Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-06-29

| IL.
| me that the confused din about the house
| which went and came like a fitful wind
| was no Imagination but proceeded from
the Vaccinations of the evil spirits which
| Mr.. Renwick had presaged would follow
| me. Then, indeed. was in terror to which
all that had gone before was as nothing.
Sometimes the noise seemed like the con-
| fused sound of many persons walking and
| struggling together. Whereat knew that
| the flends strove to be at me- but were re-
| strained by some One that for the moment
| guardian angel. So 1 endeavored to fall to
| the praying. But such was the power of
| Satan, and such the tremor of my spirit,
| that all the prayers I knew had departed
| from me. No words came to my mind save
| some old babbles of the mathematics had
| learned long ago when I was at the Edin-
| burgh college, which now stood me in no
| stead at all, for the least little impng devil
| cares no jot for all the mathematics of
| Euclid.
| Then there came again the din of voices
| louder than before, the trampling of many
| feet in the rooms above me, and along the
| transe. At last 1 heard them come through
| the passage as it had been to enter at my
F.! door. Then at last 1 gat strength to leap
| from my bed, and make a shift to bolt my
| door, which may well seem a daft-like
| thing to do. For VIVA. would evil spirits
| care for bolts whose ordinary way of enter
| ing chamber is through the keyhole.
| When l had locked the door / fell my
| knees, and, mine eyes being opposite to the
| latchet-hole, 1 looked through, and saw
| what seemed to me very horr.ble-the form
| of man, all black, stand with a light be-
| bind him, and with bare shining sword
| in his hand that pointed straight to my
| chamber door. And all the house about
| sound of groaning and little sharp shrieks
| of ultimate agony, as of one that wished to
| die but could not. Whereat, for very agony
| 1 tainted away.
| wall by the door, vigorously cold, and. as it
| had been, stark frozen by reason of the bit
| terness of the night. The house silent
| within, and the latch-hoe dark. But about
| the house and about there went the same
| whispering and crying of fiends, rising and
| falling-now sharp and quarrelsome. now
| more laigh and fearsome, till in little
| time the crying came again worse than ever
| below my chamber window. So, before 1
| dared to look out. not knowing but what
| might the devil and all his angels at
| carnival, l made shift to commend me for
| preservation AID protection to the majesty
| of God.
At last I manned courage to go to the
window. and, looking out L saw upon the
| thin sprinkling of snow that had fallen in
the night the veritable resernblances of
| evil spirits, dragging away that which
| seemed to be a heavy burden. And once
more even as looked forth, there came
| the terrible crying voice that awakened me-
as high as before, SO that again fell down
| as dead man.
| Nevertheless, though I own that in things
| which are counted of the flesh l am far
from being brave man, yet now, from
| very desperation, and because feared that
| the evil spirits would come and take me
away in like manner when they had dis
| posed of their present burden, I gat cour-
| age to rise and do my breeches upon me.
Then l went out and followed on to sec
| what the spirits might contrive But be-
| cause of their masters arts they were in
visible l saw no more of them till l had
| stumbled down the steep bank to the river
| side
1t is an i'll place thus to adventure into
! of ,teyl,t
close together, SO that 1 knocked and
bruised myself as 1 went But to my great
JOY 1 came, by the way, to little burn
| with water still running in it in spite of the
| frost. So this / crossed, and when once
| stood on the other side 1 thanked God,
| knowing that no evil spirit could now over
pass to me.
Then. whether 1t was that by my crossing
| OF the running water the spells of the
| spirits had no power to render them invis-
| ible, or whether it was that my eyes had
| become more accustomed to the darkness
| of the night, but as 1 stood behind a great
| rough tree again gat sight of the demons
with their burden. They were scrambling
by the side of the water. and I saw them
| lay their burden upon cake of floating ice
| which the chief devil drew toward him
with thing like shepherds 'clep'' or
| crook.
Then was again in some fear lest this
| should be some cantrip by which they
| might set the power to overpass running
| water, and so get at me to tear me in
pieces-as is their deviish wont with
| Christian ministers when they grip them
| But as l looked 1 saw the demons stand
and stamp Upon the margin of the water
as though the matter did not progress to
| their satisfaction. Then the chief black
| fiend that held the crook steled and pushed
with it upon the broad piece of ice, so that
l saw it slowly turn about like a wheel
| upon its axle, and, with the black burden
| still upon it, glide out of my sight down the
water. The company of demons (as in my
| fantasy l thought them) stood, there as it
| had been, watching their strange ship and
| it's cargo depart for another country. Then
| l heard them Chamber. crying and quarrel
| ing as before, up the bank out of my sight
How l ever got back to my chamber 1
| know not but certain it is that when the
| serving woman came the next morning to
| light my fire she found me, with bleeding
| feet and scanty garments, lying in the
| midst of the floor, as one that had been
| all thrown hither and thither, even as
| had cast them abroad when 1 leaIed from
| my bed.
BY which I am encouraged to think that
| the fury of the fiend had been mercifully
| restrained in my case. and that Providence
| had more interest in me, in spite of my
shortcomings, than in my modesty 1 had
| believed.
CHAPTER Iv.-THE MURDER BY THE
! WATERSIDE.
It was no more than an hour after day
| when I was surprised by the coming Of the
| young man Philip Standsfield to my cham
| Der door. He came in without knocking,
! and leaned upon the bed foot. There he
! weeped and cried, and though 1 cannot say
! that had any opinion of his qualities be-
| fore. was somewhat affected by his peni-
| tence. Indeed, could not but suppose that.
! even thus late, my words of rebuke had
| taken effect upon the hardened and indu-
| rate heart of this heinous sinner
With this comforting thought upon me, 1
! asked of him when the grace of repentance
| had been given TO him. AMI told him that
| had had a vision during the night of
] demons that had wrestled for his soul, but
| which by my watchfulness and prayer had
! fled away baffled and vanquished For.
! very clearly, l saw the meaning Of it all
| now. 1 had of surety been sent to the
| New Minis to deliver the soul of this
| young man.
At last Philip S,andsfield ceased his sigh
| ing and grieving and 1 looked for some
! words of grace Tut he said: ALAS! Mr..
| Bell, Sir James. my dear father, has left
| his chamber during the night and wandered
| abroa !, SO that -rt fear ne has done him
| self mischief
But 1 comforted him saving that heliIle
| Sir James hal been disturbed by the same
| noise of demons which ] had heard, and
| had gone abroad 20 see more of them, even
| as I had done myself.
I111 I--k