Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-09-22
WHAT WAS IT?
ST confess. Hammond,n I re-

considered the subject before
That there must be ono something
more terrible than any other thing
L feel. I cannot attempt, however.
even the most vague definition
Siam somewhatlike you, Harry .
he answered. II feel my capacity
to experience a terror greater than
anything yet conceived by the
human mind. Something combin-
ing in uralamalgama-
ton, hitherto supposed incompati-
BE elements. The calling of the
voices in Brockden Browns novel
of'Wieland' is awful |; 30 is the
picture of the Dweller of the
Threshold in Bulwer's 'zanoni'; j;
bnt," he added, shaking bis head
gIeomily; s'there is something
more horrible still than these"
'sLook here, Hammond" I
rejoined:: "let us drop this kind
of talk for Heavens sake. We
shall suffer for it, depend on it."
81 don't know what's the matter
with me tonight" he replied, "but
my brain is running upon all
sorts of weird and awful thoughts,
/ feel as if I could write a story
like Hoffman tonight, If I were
,nly master of a literary style" !"
"Well, if we are going to bo
Hoffmanesquei in our talk I'm, off
to bed. Opium and Nightmares
should never be brought together.
Howssultry it is! Good night.
Hammond"
"Good night, Harry. Pleasant
dreams to you"
"To you, gloomy wretch, afreets,
ghouls; and enchanters."
We parted, and each sought
his respective chamber, Iundressed
quickly and got into bed, taking
with me, according to my, usual
custom, book, over-Which Igeil-
orally read myself to sleep. I
opened the volume as soon as I
had laid my head upon the pillow.
and instantly flung it to the other
side of the room. It was Goudop's
History of Monsters" Ia curious
French work, which i had lately
p6ffsd HON ari 3 s6i1tsWhieh
in the state of mind T was then
in, was anything but an
agreeable companion. I resolved
to goto sleep at once; SO turning
down my gas until nothing but
little blue point of light glimmered
on the top of the tube, I COM
posed myself to rest once more.
The room was in total darkness.
The atom of gas that still remained
lighted did not illuminate a dis
tance of three inches round the
burner.
desperately drew my arm
across my eyes, as if to shut out
even the darkness, and tried to
think of nothing. 1t was in vain.
The confounded themes touched
on by Hammond in the garden
kept,obtruding themselves on my
brain. 1 battled against them.
I erected ramparts of would be
blankness of intellect to keep
them out. They still crowded upon
me. While I was lying still as a
corpse, hoping that by o perfect
physical inaction I would hasten
mental repose, an awful incident
occurred. A Something dropped,
as it seemed, from the ceiling
plumb upon my chest, and the
next instant I felt two bony hands
sencircling my throat, endeavoring
to choke me.
am noicoward, and am posses
sed of considerable physical
strength. The suddenness of the
attack instead Of stunning me
strung every nerve to its highest
tension My body acted from
instinct, before my brain had time
to realize the torrors of my position.
In an instant I wound two muscu-
lar arms around the creature, and
squeezed it, with all the strength
of despair, against my chest. In a
few seconds the bony hands that
fastened on my throat loosened
their hold, and / was free to
breatha once more. Then COM
menced q struggle of awful
intensity. Immersed in.the most
profound darkness, totally ignor-
ant bfsthe nature Of the Thing by
which I was so suddenly attacked,
finding my grasp: slipping every
moment by reason. It seemed To