Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-02-12
A NIGHT OF DEATH.

Tor TWO suchsOld OacheIOrS as we were.
The Colonel was an old Southern
man. and had seen service in the
Brothers war lie had earned his
rank by valiant and distinguished
service for the Union forces He was
a tall we'll built man. with COM
manding presence, and. although past
the middle age carried his years we'll
l. on the other hand although
snugly put together and possessed of
unusual endurance was greatly his
inferior in point of physique and our
friends at the club were wont TO allude
to us as David and Goliath.
That comparison is unjust" the
colonel said one day laughingly 'for
/ am sure neither OF us desires the
others death. "
And we did not think then that one
ever would.
'And it is extremely doubtful that
this David will ever inhict a death
wound TO this Goliath, F" interposed a
friend.
We laughed at the idea.
But the colonel rose with yawn.
and again looking at his watch
donned his wraps and we went out
into the slippery streets.
Not a beastly cab in sight" grum-
bied 10Y friend as we peered about
Jana on such a night too?" he added
with q grimace.
So we had to make the best OF it
and trudged slowly home through the
slush. The rain poured and beat upon
us. and the wind swirled pitilessly
about our muffled heads.
Ugh said the colonel with a
shake
And light" repeated L But
could not shake of the depression that
had settled upon me with the sleet;
and foreboding OF evil took posses
sion OF me that / tried in vain to
dispel.
l was possessed of very sensitive
nerves. and this combined with the
life led and tho influences that had
surrounded me since my birth made
me q coward in some things. And
never did | feel such an undefnable
dread. and never were my senses SO
quick to make mountains out of mole
hills as at the times when my spirits
were depressed and my nerves made
iangling by untoward weather. was
vertically coward in the dark.
Usually when got in well lighted
and heated room l could shake this
depression of, but not so tonight
You look excited, my dear Kane"
said the colonel as we flung ourselves
in easy chairs and stirred up the fire.
rose and went TO the looking glass
in one end OF the room, and started
back shocked as / caught sight of my
face
1t was filed with tense suppressed
excitement that had never seen there
before; my hair actually appeared like
bristles upon my head; and under my
eyes were large. dark rings
The colonel and occupied separate
sleeping apartments as our suite was
large. using the remaining rooms to-
gether. Until day or two ago we
had valet who attended to our wants,
but he had left us and we had as yet
been unable to find suitable person
to take his place. My room was quite
large for bedroom. but for that rea-
son l preferred it to smaller one as
/ was quite stickler on matters of
hygiene
| undressed and went to bed. l
finally heard the colonel leave the sit
ting room and 60 TO his own apart
ment A little later / heard the
springs OF his bed creak. and knew
that he also had sought the arms of
Morpheus
heard the clock in the hall strike
one but / was still as wide awake as
i was an hour before. My nerves.
instead OF becoming reposed. became
more and more susceptible to the least
jar. The cracking of an ember in the
fireplace in the next room caused my
heart TO leap into. my mouth and al
most stop beating. The creaking OF
a board sent the cold perspiration to
my face. l lay still and scarcely
dared to breathe until my body panied
in every joint from lying in one po-
sition so long.
heard tho coloners breathing in
the next room. Then / heard door
slam on the flight below and with
difficulty suppressed a shrek.
And all the time cursed myself for
my cowardice; cursed myself for being
such q child; and vowed that il / were
allowed to live until morning l would
stop drinking hot gins and smoking
strong cigars.
/ heard the clock strike two and
then must have fallen iEto a troubled
sleep. dreamed-oh. God what did
not dreamP Would that all that had
happened that i'll fated night had been
but dream.
For one thing dreamed that the
last day had come. aud that ]. with
countless others had hurried toward n
large snow-capped mountain. There
were pillows OF fire behind us and
mountains OF fire above us yet we
hurried Observation-Disclosures stop)ing.
never turning. Clouds OF smoke and
fame relied about us yet through IL
all cotsd be seen that mountain top.
cold and serene in the midst OF Ell