Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1867-05-02

finger of one hand pressed to his
check, while his lips moved inaudi-
bly, ; but always with a covert eye
on Cyrilla, to see that she did not at
tempt to escape
" Strange, strange p he murmured.
No sooner did begin to advo-
cate that project, than | was set
down as madman and because |
would not forswear my ideas, they
shut me up with mad people me,
me p a.. ......
He burst into a fit Of laughter,
loud and shrill and then drawing
from one of his pockets small box
full of those acidulated drops of
which children are so fond, he placed
two or three of them on his tongue,
and swallow them like so many
pills and with that, he went and re-
sumed his seat close by Cyrilla.
at was while | was living among
the mad folks" he went ON, "that |
made the acquaintance of my friend
the Mandarin, a gentleman twelve
inches in height. Sometimes he would
come into my room through the key
hoie, sometimes down the chimney,or
as often as not he would hop in at the
open window, carrying his head un-
der his arm He used to perch him
self on my table, and sit and nod at
me by the hour together, and favor
me with his advice on every conceiv-
able subject, Oh, he was most
learned mandarin. 1t was he who
persuaded me to come to this place,
and kill you-and kill your husband.
And have sworn to do it There
was to be grand party tonight at
the place where | have been residing
for So many months. dressed for
it, of course, just to please the foolish
creatures-you know what strange
whims those poor crazy wretches
have sometimes-and in the confus-
ion | escaped See ! ! bought this
as | came along the handle is de-
signed after the antique, and pleased
me hugely"
AS he spoke, he drew from the
pocket of his dress coat slender
cased ponaird of dull blush steel, with
ID haft of bronze. Having extracted
it from its case, he proceeded to wipe
it carefully, almost tenderly, with his
cambria handkerchief; while Cyrilla,
coiled up in the easy-chair, watched
his every movement with bright,
quick-giancing eyes-the eyes of an
animal brought to bay-that nothing
escaped.
The little clock on the chimney
place chimed the quarter before mid
night.
when that clock strikes twelve,
Cyrilla Thornhurst, you will have lived
your life"
He spoke with the quiet, unhesita-
ting conviction of tone of one who
sees before him foregone conclusion,
from which it is impossible that he
can swerve in the slightest degree.
What have done to deserve so
terrible fate at your hands ?" burst
out Cyrilla
"You have wrecked the happiness
of my life," said the Italian-"wreck-
ed it utterly and irretrievably. That
| might have forgiven you but
have promised my friend the manda-
rin-for state reasons, which it would
be breach of confidence in me to
reveal-to kill you, to kill your hus-
band, and to kill your child. 1t is
sufficient to state that your lives are
required by the great Dog star, whose
hier0phant am. Ask me no further. |
The initiated would understand me
at once for there is a transcenden- |
talism in these matters which is as
the language Of Fl Fo Fun to those |
whose eyes have been anointed with |
grease from the Great Bear. Your |
time in this world is reduced to ten |
minutes and five seconds"
With the putting away of the pom |
lard for time, Cyrilla had taken her |
eyes off the Italian, and now sat with |
her chin sunk on her breast, and her
hands tightly clasped, brooding over
what she had just heard. To kill her
husband and her child . That would |
be thousand times worse than death |
to herself. Theodore might come any
minute Dow--come stepping jauntily
in through the French window, to be |
sp, ung upon by this mailman, and |
stabbed before my eyes. "If only |
could steady my mind to think" she
kept repeating to herself What was
it she had heard and read about the |
peculi .rities of mad people ! If she |
could only bring it to mind !
The Italian was watching her mar
rowly from under his bent brows.-I
Suddenl y, with that abruptness which |
marked all his movements, he got up,
and striding to the easel, flung back
the sheet with which it was covered |
He started at sight Of the picture $
but next moment, his poniard was
out, and the canvas stabbed through
in dozen different places. "Out
out cursed likeness of ialse-heart,
ed fiend " he exclaimed. "Oh, that
a soul so vile should lodge in a husk
so sweet |"
If she could ouly bring it to mind !
Ali at once, something seemed to
catch her breath, and she pressed her
hand to her heart for a moment, while
a strange expression crept over her
face, which subsided presently into
one of her sweetest smiles. Then she
half rose from the easy-chair, and
turned her large soft eyes full on the
young Italian. "Pietro mi0," she
said and there was world of mean
ing in her way Of saying those two
little words.
The dark frown vanished like a
| cl0nd from the face of the yOunp Ital-