Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-11
AFTER z O'CLOCK.
THE cREWsoMENEss OF THE VOICES
OF THE NIGHT.

OF THE NIGHT.
Scenes In tho Streets Of . Great City Be
tween the Graveyard Hoar and the
First Faint IAdtestions of the Early
Morning.
Night in great city Is IN impressive and
awesome time. filed with strange and, to the
uninitiated, uninteLigible sounds, strange
sights ond stronge deeds There is peculiar,
indescribabie sense Of something mysterious
in the air; the atmosphere rests in folds upon
the city, and is heavy and almost palpable TO
the touch; tho sounds are acoustic esch1ngS
the sharp outlines blurred and dimrned, but
the meaning and expression impressiVely
clear, distinct and mellow. Vslues and per-
speceives are either entirely lost or gro
tesauely distorted Soft airs, unnatural and
gruesomely cool, steel IN their currents
round the corners, with q suggestion OF damp
vaults or stu. black waters in their breath.
sATua THE NOOK.
Il isstin. Tho silence is heavy and oppres-
sive. Jet seems unnatural AL sorts OF gro
tesque thoughts oberude themselves in dis
connected and sense,ess confusion A quick
football s.artles the ear and echoes sharply
back from the tall brick walls You watch
intently till form is vaguely outlined in
the black shadow Of the opposite wall, and
feel intensely disappointed because the eye
fails to make it out distinctly, and the imagi-
nation in1nedsseiy busies itself in framing
all kinds Of suggestions regarding him,
which are suddenly broken off by the sharp
barking Of dog The barking continues.
The animal is bayins the moon because-b-e-
cause be is dog and has to- But why did
Providence implant such an absurd, useless
and totally irrelevant necessity IN dogs
economyl This question begins to assune an
overwhelming and vital importance, when
1t is driven from she mind by sharp
rattle far or up the street What is
thasa The vehicle approaches, curiosity
is keenly alert 1t approaches rapidly, and
passes with din that initiates every nerve
in the body. 1t is only light carriage, con-
tanning tired man, who is Fastening home
to bed. Gradually the sounds die away, but
q moment later the silence is again desecrated
BY heavy voices in maudlln dispute. A
party of roisterers are leaving a saloon.
They stop on the corner and engage in a long,
ainlIess and heated discussion over the most
trivial subject, but finally break up, with
shouts and protestations of mutual regard,
and the last car rolls slowly up the street
with two or three passengers whose slumbers
are rudedy broken by their noisy entrance.
A cool breeze steals up from the river, and
light, scarcely visible opatne mist floats
over the streets like a vail Strange, half
articulate sounds issue from the bosom Of
the night that mysteriously whisper of wierd
deeds, yet leave the story half untold and
stir the imagination to wild flights
Far down the river the deep, full notes of
steamers whistle rise in mellow cadence
that rolls slowly along the sodden air Up O
neiehboring street an owl car bell family
jingies, and a moment later the clocks in
neighboring church towersislfberately strike
the wee, sna' hour. Again there is the
sound OF hurrying wheels far down the
street, and soon the faint strokes of gong
are heard All. fire The sound increases,
and then swells louder with a sudden burst
and there is a fash of light and long train
of bright sperks trail OFT moment on the
air, and the engine has passed There is no
second soundand the noise dies away. 1t is
growing very late and the silence becomes
deeper The moon rides high and her pol
isted beams play strange tricks with familiar
objects.
BLIND, CHILDISH TERROR.
Suddenly q startling impressionLft is
nothing more-one Of those strange, impal-
pable, noiseless voices Of the nisht-chills
the blood. A cool breeze springs up, and
dies away again An what was thats There
is a shudder In the air, and the silence is in
tense. What is it, Every nerve is strained
TO highest tension. The breath is stopped
Objects before distinct and unimpressive
take on weird and threatening shape. What
is that strange. ill-deffaed shape to the right
Surely it was not there before See! It
novedi No-yes-ah, then it movedl It Is
approacMrg-no it recedeS. Again that
awful impression Of something. A grizzly
phantom seems cluoching at ones back The
flesh creeps. A scream rises 10 the lips, but
dies unuttered There Is a wild desire to fee,
but the body is chained to the spot. Tie eye
glances warily around, but not a muscle
moves. On would give years to turn sud
denly around and confront the naraelexs
specter standing there, but could not do it.
were a life at stake. Reason IS summoned to
the rescue, but for . time it cannot combat
the blind, childish aerror that has seized the
UCUi, Oub VIC Sa4otS - q hcI14&Av OkAS ALA ZIG
struggle to exert the faculties and control
the mind abstract the thoughts from the ex-
citing cause, aud gradually the causeless
fright gives way to nervousness ana sur
rounding objects assume their normal shapes.
A policeman turns the corner and psces
past with measured tread, and he is gladly
haiied The presence OF me laws ninion
brings instaat assurance and calnness, and,
with long breath. one enters INTO weather
wise conversation and accompanies the Of
fcsr on his beat In little while q faint,
gray hne makes visible the eastern horizon.
A butchers cart ratties down the street with
the sleepy driver catching maps between
crossings. The breeze freshens. Another
wagon follows the first. Then the first down
town car aplears- A red eyed man comes to
tho door u q saloon and gives the policeman
a tired SaGltation. Confused and jumbied
sounds fiji the air. Vehicles Of ell kinds are
becoming more numerous, and several hacks
leave their stand for an early trip to the
depots. A window on the opposite side Of
the street is thrown up with bang, and a
man with frowsy head leans out and looks
up at the sky and down the street A dog
barks excitediy, and a tugboat eInits deep
throeted howl. The light increases, and il Is
morrfng.-St. LOUIS Republic.
Indivfdualism In America
What is the subtle influence pervading the
moral atmosphere in New York which so
markedly distinguishes what we call life here
from life In ParS4
Il is, think, distinctly traceahle to the
intense individualisrn which prevails among
Us. Magnificent results have followed our
devotion TO this force; incontes:ably we have
through it spared ourselves both the acute