The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-06-11

| Is
very sad
That reminded me immediately of the
violent Jerking OF his hand. and asked
But is that not hereditary? Are
not your own nerves u little affected ?"
TRANQUILITY he answered.
Mine? Oh, no; have always pos
seSsed very calm nerves."
Then suddenly, after pause, he re-
marked
All, yes. You refer to the action. of
I my hand whenever l reach for m OBJ
! ject? That issthc result Of terrible
shock | once had Imagine, sir, this
child has been buried alive"
| could find nothing to say, except
All. with emotion and surprise.
He went on: Here is the story. 1t
is simple. .'uliette had for some time
seemed subject to disordered action Of
the heart. We were sure she suffered
from some disease Of this organ and ex-
pected the worst.
] One day she was brought in life ess
! dead. She had fallen dead while
walking in the garden. The physician
, issued certificate of death. watched
beside her for day and two nights. /
myself placed her in the coffin, which l
followed to the cemetery. where she
! WIS laid in the family vault. Ii was in
! the country, in Lorraine.
! 4 had wished that she should be
| buried with her jewels bracelets, neck
! laceS. rings, all the presents that | had
| given her, and her first ball dress.
! You can imagine the state of my
! Sl,n
i | had. my wife having been dead for
many years. Stunned and half mad I
shut myself alone in my room and fell
/ into an armchair. almos- sen>elesS, un-
able to move. | was merely wretched,
! breathing wreck.
My Old valet, Prosper. who had
| helped me place .Tuliette i'll her coffin
and lay her away for her last rest, en-
tered noi>elesslv and asked:
Monsieur, will you not eat some
thins?' I shook my head, without
Speaking.
He persisted:
! Monsieur is wrong. This will make
him i'll. Would Monsieur like me to
put him to bed?'
/ Il answered:
No; let me alone
and he withdrew.
How many hours may have passed, I
know not. On. what night! What a
night. 1t was cold; my fire had burned
out III the great fire place: and the wind
a wlntry gale. charged with lev frost,
bowling without and rappiug at my
windows with peculiarly sinister
sound
| Long hours rolled away. Tsat there,
wi,le-awake, rrostrated and over
! whelmed; my eyes were open, but my
body was nevertheless. dead, and my
soul was engulfed in despair. Sud
denly the great hall,bell rang out.
II gave such start that my chair
creaked under me. The slow, solean
sound vibrated in the empty house. |
J looked to see the hour By the clock. 1t
was = in the morning. Who could be
coming at sucl. an hour?
"And, abruptly, the bell rang twice
again. The servants, certainly. would
not dare to answer it. | took a candle
and descended. l was about to de-
! mand:
"Who is thercs'
Then. ashamed of this weakness, /
slowly drew back the heavy bolts. Ny
heart throbbed; | was afraid | Iopenc,l
the door brusquel., and deserted in the
gloom a shape like phantom, dressed
in white.
i recoilel, impotent with anguish,
and stammercd:
Nv lIo = whO-who- arc YOU !?
"a Voice answered:
"'It is /, father
1T was my daughter.
II sallv, | thonght myself mad; and |
shrank away, retrcating back ward he.
/ fore the spectre as it entered, gesticu-
lating with my hand, as if to ward of
the apparition. That gesture has never
left me.
The phantom spoke again:
"'Have no fear. lapa: | was not dead.
Some one has stolen my rings, and has
cut off my finger; the blood began to
flow, aud that has revived me-
And | observed. then, that she was
covered with blood.
Il fell on my knees gasping, sobbing
historically.
"As soon as I had partly recovered
my senses, so dazed still that hardly
comprehended the terrible happiness
that had come to me, / made her go M
to my room and placed her in my arm
chair: then l rang sharply for Prosper,
that he might rekindle the fire. prepare
warm drink for her, and Summon a
physician.
The man entered gazed at my
daughter. opened his nloutl, with a
spasm Of fright and horror, then fell on
his back, stark dead
ut was he who had opened the vault
who had mutilated aud then abandoned
my child for he could not eflace the
traces Of his robbery; he had not ever
taken pains to place the coffin back il
its case. certain, moreover, of not being
suspected by me, who trusted him fully
"Iou see. monsieur, that we are very
unfortunate people"
He was silent
Night had come on shrouding with
its gloom the sad and solitary little
vale, and q kind OF mysterious drea(
seized me at finding myself alone with
these uncanny beings-this corpse come
to life and this father with his appalling
gestures. -e
l could find nothing to say, but stam
mered:
What a horrible thing!'
Then, after while, l added:
Let us return! The night has grown
chill" .--
And we walked back toward til.
hotel.-1ranslated fol, the San Fran
cisco drgOndut from, the French.
| No Spare Hours.
Mr.. Hayseed (arriving at city hotel
II s'pose / kin hear the gong her,