The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-10-30

dream.
How / managed to attend TO my work
that day don't know. hardly remem-
Der one incident OF the ~ hours.
was overwhelmed with dreadful antici-
pations of events TO transpire during
the coming night. The third night.
The third night was the additionally
fated night
was tempted 20 unbosom myself to a
friend and get him 10 go and sleep with
me, but was too much ashamed of my
pusillanimousness Better suffer any
thing at the hands of a spook than have
myself the laughing stock of all my
friends.
This time / was determined 10 see il
out. I would sit up all night 20 watch
that clock and see with my own eyes
how it was managed and by what
means.
accordingly made arrangement for
a big fire to be kept up all night. sew
eral extra lights, something 10 eat and
drink, my pipe and plenty OF books.
Then i shut my windows, dragged
down the shades SO that the light would
not be conspicuous from the outside,
and prepared myself for the ghostly on
slaught.
That / should have lived TO encounter
real ghost ! must have been born
under the necessarily peculiar circum-
stances qualifying me for supernatural
encounters. devoutly wished other
circumstances had been employed.
BY this time / was ill physically Ill.
l could neither eat, drink nor smoke.
could only think. and my mind was ~ 4
perfect whirligig Of confusion.
How the hours dragged, as hours will
that are unemployed. | almost thought
time loitered with malice aforethought.
When ones head is on the block they
say il Is a relief for the Ak to fall. be-
lieve / could have anticipated and suf-
fered decapitation less disagreeably
At ten o'clock wound and set by my
watch my precious alarm, and placed It
In its customary place upon the mantel.
1t was a capricious little affair az best,
and lately had 10 be laid upon its back
in order to keep proper time-in TACT,
to run az all; so l turned IL on its back
as usual, and sat down TO watch II. The
rain had cleared up, but the wind con-
tinued TO howl around in hideously
unpleasant manner / don't think
have ever heard wind blow as IL did
upon that particular night Imagined
II TO be thick with inlly devils that bell
lowed and groaned and laughed and
shrieked all in breath. The branches
OF a sycamore tree scraping against the
roof made my flesh creep, while the
wind surging through the wild orange
trees created a queer whistling sound
which / never heard before or since.
oh, the interminable time / sat there,
sick at heart, worn out in mind and
body watching and waiting for-I knew
not what--Buck Anderson's ghost to
come and take il out OF me. sweet
state / had worked myself into, truly.
How would IL end? What would he do
to me2 Fall upon and belabor me?
A small matter l was not afraid of
what any human could do TO me; /
could yield up my life with as much
grace as the next man; but a ghost,
what means would he employ Icould
not anticipate il, ] would have to see
il, have TO experience IL.
/ glanced up at the little clock, and
IL knife had been plunged into my
heart the emotion could not have been
otherwise than il was when | saw that
IL had moved The clock had moved.
A certain ornamental point which had
noted matched with a certain figure in
the mantel lambrequin upon which |
had rested my eyes had Enthusiastically
moved. broke into a cold sweat. My
throut hurt me horribly, and felt my
hair rise upon my head. / was power
less TO change the position Of n finger.
| 1t had movcdl There was no chance
for doubt, 1t was fact.
/ gazed spellbound. all my senses alb
sorbed into that Of seeing. For hours
and hours 1 sat in state OF half con-
seriousness watching the clock move.
Slowly, slowly. 10 the left, almost too
slowly to be perccptible, until it had
turned entirely round. Then slowly,
slowly, round again. Round and round,
again and again, winding my poor brain
into a very Gordian knot. while the slow
hours dragged by, and the fire burnt
lower and lower and went out; and the
wind subsided, and the cold crept in and
numbed my corresponding body. Then
all AT once / saw the clock tip over the
edge OF the mantel, and come crashing
to my feet. j had just strength enough
left TO examine the position Of the
hands. Twenty minutes after three
o'clockl fell back into my chair in a
deep swoon.
/ had a spell OF serious sickness after
that. i think was in a condition for
il anyway, and that nights vigil
brought IL 10 climax. i was in for
several weeks. But was not GONZALES
cent many days before / solved the
clock mystery. got the idea one day
while lying upon my bed, and later,
putting il 20 the test. | found / was
| right in my calculation. by placing
the clock upon It's back, the thumb.