Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-10-28
Sound as bell and as hard as

| WOulu ue 6Le last GHlDS 10 happen W
you,' replied the puzzled surgeon.
"Why, what is the matter with you !?
Do you feel ilI?'
ono; feel hale and strong, capa-
BILE of enjoying life with the best. |
have never had an illness in my life.
But for all that, l shall die at mid
night
"Of course said the surgeon,
somewhat provoked at this mystery,
"if you are going to kill YOURSELF you
can speak with more authority as to
the time than anybody else
81 have no intention of committing
suicide was the stern rejoinder.
Nevertheless at midnight my time
expires. The manner of my death is
unknown to me, but | shall never see
the lifting of this dreadful blackness,
which on my last night upon earth
has fifty interposed itself between
me and the heaven l have renounced."
The surgeon, listening to this
strange outburst, turned to the table,
and filling glass with brandy hand
ed it TO his extraordinary patient. ''It
will put heart into you,' said he.
''But not SOUL" said the other;
and, shuddering convulsively, drank
it at a daught; then placing the glass
upon the table, he drew purse from
his pocket and looked at the surgeon.
"Y our fee?"
"Nothing. [ know not what your
trouble is; but | wish much that |
could help you
''Pm past all help said the 9th
er, sadly, moving toward the door;
then pausing, as the surgeon took up
one of the candles to light him down,
he said, in irresolute tones: GAS
you shall Judge, if you care to hear"
s'By all means,' said Mostyn,
heartily, as, replacing the candle, he
poked the fire and drew up a chair
| for his visitor.
"Twenty years ago." said the lat
ter, accepting the proffered seat and
leaning toward the surgeon, "my
circumstances were very different from
what they are now. Young and
strong, | had at the death of my par
ents rejected the bread of dependence
offered me by relatives, and, full of
hope, had come to London to make
my fortune. 1t proved to be harder
work than [ had anticipated and in
a very short time / was reduced to
the very verge of starvation. One
dreadful night, of which this is the
| twentieth anniversary, | was half
crazed with poverty and despair.
For two days l had not tasted food,
nor did see the slightest prospect
of obtaining any. Added to this |
was deeply in love, though unhappily
the interference of those who should
have been our best friends kept us
apart. AS crouched shivering in
the garnet, which served me for a
lodging, [ think [ must have gone a
little bit mad" He broke off sud-
denly, as though unwilling to contin-
ue, and stared gloomiiy at the fire.
"Well?'' said the surgeon, who
had been listening with much inter-
est.
"Have you ever heard of compacts
with the evil one?" demanded the
stranger.
81 have heard of snch things re-
piled the surgeon, on whose spirits
the occasion and the visitor were be-
ginning to tell.
81 made one,' said the other,
hoarsely. "Crouchcd by the empty
CRATE, which Knocked me with its
cold bars and white ashes, my tho'ts.
turned, as though directed by some
unseen power, to all that I had heard
and read Of such compacts. AS my
mind dwelt upon it, the subject lost
much of its horror, until a gentle
rustling in the neighborhood of the
fire drove me with quaking heart to
my feet. My fears, however, were
but momentary, and with fierce de-
termination l called upon my unseen
visitor to lend me his awful aid. AS
l spoke the sounds suddenly ceased,
and voice seemed to cry in my ear:
Write, write!' dragged a small ia
BILE into the moonlight, which strug-
gIed through the begrimed panes of
the window, and with my own blood
and the miserable stump of pen
wrote out the terms of agreement
with the Prince of Darkness, possess
ed, as l did so, with the horrible
consciousness of something in the
room watching me. I vowed that if
for twenty years he gave me wealth
and the possession of her whom |
loved better than my own life, my
soul should be the forfeit. If the
next morning brought change of for
tune, | should take it for sign that
he had accepted my conditions.
signed it, and swooned. When l
awoke from the sleep into which the
stupor had merged the sun was shin
ing brightly into my foul lodging, land
below was a messenger who brought
me news of large fortune which
had fallen to me through the death
of an uncle. God forbid that my
rash VOW should have aught to do
with it ! Since then, everything has
prospered with me. | married the