Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-10-29

II Wae Il dr,tI turrSt where every vestige OF |
life was mute The leaves, the grass. the |
flowers on tire damp turf were us motion
less H. though tmupntence had whispered |
through the labyrinth "be still" As l
went on | stumbled, once, twice, in the |
him light Behind me faint glow from
red sunsp, threw my shadow grimly
ulong the path until it was lost in the
depths stepped aside and then saw
-ah--ah--I shuddered in my sleep-l
had fallen over uaunt arms that rose from
the sod and twined heir skeleton fingers
ncrusS my way. Here and there gray skulls
dotted the path and turned their sightless
sockets to the fading day.
Filled with an awful fear tried to hurry
on, but my feet refused to move / tried to
Shrek bat my lips gave forth no sound. ]
could not lift my eyes from the road before
me Then bony finger moved; a shriveled
hand unclaspcd and brckoned to me; then
nnoth and another, until the whole for.
est awakened, bnlelul lights cleaned from
the hollow skulls, the fsrstling leaves woke
a weird melody, n multitude of grisly arms
waved me a greeting-and | awoSe to hear
the noises of the street beneath my win
dow, and see the morning sunlight making
quaint mosaics on the floor
A package from DR.. Max was handed to
me an hour later. A book, less than an
inch in thickness fell from the newspaper
wrapping Between heavy OK hide covers,
each crossed with three parallel brass
bands, | found fifty sheets of heavy parch-
ment The sheets were hard and brittle
and coarse, indicating great age. There
was no exterior symbol, but | knew that
the manuscript was a copy of an older
work. 1t was in early Greek, and the
quaint characters, many of them obsolete,
forced the conclusion that my task would
| not be an easy one. There was neither
preface nor Introduction. The first page
began abruptly in hexameter, measure
! that was sublime. 1t ended on the last
page as abruptly as it had commenced.
! did not waste precious time commenc-
| ing my work, which promised great fas-
| cination for me. The reverence, the curl
osity which this relic of a lost age awak-
! ened within me was but the natural out
growth of my bibliophilism, fostered
through years OF study and research in the
old languages touched the faded leaves
with caressing hand, and for a brief in
terval stepped from under the black shadow
that hung over me, forgot the promised
reward, and the doctoro of Dutch Bottom"
WAS to me, for the moment, rs though he
had meyer been.
1t was noon before | knew it, but inter
est in the brass bound book held me to my
work, and unmindful of repeated rings of
the dinner bell kept on. Hour after hour
/ wrote, until the floor about my table was
white with the shower of leaves.
The original manuscript had been the
work of a Delphian prestess, and was
sacred to her Offices. 1t was a treatise on
the oracle, the functions OF the priestly
order, the secrets Of the temple and the in
cantation spells 1t was in three parts
The first fifteen pages held the rythmic
measure of poem of indescribable beauty
1t was an appeal to the highest intellectual
powers of mana leading string thrown
ont to draw him to a consideration Of the
unseen and the unknown. This, in the
succeeding fifteen pages, embraced, in
prose, a treatise on elemental mysteries,
the necessity Of inward purity to perfect
know ledge of the sublime and the control
ling forces in nature The remainder of
the strange tome, until it broke abruptly
on the last page, detailed the external and
purely ceremonial rite. requisite to invoke
the appearance and col .o of elementals,
their complete subiugation, for evil or
for good, to the rule of the master mind.
Wrapped up, fascinated under the spell
of the book, the tea hour passed UNDECIDED
and the day died with the red signals of Il
storm flying in the eastern sky. My eyes
were swollen with the hours of application
to my task. The lids hung over the blood
shot orbs like canopies of lead. But KEEP,
on, pausing only at intervals to shut out
the light until the white film that gath
cred over the pupils had passed away.
The remembrance of the eighteen hours
spent at that study table maddens me- ever
at this late day. The surge of conflicting
emotions, the uncertainty of hope, the de
spair born of "A dread of life of darkness
were lulled into sudden sleep that bore
with ii a nightmare more racking han the
passion that preceded it. | was chained tx
my chair by some strange power that EN-
anated from the book The lamplight
falling upon the pages of my work, took OF
the etfulgcnce Of noon, that scorched til,
organs of sight until the blue lines on tn,
pages wavered under my weary pen, thel
faded entirely, and my staring eyes looked
. helplessly into space.
Nothing but my indomitable will sus
tanned me to the end. | was conscious tina
. the secrets of priestly race were mine
j, reached down the ages, past the crumblin!
Glorics Of Attca and the ruined monu
ments of Macedonia; into the very shadov
of Parnassus and tore the veil asunde
llldL sulCItltL lllc StCItlS OF tne lNInODtS
from the multitudes that made her haun
their Mecca centuries before Judea ha,
known the NaZarine. What was modern
, theosophy and the teachings of a Blavatsk
, to the secrets that were within my grasp?
r All sounds of life had been hushed 70
hours when reached the last line. Trenl
, bling under the pressure of emotions he'll
in check | wrote the final word and threS
, my pen aside. AS rose from my chair
faintness seized me, my brain reeled and
knew no more.
2 The song of a bird, the creaking c
wheels and voices in the street fell on m
{ ear with confused murmur when | II
| gained MY senses. 1t WAS broad daylight
. walked to the window and threw up tn
= sash. The warm mind, rich with the pei
y fume of the autumn woods and fields, wa
T. like u balm 70 my aching brain. My bloc
Y throbbed fercely through my hot veins. EN
! orything seemed unreal. was an automi
i ton in the center of painted landscape. FC
!, the first time in my life | called for an
- drank a heavy draft of brandy l fe
i asleep again, out only to bring recurrenc
l.,l # ha nj,