Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-09-15

tween Seventh and Eighth avenues
lis one of>-the pleasantest
localities in New York. The gardens
back of the houses, running down
nearly to the Hudson, from, in the
summer time, q perfect avenue of
verdure. air is pure and invigora-
ting, sweeping, as it does, straight
across the river from the Weehaw-
ken heights, and even the, ragged
garden which surrounded the
house on two sides, although
displaying on washing day rather
too much clothes-line, still gave
us piece Of green 5sward to look
at, and ascool retreatins the sum-
mer evenings, where we. smoked
our cigars in the dusk, and watch
ed the fre-fies flashing their
\
dark-lanterns in. the long grass.
of course we had no sooner
established ourselves at No.
than we began to expect the ghosts.
We absolutely awaited their ad-
vent with eagerness. Our dinner
conversation was supernatural.
One of the boarders, who had pur-
chased Mrs. Groves might Side
of Nature" for his own private
delectation, was regarded as a pub
lie enemy by the entire household
for not having bought twenty cop
les. The man led a life of supreme
wretchedness while he was perus-
ing the volume. A system of
espionage was established, of
which he was the victim. If he
incautiously laid the book down
for an instant and left the room, it
was Immediately seized and read
aloud in secret places to a select
few. I found myself person of
immense Importance, it having
leaked out that I was tolerobly
we'll versed in the history Of
su pernaturalism, and had once
written story, entitled "The Pot
of Tulips" for Harper's Monthly,
the foundation of which was a
ghost. If q table or q wainscot
panel had happened to warp when
we were assembled in the large
tlrawing-room, c~ss ,en e instant
silence, and every one vas prepared
for an inmediate aianking o.
CT ias and 4 spectral sor,n.
5tar & uor!ii o, !,sy'choieS2faA;
e. itaelent, il WIS &ittsi tae 2'iaAoss :
dissatisfaction t:,aE we we're foseel:
to acknowledge .hat nothing IL.
the remotest degree approaching
the supernatural had manifested
itself. Once the black butler
asseverated that his candle had
been blown out by some invisible
agency while in the act of undress-
ing himself for the night; but as
I had more than once discovered
this colored gentleman in a con-
dition when one candle must have
appeared to him like two, | thought
it possible that, by going a step
farther in his potations, he might
have reversed this phenomenon,
and seen no candle at all where he
ought to have beheld one.
Things were in this state when
an incident took place 80 awful
and inexplicable in its character
that my reason fairly reels at the
bare memory OF the occurrence
1t was the 10th ofJuly- After din.
ner was over I repaired, with my
friend DR.. Hammond, to the gar.
den to smoke my evening pipe
Independent of certain mental
sympathies which existed between
the doctor and myself, we were
linked together by a secret. We
both smoked opium. We knew
each others secret. and respected
it. We enjoyed together thai
wonderful expansion of thought
that marvellous intensifying Of
the perosptive faculties; that
borndless feeling of existence
when we seem to have points o.
contact with the whole universe
in short, that unimaginablt
spiritual bliss, which I would no
surrender for a throne; and which
I hope you, reader, will never
taste.
Those hourse of opium happi
ness which the doctor and ! spen
together in secret were regulated
with scientific accuracy. We die
not blindly smoke the drug o
Paradise, and leave our dreams t.
chance. While smoking we care
fully steered our conversation