News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-08-14
low long 1 would take to be frightened

low long would take to be frightened
to death.
eyes, yes" he answered, with sly,
cunning laugh; very good, very
good" and seeing through the device,
with the cunning of madness, he
laughed again as he said, ''Very good,
sir, very good. And you would take
till morning to die, and meanwhile I
want companion in the churchyard
yonder, down among the grave worms.
Come, bare your arm, and let me do
as said. I'll bleed you. I intended
to have taken your head off first, but
I've changed my mind, because /
wouldn't like to have headless COM
panion Bare your arm"
God what was l to dol felt my
brain seethe and whirl, as though 1,
too, were going mad. With des-
perate effort to be calm said:
Suppose I tell another story first"
"Oh, no; you can tell while you
bleed"
But shall want to watch the blood
flow, too," said, with an effort to re-
lTstlE uOIl SlIllUtlSIHIS.
''True, true, he answered. 'Well,
let's hear your story-quick, begin"
l waited for no urging. was too
glad to find him in the humor to listen,
so 1 began and related every story /
could think of-as soon as one was
done beginning another-and in this
manner nearly two hours passed. As
was about to begin another story he
stopped me peremptorily:
''No, no; no morel won't listen.
I've listened too long already, and I've
no time to bleed you eitherl 1 may
take your head off, as 1 first intended,
disagreeable as it is to have a headless
companionw
Around and around his head again
went the glittering knife, coming down
in direct line with my throat; and
then, as the edge, sharp as a razor,
touched my skin, | forgot the prudent
considerations that had hitherto kept
me silent, and gave vent to my horror
and terror in a cry SO loud and long,
so shrill and ear piercing that the ma
MAC started back in alright, and ac-
tually trembled at the unearthly sound.
No wonder | tremble this moment,
myself, when l think what an awful
cry it was, and l almost fancy l can
still hear the sound of it when I close
my eyes and shudderingly look back to
the hour.
The effect upon the mailman was
not of long duration. A third time he
waved the knife around his head, and
was just preparing for a spring for
ward when the farmer and his eldest
son burst into the room. The effect
that these new actors upon the scene
produced upon the 1nadman was strange
and almost incredible. The knife re-
manned uplifted, and the hand in
which it was held seemed suddenly
petrifed and unable to move. He
covered beneath the gaze of the farm
er, as child might do under the eye
of q master. and without the slightest
resistance allowed the knife to be tax
en- from his hand and himself quietly
led from the room by the farmer and
his son.
Then when was left alone the reac-
ton after all my terror, horror and ex-
element overpowered me and L sank
back upon the bed, almost insensible
| thanked God for my escape, and
hardly conscious of my own feeling or
actions | lay quite still, awaiting what
was to follow | felt that there was no
farther cause for alarm, and in a
dreamy sort of a way l tried to account
for the adventure. l looked around
upon the room and all seemed SO like a
dream that could almost have per
suaded myself that | was the victim of
an unpleasant illusion; but then, to
bring me back to the reality of all that
had transpired, there was still the light
burning upon the table, and knew
had put out the light before retiring,
and another proof that L was awake,
and had been for couple of hours
past. was the scratch upon my throat
where the knife had grazed it, and
shuddered to think how nearly my
thread of life had been cut in two.
Presently the farmer and his son re-
turned, and | was informed that my
terrible and most unwelcome vlsltant
was an unfortunate brother-in-law OF
the farmers, who had been crazed for
some years past; that during certain
seasons, especially at that phase in
which the moon then was he was quite
mad and dangerous, though at other
times harmless. Unfortunately for me
his door had been neglected that night,
and instead of being locked had been
left Open | listened to all these ex-
plantations, and received my hosts apol-
ogies and expressions of regret for my
disturbance and peril by making
mental vow never to sleep with my
door unlocked in a strange house, and
if ever placed SO l should be obliged to
crave the hospitality of strangers to
make particular inquiry whether any
mad person, brother-in-law or other,
dwelt in the house. True Flag.