The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1914-08-26


ing i'm front, made its way down the
wall in a zgzag direction until it be-
came lost in the sullen waters Of the
tarn.
Noticing these things, rode over a
short causeway to the house serv-
ant in waiting took my horse. and ]
entered the Gothic archway of the
hall. \ 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 a staircase | met the physi-
clan of the family. His countenance.
/ 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 | 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
inaccessible from within. Feeble
CLEANS Of encrmsoned light made
their way through the trellised panes
and served to render sufficiently dis
tinct the more prominent objects
around. | felt that ! 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 an Overdone
cordiality-of the constrained effort of
the ennuye man of the world.
! glance. however. at his countenance
| convinced me % 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 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 surprisingly
beautiful curve; nose OF delicate
! Hebrew model. but with a breadth of
nostril unusual in similar formations;
a finely nodded chin, speaking In It's
| want Of prominence, of want or
moral energy; hair of a more than
weblike softness and tenuity-these
features. with an inordinate expan-
sion above the regions of the temple
made up altogether a cOuntenance not
easily to be forgotten. The now ghast'
ly 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 rathel
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--
an inconsistency. and | soon found this
10 arise from series of feeble anu
futile struggles to overcome an haDt
ua trepidancy-an excessive nervous
agitation.
His action was alternately vivacious
and sullen. His voice varied rapidly
from a tremulous indecision (when the
animal spirits seemed utterly in abey
ancel TO that species of energetic con
cisiOn-that abrupt. weighty, unhurrleu
and hollow sounding enunciation: that
Ieaden. self balanced and perfectly
modulated cultural utterance. which
may be observed in the lost drum khrd
or the irreclaimable eater Of opium
during the periods Of his most intense
excitement
II was thus that he spoke OF the OBJ
ject of my visit, OF his earnest desire
70 see me and OF the solace he expect
ed me to afford him. He entered al
some length into what he conceived q
be the nature Of his malady. II dis
played itself in a host OF unnatura
sensations. He suffered much from
morbid acuteness OF the senses; the
most insipid food was alone enduraole
he could wear only garments OF Ger
tain texture; the odors Of all flowers
were oppressive; his eyes were tortur
ed by even faint light. and there
were but peculiar sounds and thes'
from stringed instruments which die
not inspire him with horror.
To an anomalous species of terror
found him bounden slave, Il shall
perish" said he. II must perish In
this deplOrabIe folly. Thus. thus. and
NOT otherwise. shall I he lost I dread