Year: 1869




YIELDING to a miserable habit had ru.
ined me. It had blasted my prospects,
destroyed my business, alienated my
friends, and brought me down to the low
est point of existence. The habit had al
together overcome me In vain / strug-
gled against it. The imploring looks and
words of my wife; the sight of my wan
faced and emaciated children turning
their eyes to me, the author at once of
their being and of their misery the spec.
tacle Of the proud home and broad lands,
once mine, but now in the hands of stran-
gers--all these, which might well have
stung to madness or driven to despair a
less degraded being, reached me not, nor
affected me in the depth of my degrada-
tion. l had reached point at which no
motive that might be urged could any
longer affect me.


One evening was sitting in my miser-
able home. The children were asleep in
bed. They had cried themselves to sleep
in hunger. My wife sat opposite to me
on the other side of the wretched fire.
place stitching some rags of clothing.
was sullen and silent.


AT last l felt craving for the stimulus
that now was necessary to my life. Ris-
ing, walked to tlfe cupboard where it
was kept. My wife knew we'll my inten-
tion. She followed me with her eyes.


l went there desperate and careless
only eager for the qualification of my ap-
petite.


1 reached forth my hands, tremblingly
seized the bottle, and was about raising 1t
to my lips.


But at that very instant, Just as the
bottle touched my lips, l felt terrible
sensation. II was as though some one had
grasped my throat.


"Wife I" cried, In deep, fierce voice.
"Hagl do you dare ?" and turning, with
clenched fist, l struck at what supposed
was my wife. For l thought thatshe was
trying in this violent way in desperation
to keep me from drink.


But to my surprise saw my wife sitting
by the fire. place with her work in her
hand, looking at me in wonder.


1t could not have been her evidently.


A terrible feeling passed through me.
Shudderingly raised my hand to feel
what it was that was at my throat, or if
there was any thing there at all, which
seemed to be grasping me so tightly.


Horror of horrors!


AS raised my hand felt the unmis-
takable outline of bony thumb and bony
fingers pressed against my flesh. 1t was a
skeleton hand that clutched me by the
throat


My band fell down powerless by my
side; the bottle crashed on the floor. My
Childen awoke at the noise, and wife and
children all stared at me with white faces.
There /, trembling in every limb, stood
transfixed with terror, the awful feeling of
the supernatural now fully possessing me.
Unable to speak, l gasped with fear. |
drew away my body, but my head was
still held by the same dread and invisible
power. l could not move that


Unspeakable horror filed me. None
but those who have experienced some
thing like this know what it is to have
such feelings. The body seems paralyzed,
while the mind seems to be endowed with
extraordinary activity, and thus possesses
new capacities for suffering.


But at last l felt the grasp relax. /
staggered back, the grasp ceased alto
gether, and drew off to another corner
of the room, endeavoring to go as far as
possible from the place where this mystic
rious thing had seized me.


Soon my wife and children turned
away. the former to work, the latter to
sleep. They knew not what it was that
had affected me, but concluded that it was
some pain arising from sickness or sudden
faintness. did not speak word, but re-
sumed my former seat.


And now, gradually, my craving re-
turned. Yet how could | satisfy itS My
bottle was broken. 1t lay in fragments
on the floor. All my liquor was gone
What was to do? The craving became
irresistible. had to yield.


So took my hat, fumbled in my pock.
cts and found few cents, and taking an
old bottle that lay in corner, went
forth in the darkness. 1t was not without
some feeling of trep'dation that entered
the dark passage-way. Fear lest the same
Thing of Horror might return agitated
me- But l passed on unframed, and
reached my old resort, where laid my
bottle on the counter. The CLERK soon
filed it. With an irresistible impulse
clutched the bottle and rushed forth to
drink the liquor.


/ hurried off for little distance and
came to the head of wharf Here, un
able any longer to resist my craving,
pulled out the cork 80 as to drink.


1t was very dark. No one was near me
In the distance arose the low hum of the
city; out in the harbor might be hearG
the noise of sailors and boatmen. haG
a general idea of this as l stood there
though all my thoughts were concentrated
on the bottle. AT last raised it to my
mouth.


Scarce had the bottle touched my lip
when again experienced that terrible
feeling


My throat was seized this time NOR
violently, more fiercely, as if by SOM
power which had already warned me, an(
was enraged at having to repeat the warn
ing. My throat was compressed painfully
in that fierce grippe there was anger in ii
A thrill of horror again shot tbrough me
Again the bottle fell from my tremblinI
hands and was crushed to fragments upol
the stone pavement


Again / raised my hands to my throat
though in deadly Gear; but the motion
was mechanical--a natural and involun
tary effort to tear away the thing that hai
seized my throat--to free myself from tn
pain and horror of that mysterious grasp
Again then raised my hands, and agail
/ felt there under my touch, plainly anG
unmistakably, the long, hard, bony han'
which | had felt before. One touch wa
enough. My hands fell down, tried h
shrek, but In vain. l gasped for breath
and thought that would be suffocated.


But at length the grasp slowly and un
willingly relaxed breathed NOR
freely. At length the touch was no longe
felt


Ipaced the streets for long time. A
first every vestige Of my appetite had beei
driven away by the horror OF that mo
ment As time passed It began to return
Once more l felt the craving. True tn
Tear OF another attack was strong, aud tol