Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-16
WORLD FAMOUS STORIES
By EDGAR ALLAN POE
S II A ID o W

Edgar Allan Poe was an American poet.
story writer and editor. To ment,on hts
poem. The RsVen or such , stories ': as The
Gold Bug. Fall of thn House Of Usher
etc. He was particularly adept at creating
illusions of gloom and hofror.t
Ye who read are still among the liv-
ing; but I who write shall have long
since gone my way into the region OF
shadows. For. indeed. strange things
shall happen. and secret things be
known, and many centuries shall pass
away, ere these memorials be seen OF
men. And, when seen. there win be
and yet a few who will find much TO
ponder upon In the characters here
craven with a stylus OF iron.
The year had been a year of terror,
and Of feeling more intense than ter
ror, for which there is no name upon
the earth, For many prodigies and
signs had taken place, and far and
wide, over sea and land. the black
wings Of the Pestilencc were spread
abroad. To those. nevertheless. cum
ming In the stars. II was not unknown
that the heavens wore an aspect OF
III: and TO me. the Greek Oinos. among
others, 1t was evident that now had
arrived the alienation OF that 794th
year, when. at the entrance OF Aries.
the planet Jupiter Is contoinrd with
the red wing OF the terrible Saturn.
The peculiar spirit u the skies. II !
mistake not greatly. made itself mani
fest. not only in the physical orb OF
the earth but in the souls. imaglna-
lions, and meditations OF mankind.
Over some TASKS OF red Chan wine,
within the walls OF noble hall. In
q dim city called Ptolemai3. We sat. at
night. a company OF seven. And to
our chamber there was no entrance
save by a lofty door OF brass. and the
door was fashioned By the artisan
Corinnos. and. being OF rare workman
ship. was fastened from within. Black
draperies. likewise. in the gloomy
room. shut out from our view the
moon. the lurid stars. and the people
less streets--but the boding and the
memory OF Evil they would not be
50 excluded.
There were things around us and
abokt of which ! can render no dis
tinct account-~things material and
spiritual-heavines in the atmos-
phere-a sense Of sufYocation--anx!ety
and. above all. that terrible state
OF existence which the nervous expert
ence when the senses are keenly living
and awake, and meanwhile the powers
Of thought lie dormant,
A dead weight hung upon us. 1t
hung upon our llmbs-~upon the house.
hold furniture-~upon the gobiets from
which we drank. and all things were
depressed, and borne down thereby
all things save only the flames OF the
seven iron lamps which illum!ned our
reyei. Uprearing themselves In tall
slender lines OF light. they thus re-
manned burning all pallid and notion
less end IN the mirror which their
luster formed upon the round table Of
ebony at which we sat. each Of us
there assembled beheld the pallor OF
his own countenance. and the unquiet
glare In the downcast eyes Of hts COM
panions. Yet we laughed aud were
merry In Our proper way~~which was
hysterical: and sang the songs OF
Anacreon (which are madness. and
drank deepiy--although the purple
wine reminded las Of blood. For there
was yet another tenant OF our cham
Der In the person OF young Zoilus.
Dead. and at full length he lay.
enshrouded~~the genius and the demon
Of the scene. Alas lie bore no
portion In our mirth. save that his
c0untenanee. distorted with the plague
and his eyes In which Death had but
extingnished the fire VI the pestilence
seemed 10 take such interest In our
merfiment as the dead may hnpiy take
In the msTiment VI those who are 10
die
But though !. Oinos, felt that the