, laid
the envelope on the desk before me
and said in deep sepulchral tone
it seemed as if marble were speaking: