Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-01-18
- througb, ring the little bell you will find

door showed our OLD TREND IN, and then
hastily but safely closed it, and was gone.
Nov comes the singular part of our story.
No sooner did the priest find that the door
was closed, than he hastily slipped the hand
kerchief off, and attempted to gaze around,
but the effect Of the light was so powerful
for few seconds that he was compelled to
cover them again out of sheer pain. Grad
ually, however, his eyes became accustomed
to the natural light, and they opened wide
indeed with surprise when they beheld the
splendor Of the apartment he was IN. The
furniture and decorations were Of the most
superb and costly kind, while the most re-
fined taste and scrupulous care was mani
tested in the order and arrangement of each
and every article. Presently his gaze turned
/ to part of the room he had not yet exam
ined, and as he naturally enough supposed,
There stood splendid ebony bedstead,
inlaid with pearl, and covered with coun-
terpane of white silk of the most elaborate
manufacture, beneath which, between sheets
of the finest linen, with head bolstered up
with pillows Of down, reclined the form of
as fair creature as had ever delighted the
old mans gaze.
She bent upon him long and pensive
glance, which appealed at once to the old
prelate's heart, but finding at length, that
she did not intend to speak first, he lightly
approached her side, saying in subdued
! tones
"Madam, I am the priest, come to confess
you, and give you absolution, through the
mercy of Jesus Christ, and his apostle Pc
ter. Madam, are you ready-but," continued
he while bending upon her look of min
/ gled surprise and penetration-fibnt you
| surely are not going to die, it must be mis-
| take-you still bear the bloom Of health in
your cheek, your eyes still glisten-and now
/ you smile as never smiled being on deaths
! bed before"
"And yet, father replied she in the bed,
''and yet | am even now on the very verge
of the grave! :
"Impossible! I have beheld hundreds
on the verge of the grave, but never before
one like you. Why, your voice, madam, SO
sweet and clear, so strong, bellies the sup
position"
"And yet my words are true"
"Ah!" muttered our old friend to him
self, while smile of qualification for an
instant illumined his counterance-"doubt-
lessly, she is hypochondriac. she is fit
object for the physician, but not for the
priest" Then turning to her he continued
aloud
Madam, is it your determination that 1
shall confess your"
"Such is my resolve, father, though heav-
en- and my conscience know | have but little
to confess-let the world say what it may
father, / see by your look of surprise-your
kindly solicitude, that-that you--oh you
are not--are YOUR
"Not what, daughter--not WHAT" and
the padre began to look slightly alarmed.
"Yes--yes, / am certain you are not an
accomplice of-of my kinsman f"
"Accomplice
"Yes--yes, you know nothing of this-you
are not an accomplish"
Madam, you mystify me very much
your mind is evidently disordered-I must
depart-this is no place for me - and he
started towards the bell.
ooh, no, no. In the name Of heaven
implore you-stay. If you have any mercy
do not ring that bell do not leave me y
Madam, your manner is most incompre
hensible What do you mean? am led
to believe you mad and yet your manner
and language is rational"
chad Mon Dieu I wonder that am
not. No, no, | am not mad but father,
swear to me that you are not an accomplish
of my kinsman."
Itmust be understood that all this dialogue
was carried on in q low, subdued voice, not
much above q whisper, though excited and
animated in the extreme; and it was as much
with the design of assuming more easy
postion-for he had been bending over the
bed all this while-as it was to enable him
to hear better, that the prelate softly drew
chair to her side, and seated himself, while
saying:
"Daughter, there is evidently some mys-
terry here, and would fathom it. Now, IN
the first place, who is this kinsman you
speak of ? he wearing the cloak! Speak,
and fear not" ..,.
"Yes-yes, tits he"
"Well, am no accomplish of his"
ooh, do you speak truly ?" and she bent
upon him glance of such deep supplication
that his heart was touched
Daughter, believe me. My words are
the words of truth -
ooh! God, / thank thee! Father, can
you save me? See, am young--too young
| die"
"Willingly, if it is in my power; but you
forget, l am perfectly ignorant of your
situation. Now, if you'd be more plain
more explicit"
81 will-you shall know all-look!" Up
! to this time, it should be remembered, she
had remained closely covered up to the neck
by the counterpane; but now, as she spoke,
she violently threw the cover from her but
half-robed person and bare arms, one Of
which she then held up to his startled gaze,
pointing the while, with the trembling hand
Of the other, to blood-dyed bandage that
encircled it, just above the elbow.
"Look! Do you see that, father? From
that wound my precious life is to pour out
by that means l am TO die"
"Are you frantic, woman? What do you
mean 20
Listen l--disturb me not and you shall
hear all: You will doubtlessly judge by
all this splendor you see in these apart
ments, that am one of the so-called royal
lists, or nobility of France, recalled by an
edict of the present Emperor Napoleon-and
rightly, too, for / am-further, you are
aware, that there have lately been several
attempts made by our party to assassinate
the emperor, or, at least, such is the report !?
Also, that it is suspected, that even at this
moment, there are several secret societies of
eonspirators now plotting for the same OBJ
ject? Well, it is because | CHANGED to dis
cover the dastardly purposes of one of these
despicable cliques, and betrayed that know
ledge to the proper source, that am now
doomed to suffe this DEATH"
"Oh, impossible
'Nay, say not so, father, for such is the
truth"
q But, how then is it possible that you
have been prevailed upon to betray your
people, and your own interest so much y
and the old man looked increduious.