Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-08-15
then lock the door of my surgery
communicating with the house.

then lock the door of my surgery
communicating with the house.
It was dark, icy cold night, and
somehow the courage and determine
ton which the sight of my own name
4 in connection with thousand pounds
had gwen me tagged considerable as
I found myself hurried along througf
the silent darkness by a man whose
deathbed I was about to attend.
He was grimly silent, but as his
hand touched mine, in spite of the
frost, it felt like burning coal
On we went-tramp, tramp, though
the snow-on, on, till even [ grew
weary, and at length on my appalled,
ear struck the chimes of a church
clock, while close at hand | distin-
guished the snowy hillocks Of a
churchyard.
Eleven groaned the doomed
man.
"Gracious God! but two hours more
and that ghost messenger will bring
the summons. Come, come; for mer-
cy's sake, let Us hasten!"
There was but short road separat-
ing US now from a wall which sur
rounded a large mansion, and along
this we fastened until we reached a
small door.
Passing through this we stealthily
assembled the private staircase to a
splendidly furnished apartment.
All was intensely silent, however,
through the house. My companion
glanced at the clock on the mantel-
shelf and sank into a large chair by
the side of the fire with a shudder.
''Only an hour and half longer" he
muttered.-
"Great heaven! [ thought l had
more fortitude. This horror humans
me.''
put my hand on his wrist, for there
was now fever in his sunken eyes
which checked the superstitious chill
which had been gathering over me
and made me hope that after all my
first suspicion was correct and that
my patient was but the victim OF some
fearful hallucination, and, watching
my opportunity, slipped a sleeping
powder which I had managed to put
in my pocket before leaving the surg
cry into the tumbler of claret that
stood beside him.
1t was with sincere satisfaction saw
him drink the wine and then stretch
himself on the luxurious bed.
"Ha,' thought I, as the clock struck
II, and instead Of a groan the deep
breathing Of the sleeper sounded
the room, ''you won'treceive
any summons tonight, and [ may
make myself comfortable.
Noiselessly I replenished the fire,
poured myself out large glass of
wine, and, drawing the curtain SO that
the freight should not disturb the
sleeper, / put myself in a position to
follow his example. How long / slept
know not, but suddenly I aroused
with start and thrill of horror.
Something I know not
seemed near, something nameless, but !
lnutterably awful.
The fire emitted q faint blue glow, |
Just sufficient to enable me to see that
5he room was exactly the same as
when I fell asleep, but that the long |
hand OF the clock wanted but five
Of the mysterious hour which |
was to be the death moment Of the
Esummoned' mani
The silence was intense.
I could not even hear a breath from
5he bed, and I was about to rise and
when again that awful hor
,or seized me, and at the same mo- |
nent my eye fell upon the mirror OPP
oosite the door, and I saw an awful |
,hape-ghastly moekery of what had
been humanity!
It stood there il visible death cloth
IS; but the awful face was CHASTITY
With corruption, and the sunken eyes
cleaned with a green, CLASSY glare
which seemed a veritable blast from
jhe Internal fires below.
1 saw that horrid shape move slow
y toward the bed. What was the ay-
sul scene enacted there I know not.
heard nothing except low, stided,
agonized groan, and I saw the shadow
If that CHASTITY messenger bending
over the bed.
For an instant the shadow of a claw
ike hand, from which the third fin
ger was missing, appeared extended
over the doomed mans head, and
hen, as the clock struck one clear
;ilvery stroke, it fell, and wild shrek
'ang through the room.
I am not given to fainting; but I