Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-10-08

and l knew it was q groan Of NOR
tai terror. 1t was not q groan o
!, pain or grief-O, no lit was th'
low, stifled sound which arises from
the bottom of souls when over
charged with awe. / knew tn,
sound WELL Many a night. just a
midnight, when all the world slept
it had wefled up from my own bos
om, deepening, with its dreadful
echo, the terrors that distracted
me. 1 say l knew it we'll. l knew
vhat the old man felt, and pitied
'f'hjm, xIthough Tch1ckled At heart.
/ knew that he had been lying awake
ever since the first slight noise,
when he had turned in the bed.
His fears had been ever since grow.
ing upon him. He had been try
ing to fancy them causeless, but
could not. He had been saying to
himself: "It is nothing but the
wind in the chimney-it is only q
mouse crossing the floor," or "It is
merely cricket which has made a
single chirp-" Yes, he has
been trying to comfort himself with
these suppositions, but he had found
all in vain. All in vain; because
Death, in approaching him, had
stalked with his black shadow be-
fore him, and enveloped the victim.
And it was the mournful influence
of the unperceived shadow that
caused him to feel-although he
neither saw nor heard-to feel the
presence of my head within the
room.
When l had waited a long time,
very patiently, without hearing
him lie down, | resolved to open
a little-a very, very little crevice
in the lautern. So l opened it
you cannot imagine how stealthily,
stealthily-until, at length, a sim
gle dim ray, like the thread Of the
spider, shot from out the crevice
and fell upon the vulture eye.
1t was open,-wide, wide open
and / grew furious as gazed upon
| it. I saw itwith perfect distinct
ness-all q dull blue, with q hid
eous veil over it that chilled the
very marrow in my bones; but |
could see nothing else of the old
mans face or person; for l had d.
rected the ray as if by instinct pre-
cisely upon the damned spot.
And now have l not told you that
what you mistake for madness is
but over-acuteness of the senses
now, / say, there came to my ears
a low, dull, quick sound such as a
watch makes when enveloped in
cotton. | knew that sound well,
too. 1t was the beating of the old
mans heart. 1t increased my fury,
as the beating of drum stimulates
the soldier into courage.
| But even yet refrained and kept
still. l scarcely breathed. l held
the lantern motionless. Itried how
steadily l could maintain the ray
upon the eye. Meantime the hel.
lish tattoo of the heart increased.
1t grew quicker. The old mans
terror must have been extreme II
grew louder, l say, louder every mo-
ment do you mark me well 4?
/ have told you that | am ner
vous so / am. And now at the
dead hour of the night, amid th'
dreadful silence of that old house
! so strange noise as this excited
me to uncomfortable terror. Yet
for some minutes longer, l refrain
ed and stood still. But the beat
, ing grew louder, louder 4! | though
the heart must burst. And now
new anxiety seized me-the sounc
would be heard by q neighbor
J The old mans hour had come
With loud yell, l threw open tn
lantern and leaped into the room
He shrieked once-once only. Ii
an instant l dragged him to tn
floor, and pulled the heavy bed owe
him. / then smiled gayly, to fin'
the deed so far done. But, TO
many minutes, the heart beat oil
! with q muffied sound. This, how
ever, did not vex me it would no
t be heard through the wall. A
b length it ceased. The old man wa
l dead. removed the bed and ex
f. amined the corpse. Yes, he wa
stone, stone dead. placed m
: hand upon the heart, and held
t there many minutes. There wa
: no pulsation. He was stone dead