Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-05-18

but Van Spreckdal appeared to pay. no al
tention to these details. y n-. : u zrl
Master venius,'' he resumed, 81 hav
come" E4st G.sl a- He5sss - 9y--5s H. -.
But at that moment his eyes were arreste,
by the unfinished sketch, and he stoned.
=" Are you the author of this sketch ?' h
asked after moments pause 80 .-F
"Yes, sir" ''s' G .E.ssasa et.
"What is the price of it ?'' s....,. ...
!" do not sell my sketches 1t is de
sign for picture"
:" All !" said he, and lifting the paper will
his long, yellow fingers, he took an eve glas,
from his waistcoat pocket, and began to stud,
it attentively. 3 The silence was so great tha
| heard distinctly the plantive buzzing of :
| fly caught in a spiders web. a, ~ - y. u
And what will be the dimensions of tn.
picture, Master Venius?" he said at length
without looking at me. ,..G .,-.. - -.
Three feet, by FOUR ... c...".. - .,.s,..:
6 And the price?'', N ~. lis -
"Fifty ducats." H. 49,. ,...r...1. .-,,.
Van Spreckdal laid the sketch down upon
the table, and drawing from his pocket 0
long purse of green silk, began to slip til,
rings along. Fifty ducats," he sad. ana
counting them out !" here they are.'' ...,.
lie rose, saluted me, and departed, while
sat.stupifed, listening to the clink of his ivory
headed cane upon the staircase. t u
When had recovered from my stupefac.
ton, sat down to finish my sketch. A few
strokes of the pencil, and it would be finished
But these few strokes were out ofmy power
The inspiration was over The, mysterious
murderer would not disengagc himself from
the convulsions of my brain. | tried again
and again. forced myself to draw bu,
the results were as discordant as figure Of
Raphael in a Dutch inn of Teniers.. -
At this moment, Rapp, according to his
praseworthy custom, opened the door with.
out knocking. His eyes fell upon the pile OF
ducats, and he shrieked - '...
Z" All, ah I have caught you, Monsieu,
painter! You pretended you had no MONEY =,
and he extended his crooked fingers with
that nervous trembling which the sight OF
gold always produces in miser, " ., ,.
"a Thc reinembrance of all the insults had
suffered from him, eXasterated me- With 4
single bound, seized him, and thrustinc hin,
over the threshold, hattened bis nose with
the door. The old miser sfirieked - - ~
my money! thief! robber! my money =
till every lodger IN the house ran out, asking,
"What is the matter?' opened the door
quickly, and with a single stroke Of the foot
sent Master Rapp rolling down the staircase.
THAT is the matter ! said and closing
my door, double locked it, while the shouts
Of laughter from the ,neighbors saluted the
old miser on his progress down stairs. q. ,' s..
The adventure had inspirited me, and |
resumed my work with some prospect of sue
cess; but an unaecustomed noise soon inter
rupted my labors. 1t was the click of arms,
and the tramp of men ascending the stair
case. A cold chill ran over me. Can have
broken that rascars neck? and are they
coming to seize me There was knock at
my door; and rough voice said - -:'.'..'. q
" In the name of the law, open!'' - -
l thought of escaping by the window over
the roofs; but a vertigo seized me at mere
glance at the dizzy height. Again the sum
mons came: ms ,.. s-
"Open, or we will break down the door "
l turned the key, and saw the Chief of
Police. III .., ..r ....
81 arrest you he said, and made a. sign to
two men, who seized me by the collar, while
the Others rummaged my garret. March r'
was the next order, and descended the stair
case, supported under each arm, like a con-
sumptive in his third stage Of illness. ~ ~, -.
They put me into a hackney coach. l
asked what had done, but they only ex-
changed significant smiles. Soon a deep
shadow cnveloped us !; the steps ofthc horses
resounded under a vault. We had entered
the prison. The jailor shut me up in a cell
:as TRANQUILITY as if he had been putting pair
of stockings in a drawer, thinking all the
time of something else. | looked around NY
cell. 1t had been. newly whitewashed, and
there was nothing upon the walls but rude
sketch ola gibbet drawn by my predecessor
The light came from an aperture nine or ten
feet from the floor, and the furniture consis-
ted of a heaprpf straw. sat down upon the
straw, with my hands around my knees, and
gave myself up to despair. / had Killed
Rapp. ( He had denounced me before dying.
should be hung as his murderer. / started
up, coughing as if the hempen crayat already
pressed my throat
Again the jailor appeared, and ordered me
to follow him. He conducted me through
long galleries to d sombrc hall, with benches
arranged in semicircle, opposite which on
an elevated seat, were two persons, with their
backs to the light, and their faces in shadow !;
but as one of them turned to his companion,
l recognized the aquiine profile of Van
Spreckdal. Beneath them, at low table,
was seated a clerk, tickling the tip of his ear
with the feather Of his quill. ~
"Christian VENUS" said Van. ,Spreckdal,
"wherc did you get this sketch:" showing
me my nocturnal work, of which they had
taken possession at the time Of my arrest
9 | am the author of it, t'A"aF5 a's"F7
There was long silcncct The clerk took
down my answer; and as listened to the
scratching of his pen, L wondered what that
had to do with the kick. L had given to Rapp.
ls" YOU are the author of. its'Ia said Van
Spreckdal; where did you get the subject"
d 1T is fancy sketch IA .g,g,,,f -,
.ea" You have not. copied the details any
where!i e,s g..li...l, i...s.'.t 20 49,
:" No, sir; have imagined them all =.
as And this woman" pursued the Judge,
I" who is murdered on the edge Of the well !;
have you imagined her also ?"'if9 Jas1'aio
"Undoubtedly.'' s ~ go IS" fst''.i''o
you have never seen her ?'' la1t 'ls
.lT Ncver.."iy heFhj jfls ~ tt& SIT
Van Spreckdal rose, as ifsindignant, then
seating himself, he appeared to consult his
colleague in low voice. Suddenly he said
to the jailor: s1sT nisgii sB2u4G42s MA
ql'' Take the prisoner to tho carriage We
are going to the Metxerstrasse.Yesi ,l ii
was placed in carriage with two police
men. One Of. them, on the, way, offered a