New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-31

beast :" We went on beyond the qua tiii, r..
at the mansion and dragged az @ ,1eai,er
resisted with all it's strength, when NaS Toui1i
than ours, for it yielded at last anu can,e nS II
slowly down the steps and stood '"''"s ~
my sister Helen. ,L.o. brol,o
Asenath laughed, and Ghastly laus"'' '
from ALL even from Helen nerseIi. bor nor or
| had no feeling of compassion W. ;ii,| y forcc
fear for her or myself, hut was sillPii - v,bo
which another cNcrted. The Wills ol must WIZ
followed .Ascnath but STRANDS ~ I br Londs
Of her power, and their strength was III ''' ''''
fer GOOD or i'll. ,...3...
We followed aaain-out of the plantation,
through forest of pines, over pr's =, I lIcr
spanned slow-crawng, black wafer pas asC :" tL -,
church surrounded by forgotten Gi"Ece' ~ Nv
top Of a hill where there were stones lau III ulic
form of a serpent-a great cleft stone hNT ,nPPcd
jaws, forming the head IheIe aa 9cai" ont Lcr
and cast down her rod. she S'ic.'Hc" ~ i|
binds and in a moment we were formed into IA
circle about the rod.
And then once again those fingers OF steel
prasped somcthins-somethlng lh"U o " 49,
strength seemed unable 10 move our pIc4''
came in gaspS our forms shook Ike the Ic1Nca
of the aspen tree and in the heaIl wa a i In
too great 10 he measured "l ialuc' IN. n1
the effort laSted-laStcd untlI tIc VII Ho' AZ,
TO discard lis own pucrc strength ana 10 h Ina
itself upon the bosom of lmpers0naI l9Icc' ~" ~,
the reservoir of the universal Will, ana lurn l'n
mower in n MIGHTY stream upon the burden oil one
drsre-one unfolding demand that the uooI Nv. Nv
opened And with that borrowed force cliI, VIZ
sense of unlimited strength. FAITH was polI
We stretched out our arms in gestures OF W,,~ sa
| can only remember thaG thcy NWcIc "isu - :,
Of invitation. then Of welcome Nature p,-an w.
pusatc There was sound Ike the slow, RI ia,
heating of a heart, in the chambers oi whlch W.
were incoscd. The inner life thronh"d WIN J..
so fcrccly that the blood seemed almost !" n,"p
from my body All about us were the movements
of awakening birds and insects: from alhr came
the lowing of kline. the Growing OF cocks' ana '','
CRYING of children, as if they were Sn"''hN ~
tied into fear
.od IN 'ne ec"' Strange light. We looked
upon it and found a place Of which , ,hc
darkness and the light of this woTIn are p' cryS
taIinc Globe from which extended in all directions
millions of iilaments of clear lsh'. ,nr s 49,
sclntillatcd as diamond does; amu s1 ~ FIR
noatcd away upon the endless lilamchtS OF msmo
Nearer to MS moving about. were uelhgS, not huii.
and not resembling each other lurtHer i'i f ''
they were all gigantic ana al! poScS', some
hideous: but upon every onr was staihPcdIIi"
strange characters that somehow Understood
The words Il only am God. Upon some .lic
writing was fantastic. rs If put on III ihorMIH,
JTpon Others il shonc with clear and crc fa1lIncc
that panied the sight. Some bore It fadeI ai 'ln;
as if the prctcnslon il set up had iallch ilhc var
into the stream of the ages ana preh anoSt , o.
gotten great fell upon MS Az 80 sretS VII si
all except the woman ANcnath ana hNscu III
down and seemed as if dead. The woman tfchpc1
and mnrnnrcd To herself, and again my lips formed
her words. ,,. ,ro co
Through -, door there Heated not voice ior
the silence was only broken by faint soit NUM-
like very distant music, but an unSPokch coili''"'
that impressed itself upon the spirit
sill the woman hcsitatcd. Suddenly her lips
moved again. mine followed item: bnt Only
through this can he be won - ,.- eho saiI
would have the desire of my heart she sald
aloud. ... Lin,
who knocks al this door shall II he opened, ana
what Inc asks for there shall lie receive, whether
for Good or ill., II is the law
q. | would be fair. Like those who ensiavc me
All that she has SHE pointed 10 my slS'cI-
would IA c from her and have for my own;
The power to obtain thy will Is thine. whether
thou he of The Just or Of ne unjust; ne 'PiiI'
which cometh shall be o1cycd. u II INC E"'
." And is there "A penalty 10 he pMd .,
Thy act is the seed from which It's penalty shall
grow
The woman sighed.
What penalty -
Thou knOwcst the law.
Signing again, bitterly, Ascnath stretched our
her hand The square of light went out. Across
the SPOT where il had been drltcd lndistinc forms
which passed into inyisibillty on either hidc
ndcr their feet ran "A serpent Of fire. which eaIrd
at the woman She grasped IT, ana II seemed L"
bccome the rod which she had cast down
remembered nothing more until | came slowly
TO myself stretched upon the bench IN the shrub
berry with the morning sun shining IN my race
My limbs were suh. my head achcd ana my hcaI'
was heavy with forcDodlng OF eFlL II was I'M
ncssibc for me 10 decide whether the experience OF
The nght was "A dream Or reality. but Wac sorcly
troubled: | could not think of A@naih without q
on approachng the house. saw Robert stand
ing in lie doorway. My first glimpse Of him set
me 10 trembling with fear Of evil ildlnSs, ne
leaked SO acitatcd aud distressed. When he per
ccived me, he wrnng his hands and burst into
+" Oh Toni he cried. Helen is dying She
was taken with commissions early this morning.
ing. She does not know me. The baby was born
dead and Helen cannot live NUT lose her
Oh God. | must lose her!
lie ran through the hall and mp the stairs like
a wild man. I followed, but the hcaviness Of
the shock so great that n wa bni slowly
and with a feeling if the floor was rising mp
IN nv facc Ascnath was moving straithily about
tho hall | badc her bcgonc. She looked at me
like a startled eat, but did not 90. black girl,
coming down the stairs, passed me, and Tec"g-
nizcd her as the first Of The women VINO lad
iored our CHASTITY crowd the night before. She
gazcd straight before her. with wdc-oprn, horri-
fled eyes, and her face had the same pinched
look the hall mirror had shown me upon my own
as | Glanced into IL inyoluntarlly wien passing
it. Al the top of the stairs lrlinda, Helen
poor little maid flung henelf a. my feet and
Oh W9ssa Tom. she cried, she am 'witchcd.
Go an cit d. witch doctah t'-tak-dc spell of n
her Nufin'll save her ct yo' don't 90 dat =,
As stopped t. put the poor creature aside, old
NANNY Cara, her face streaming with tears,
came up 20 me.
Cod hab taken Miss Helen. She's in hcbcn wild
her liz baby
T6c blow ovcrcamc me 1t will be best 10 pass
over that time | shut myself into my room and
boro nv agony alone ! went once into the room
where Helen lay and looked AT her face. II was
the face of .c in peaceful rest, but it had aged
twenty years in twelve hours Her maids, directed
by Mrs Grayson, an ola Ire mo oI tne Ialy'
They think, whispered Mrs Grayson, that
she had walked in her sleep Her TT are
scratched and torn. as if she had been among
briars barefoot and the doctors say that her
commissions probably came on from the shock of
awakening She was found at daybreak, uncOn-
sci .n-, in the hall, and the outer door was wide
open"
left the plantation a few days after the funeral,
and for wears neither saw heard directly
from Robert Glen. ! never could forgive MS
indifference 10 Ilecn's peace OF mind while she
lived. nor get over n certain disgust with which
his lack of sclf-contrOl at the time of her death
inspired me | never liked him. and, after that
sad time / had less regard for him than ever. |
never told him the story | have written. lie
would only have pronounced me mad, and did