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

MI Madeline was no more. he stat
~ ed his intention of preserving
her corpse for fortnight. previously
to its final interment, in one of the
numerous vaults within the main
walls of the building. The brother
had been led to his resolution $50 he
told mel by consideration Of the un-
usual character of the malady of the
deceased, of certain obtrusive and
eager inquiries on the part of her medi-
cal man and of the remote and exposed
situation of the burial ground OF the
family. will not deny that when
called to mind the sinister countenance
of the person whom | met upon the
staircase on the day of my arrival at
the house | had no desire to oppose
what | regarded as. at best. but a
harmless and by no means an unnat-
ural precautiOn.
At the request of Usher, personally
aided him in the arrangements for the
temporary entombment. The body
having been encOffined, we two alone
bore it to its rest. The vault in which
we placed it was small. damp and
entirely without means of admission
for light, lying at great depth imme-
diately beneath that portion of the
building In which was my own sleep
| ing apartment. 1t had been used ap-
parently in remote feudal times for
the worst purposes OF a donjon keep
and in later days as place of deposit
| for powder or some other highly COM
| bustible substance, as portion OF its
floor and the whole interior of long
archway through which we reached II
were carefully sheated with copper
] The door, of massive iron. had been
| also similarly protected. Its immense
weight caused an unusually sharp
| grating sound as it moved upon its
| hinges.
Having deposited our mournful bur
den upon trestles within this region
of horror. we partially turned aside
, the vet unscrewed lid of the coffin and
looked upon the face of the tenant. A
striking similitude between the broth
er and sister now first arrested my at
tention, and Usher. divining perhaps
my thoughts. murmured out some few
words, from which I learned that the
deceased and himself had been twins
and that sympathies of scarcely in
telligible nature had always existed
between them. Our glances rested
not long upon the dead. for we could
not regard her unawed There was
IA faint blush upon the bosom and the
face. with that suspiciOusly lingering
smile upon the lip which is so terrible In
death. We replaced and screwed down
the lid and secured the door of iron.
And now. some days of bitter grief
having elapsed. an observable change
came over the features of the mental
disorder of my friend. His ordinary
manner had vanished His ordinary
occupations were neglected or forgot
ten. He roamed from chamber to
chamber with hurried. unequal and
objectless step. The pallor Of his coun-
tcnance had assumed II possible IA
more CHASTITY hue. but the luminous
ness of his eye had utterly gone out
The once occasional huskiness Of his
tone was heard no more. and "A tremu-
lOus quaver. as II of extreme terror.
habitually characterized his utterance.
felt creeping upon me by slow yet
certain degrees the wild influences of
his own fantastic yet impressive super.
stitiOns.
II was especially upon retiring Ia
he'd late in the night Of the seventh
ar eighth day after the placing Of the
Lady Madeline within the donjon that
experienced the full power OF such
feelings sleep came not near INV
rOuch. while the hours waned ami
waned away. | struggled to reason on
the nervousness which had dominion
over me. ! pndravOrrd Ia believe thai
much. II not MI OF what | felt, was
due to the bewildpring Influence Of IN,
gloomy furniture of the ro0m-Of th,
dark and tattered draperies which. tor
tmred into motion by the breath ~ y
rising tempest. swAyed fitfully 10 ana
fro upon the walls and rnsted unrus
fly about the decorations of the he'd
8ut my efforts We're fruitless. An H.
represSihle treInor gradually pervndef
my frame. aud al length there sat ann.