Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-07-28

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 a
vivacious warmth which had much In
1t, l ut first thought. Of an Overdone
cordiality-of the constrained effort Of
the ennuye man Of the world. A
glance. however. Mt his cOuntenance
convinced me of his perfect sincerity.
We sat down. and for some moments.
while he spoke not. gaZed upon him
with feeling half of pity. half OF
awe. Surely man had never before
so terribly altered IN so brief period
as had ROderick Usher. 1t was with
difficulty that | could bring myself to
admit the identity Of the one being
before Inc with the companion Of my
early boyhood Yet the character OF
his face had been ut all times remarka'
BILE. A cadaverousness Of complexion;
an eye large, liquid and luminous be-
yond comparisons; lips somewhat thin
and very pallid. but Of surprisingly
beautiful curve; a nose Of q delicate
Hebrew model. but with breadth OF
nostril unusual In similar formations:
a finely nodded chin. speaking in Its
want of prominence, Of want OF
moral energy; hair Of q more than
weblike softness and tenuity-these
features, with an. inordinats 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
miraculous 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 Its
wild gossamer texture it floated rather
than fell about the face could not.
even with effort, connect its Arabesque
expression with any idea OF simple hu-
manity.
In the manner Of my friend | was
at once struck with an incoherence-
m inconsistency. and soon found this
to arise from n series Of feeble and
futile struggles to overcome an habit
nul trepidancy-an excessive nervous
agitation.
His action was alternately vivacious
and sullen. His voice varied rapidly
from a tremulOus indecision twhen the
animal spirits seemed utterly In aDey'
ance) to that species of energetic con
cision-that abrupt. weighty. unhurried
and hollow sounding enunciation: that
leaden. self balanced and perfectly
moduated cultural utterance, which
may be observed IN the lost drunkard
or the irreclaimable eater of opium.
during the periods Of his most intense
excitement.
It 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 TO
be the nature Of his malady. 1t dis
played itself in a host Of unnatural
sensations. He suffered much from
morbid acuteness of the senses; the
most insipid food was alone endurable;
he could wear only garments Of cer-
tain texture: the odors Of all flowers
were oppressive: bis 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 l
found him a bounden slave. u shall
perish" said he. II must perish in
this deplorable folly. Thus. thus, and
not otherwise. shall I be lost. | dread
the events of the future. not In them
selves, but in their results. l shudder
at the thought Of any, even the most
trivial incident. which may operate
upon this intolerable agitation Of soul.
have indeed no adherence of danger
except in Its absolute efrect-in terror.
In this unnerved. in this pitiable condi-
ton, l fee! that the period will sooner
or later arrive when must abandon
life and reason together In some strug'
gle with the grim phantasm-fear."
learned. moreover. at Intervals
and through broken and equivocal
hints, that he was enchained by certain
superstitious Impressions In regard to
the dwelling which he tenanted and
whence, for many years. he had never
ventured forth.
He admitted. however. although
with hesitation. that much OF the Pc
culiar gloom which thus afflicted him
could be traced to more natural and
far more palpable origin. to the severe
and long continued illness-indeed. to
the evidently approaching dissolution
Of q tenderly beloved sister. his sole
companion for long years. his last and
only relative on earth. "Her decease.
he said with a bitterness which can
never forget. would leave him-him
the hopeless and the frail-the las: OF
| the ancient race Of the Ushers." While
he spoke the Lady Madeline-for SC
she was called. passed slowly through
II remote portion Of the apartment. and
without having noticed my presence
disappeared regarded her with IN
utter establishment not unmingled will
dread, and yet found 1t impossible
to account for such feelings. A sensa
ton of stupor oppressed me. as my
eyes followed her retreating steps.
The disease Of the Lady Madeline hat
long batfied the skill Of her physicians
| A settled apathy. gradual wasting
away Of the person and frequent al
though transient affections of par
tally cataleptical character. were the
unusual diagnoses. Hitherto she had
steadily borne up against the pressure
Of her malady. and had not betaker
herself finally to bed; but on the clos
Ing in of the evening Of my arriva
ut the house, she suecumbed (as bel
brother told me at night with mex
pressible agitation) to the prostratini
power Of the destroyer, and l Learned