Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1897-07-02


makers; all this passed through
my brain at lightning speed, and
when all was over and the last
second of my long dream arrived
| realized that l was just about
to face my creator. This was
the only sense of relief that |
had. l had no fear, for the con-
viction of the goodness of the
God on high was so firmly
stamped on me that it was
reality.
"Throughout the long, strange
scene l saw the people by my
bedside. l watched their tears
and listened to their mourns OF
grief with an acuteuess that l
had never felt before. 1t seemed
as though l could not help hear>
ing them, and MY eyes were hx>
ed with a rigidity that could
not be described. Then the end
came. With a clutch like that
oe a thousand cool steel vices my
heart was gfasped in the firm
embrace of death, and all was
over.
81 say all was over because
this was the first moments
respite l had had, and it was
not until some time after that
that l realized my situation, and
the reaction set III. The first
thing that then impressed me
was that some one leaned over
the bed, and bursting into fit
of violent sobbing, said: Hes
dead; my God, he's dead! Then
thousand voices seemed to take
up the words, hes dead, he's
dead, he's dead, until their echo
throbbed on my brain like the
beating of trip hammer. That
was the beginning of my second
horror. | realized that | was
dead, or at least l thought so.
Then 1 began to wonder if1 was
really dead. lit had occurred to
me as strange that l did not see
heaven Or the other place. These
thoughts gave me a lnomentary
shock, but nothing to the horrors
that followed. My reason grad
ua1ly returned, and just as if
some one had struck me violent
blow came the full realization
Il am not dead; l am in trance.
Then the weeping of those
about my beside was heard with
redoubled force. 1t seemed as if
they staid there for days, and
every tear they shed was only
binding me frmer in my living
tomb. My eyes saw everything
that went on. l tried to move,
to speak, to blind my eyes, but l
was fixed, held downed it seem
ed, by d thousand grinning
devils. Then was alone, that
is, the people left the room. l
could hear the tick of the clock
and counted the seconds flying
by. Soon | was to be buried, and
I felt convinced that no power
I could summon would even
break the spell. My imagination
led me down a million lanes,
each one leading to the very
verge Of the hereafter. / fancied
that l was placed in a coffin and
lowered into a tomb. There was
half dozen other collins On
shelves round the place. Sudden
ly the lid of my casket was raised
and I realized that l could move.
I raised from my coffin, and
finding myself entombed, began
to shout for help. No help came,
and aftera long siege of torture
began to 60 almost insane. I
remember with a clearness, too
horrible to dwell upon, how l
laughed and shrieked in my in>
sanity.
This frightful vision continu-
ed. The door of my room OPEN
ing. several grave looking men
came in. I thought that they
were the undertaken and his
assistants. Almost as soon as
they entered the room they be>
gan to measure me for a coffin,
my blood seemed to be turned
into boiling oil and my BRAIN
had | the power of Longfellow
l could not describe the feeling
it contained. But tue end was
near. The people came into the
room and talked for a few
moments with the undertaken
In reality the undertaken had
not yet arrived. Then as if
banished by wizards hand. all
my tortue fed. My life came
back, and without the slightest
feeling of pain and worry of mind
l sat up and inquired what all
the trouble was about. The wild
shrek that came from the lips
of the women folks and their
CHASTITY looks will remain with
me forever. l realized the hor>
TOR of the situation. The folks
! co..4 e.. u. ISll.od a..d S..l.o., /, o.