The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1914-08-06

extending from the roof Of the build
wall in a zigzag direction until it be-
came lost in the sullen waters Of the
tarn.
Noticing these things, I rode over a
short causeway to the house. A serv-
ant in waiting took my horse, and I
entered the Gothic archway of the
hall. A valet Of stealthy step thence
conducted me in silence through many
dark and intricate passages in my
progress to the studio of his master.
On staircase I met the physi-
clan of the family. His countenance,
I thought, wore mingled expression
of low cunning and perplexity. He ac-
, costed me with trepidation and passed
on. The valet now threw open a door
and ushered me into the presence of
his master.
The room in which I found myself
was very large and lofty. The win
dows were long, narrow and pointed
and at so vast a distance from the
black oaken floor as to be altogether
CLEANS Of encrimsoned light made
their way through the trellised panes
and served to render sufficiently dis
tinct the more prominent objects
around. l felt that I breathed an at
mosphere Of sorrow. An air of stern,
deep and irredeemable gloom hung over
and pervaded all.
Upon my entrance Usher arose from
a sofa on which he had been lying at
full length and greeted me. with
vivacious warmth which had much in
it, at first thought, of ain overdone
| cordiality-of the constrained effort of
the ennuye man of the world. A
convinced me Of his perfect sincerity.
We sat down, and for some moments,
while he spoke not, I gazed upon him
! with feeling half of pity, half of
awe. Surely man had never before
so terribly altered in so brief a period
as had Roderick Usher. It was with
difficulty that I could bring myself to
| admit the identity of the one being
before me with the companion of my
| early boyhood. Yet the character of
his face had been at all times remarka-
BILE. A cadaverousness of complexion;
an eye large, liquid and luminous be-
yond comparison; lips somewhat thin
| and very pallid, but of a surprisingly
beautiful curve; nose of delicate
Hebrew model, but with breadth of
| nostril unusual in similar formations;
! finely nodded chin. speaking in it's
| want of prominence, of a want CT
moral energy; hair of more than
| weblil1e softness and tenuity-these
! features, with an inordinate expan-
sion above the regions of the temple,
made up altogether cOuntenance not
easily to be forgotten. The now ghast-
| ~ pallor OF the skin and the now
mira culous luster Of the eye, above all
| things, startled and even awed me.
The silken hair, too, had been suffered
| to grow all unheeded. and as. in it's
wild gossamer texture, it foated rather
than fell about the face l could not.
even with effort, connect it's Arabesque
expression with any idea of simple hu-
manity.
| In the manner of my friend l was
at once struck with an incoherence--
an inconsistency, and soon found this
| to arise from series of feeble and
futile struggles to overcome an habit
ual trepidancy-an excessive nervous
agitation.
His action was alternately vivacious
and sullen. His voice varied rapidly
from tremulous indecision (when the
animal spirits seemed utterly in abey-
ance) to that species of energetic con-
cision-that abrupt. weighty. unhurried
and hollow sounding enunciation: that
leaden. self balanced and perfectly
modulated cultural utterance. which
may be observed in the lost drunkard
or the irreclaimable eater of opium,
during the periods Of his most intense
excitement.
1t was thus that he spoke Of the OBJ
ject of my visit. of his earnest desire
to see me and Of the solace he expect
ed me to afford him. He entered at
some length into what he conceived t.
be the nature of his malady. It dis
played itself in host Of unnatural
sensations. He suffered much from 8
morbid acuteness of the senses: the
most insipid food. was alone endurable:
he could wear only garments Of GER
tain texture: the odors Of all flowers
were oppressive: his eyes were tortur-
ed by even a faint light. and there
were but peculiar sounds and these
from stringed Instruments which did
not inspire him with horror
To an anomalous species Of terror
found him a bounden slave. II shall!
perish said he. II must perish in
this deplorable' folly. Thus, thus. and
mot otherwise. shall be lost. dread