The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-09-15


unnaturally dilated and fixed. They
seemed drawing my soul out of my body,
and absorbing it in themselves.
My next sensation was that 1 was
speaking-answe ring questions, Of what
nature / could not tell, for the answers
were made without any volition on my
part; they seemed drawn by come occult
influence from the most secret recesses
OF my memory.
BY and by all consciousness deserted
me, and 1 became motionless. When l
awoke l was lying just as had thrown
myself, half dressed, upon the bed. The
dull light of lowering sky. out of which
the rain was descending IN torrents, was
upon me. Ny visitant had left no trace
behind her; every Article was precisely
in the same condition. as far as l could
remember, as when l retired to rest.
l got off the bed and bathed my head
and face with cold water. This revived
me; but Their. was a dizziness about the
brain that / could not clear away. As
my faculties resumed their functions,
became conscious of sensations yet more
strange. There was feeling of void
ness. as though some vital principle had
been drawn from me; but, above all,
there was an intense longing to be again
within the influence of those eyes-yet
shuddered at the thought. There was
spell upon me-a spell that drew me
irresistibly towards Judith Porter.
Mr.. Porter's threat was no idle one.
Body and soul was, through his daugh-
ter. utterly subdued to his will. Out
of her presence, I felt that l could not
exist. l followed her about like a
spaniel dog. l was ever trying to catch
her gaze; a few seconds beneath its in
fiuence reduced me to a trance-iike state,
in which my soul seemed to pass frcm
my keeping into hers. My sleep-when
/ could sleep, which was seldom-was
haunted by the widest fantasies. My
health soon began to suffer; my cheeks
became hollow, my looks emaciated. 1t
was as though a vampire was preying
upon my life. 1t was not love that
she inspired me with, but fearful fasci
nation; while l lay at her feet, passion
ately imploring her to takespity upon me.
to give me her love, TO become my wife.
| would have given the world to have
possessed the power to fly from her to
the furthermost extremity of the earth.
! | was her slave-bound to her by chains
stronger than were ever forged by hu-
man hands.
And she was merciless in her power.
She hated RE. loathed me, despised me.
She did not tell me so. but my instincts,
now preternat rally sensitive, needed no
words to divine her thoughts. While
free agent, had refused, shrunk from
an alliance with her, and she was now
enjoying her vengeance.
you should have taken me when
was offered to you." she said. hooking
", ''now it is too later
| / knew she did not mean the latter
pert of her sentence. l knew that after
| she had glutted herself with my torture,
she would become my wife. l could read
it as plainly as though her mind had
been a printed book open before me.
/ still went through the form of super
intending the boys, but l was very little
use in this pitiable condition, and Mr..
| Porter himself was oftener in the school
room than had ever known him before.
He treated me the same as usual, but he
never regarded me without a cunning
leer of triumph. Except during the
| school hours 1 was never suffered to
enter the kitchen, or to exchange a
word with Martha. | afterwards learn
ed that she made several attempts to get
to me, but all these efforts we've baked
by the vigilance of her master or mis-
tress.
As for me, made no effort to see Der.
neither had / any desire; l was alienat ted
from every object in life save one. One
night, as | was going to bed, / found
her standing close against the wall upon
the first landing. She laid her hand
upon my arm, and said, in a whisper.
What are they doing to you, Master
Silasf What has so awfully changed
you? You don't look like a creature of
this world. Can l do anything for you
you can't do anything for me, Mar
tina. Thank you for your Offer" l said.
pressing her hand.
as it true that you are going to mar
~ Mis- Judith T'
Il hope So" / answered: and yet
shuddered as l spoke.
Poor boyi Whatever can it be that
ais you? l do believe that woman has
bewitched your
Before 1 could answer, the sound of
footsteps in the passage warned Us that
spies were at hand. 1 blew out my
caEdle and crept upstairs; and Martha
disappeared in another direction.
One evening. several of the principal
members of the congregation Of Little
Bethlehem were invited to tea. I was
present, and was seated next to Judith,
who was kind and almost affectionate in
her demeanor towards me.
When the meal was over, we wen.
and sat together at the window, she
drawing her chair close to mine, now
and then laying her hand upon my shout
der, suffering her long hair to brush
against my cheek as she pointed out
some object in the garden. and now and
again casting a furtive glance from be-
meath her dropping lids that sho. through
me like a fash Of fire.
At the other side of the room Mr..
Porter was talking to his friends in a
subdued voice. / and Judith were the
subjects Of the conversation. A portion
Of it occasionally fell upon my ear.
He dotes on the ground she walks
Ipon," heard him say. ''It is sinful
to 30 love creature of dust: but she
10 a treasure more precious than gold.
Eyes; she has always been a pious
modestly behaved young woman" an
swered one Of the tea drinkers, Mrs
Humphries. in a modifying tone; but
what has become OF that Mr.. Rodwell
thought there was going to be match
! thereY'
Il could I trust my precious lamb tc
that man of sin p calculated the rever
end hypocrite, in a voice of pious horror
Il had hoped to turn his heart from the