The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-12-22

I'd, called him when Z got tired Of calling
you. not expecting - 80. him. bus merely 70
by q strange hsayinese. owing to the pestifer-
oue smell In the vault-"
: .Ahl that was at,p remarked the magician.
S whsh death
to all that have the misfortune to DO Mtn'I
reach Of them. Bet what h strange-wnat
msure will surprise you, is this iactma' sTe
calling for Alexander, although not expec.ing
him to hear You, yet he was actually tnere "a
the time, and he mnst have heard Sou' anu
yet would not answer you.'
How know You thatf" asked SeAm, so"e-
what sDspiciously.
II wili tell you and prove it to you, replied
could to the cave. At first could not enter,
from the horrid smoke that kept rolling out
from it. At last ventured in, and there
you lying m su ON ' noon you
your heart, that iiie7 still animated you. Old
man as am had strength enough to drag
you away, along the ground, and lf-as nao
not strength to carry you-you feel an ashlne
in your head limbs from the stones met
with in my passage, you musS Iorsve no - .us
the unintentional injuries inflicted nPen Sot,
as my great desire was to save your life"S
81 thank you," said Selim, as WITH . WY
face he rubbed his head and then ms SINUS.
The old man smiled o bitter malignaht smne,
as he continued: With difficulty was able
by Others / have drenched you with colo
| water-I have tried to torture you into reani7,
nation: you will pardon me, 1 am sure, Us
desired to preserve your precious iile. - -
am bound to be ever grateful TO you,
said Selim, he felt himself bruised from
head to foot, like man who had been Deaten
"All was in van," added the old man with q
diabolical grin land at last it occurred to me
my power to employ. and which would infuee
animation into the dying, aud that was to
place your scalding cheek, filled as 1t is VIII
FIRE, in direct contact with tho frost-hardenea
earth. That have tried, and that it succeed
ed to admiration you yourself ut th's momen'
~Seiim could only reply by a yell of intense
"Bsttsr to suffer little pain in thisaife than
! to be dead forever" observed the magician.
Better the pain You are enduring, than We
through the blood Of the doomed Danish Prince
Swein, to the topaz palaces and saffron mea-
dows in which you so firmly believe"
side to side in pain. "But tell me-" he added.
his syarice being stronger than any other pas
sion that possessed him-stronger even than
bodily know y9 tps sna ss wns and
that he must have heard me, and yet would
not answer met Why should he have so acted
tow ards me =" said 'Selim, in voice which
ehoved how deeply interested he was in the
!" Because, at the very time you were calling
him, he must have been robbing me-"
Robbing your cried Selim, bounding up
into q sitting posture, and starieg wildly At
the old n,ans"Robbing you! Of what could
he possibly be robbing you ~
"-Of some diamonds and o few rubies," an
swered the old man.
Diamonds and rubiesw exclaimed Selim,
his eyes glistening at the very mention OF such
precious stonee. And have you really dia-
"I have" answered the magician, with
abont thirty topases and one hundred and
20 Diamonds, rubies, topszes, and ono hum
dred and forty amethvste,a repeated selin, for
getting for the moment his bodily suffering, as
his thoughts glosted over such precious store
of jewelry. ..a.. -sa -'
"Yes,n continued the old man, these are the
savings of long life of thrift and care and
hardship. These are tho only solace of my old
age these have been the only things in which
father; these and revenge have been the only
objects that have made existence sweet to me.
Revenge on ali who aided in that fathers
death revenge on them and on all in whose hos
dipped their hands in his blood. That has
| been the occupation of my life; bnt the con,
temptation of these Precious stones has formed
what wine, what luxury, what home, what
family, what wife, what children are to other
men. Whilst living, / have loved to look on
purchase o principality, and yet prefer their
possession to worldly honors, rank and digni-
ties Living, it is my delight-ny sole delight
my joy-my only joy:-to gloat over their
radiance-to hold within my grasp things SO
small, and yet Of such inestimable value; for
my diamonds-I am good judge of them-are
of the purest water; my rubes flame with q
light that seems borrowed from the clouds that
receive the last rich rays of the snnmers setting
are as intensely blue as the
large and 80 dazzling that they look like dia-
monds that had grown mp amid banks Of vel
of my life, and which, when 1 feel myself
dying, mean to bury whore no human eye
shall again look upon them-these-aye, oven
these-the old mans emily poor little innocent
luxury in life, Alexander the Greek wac rob-
bling me of-his hand was filled with them
when he heard your voice, and yet would not
answer."
"How know you that How know you
that ~ said Selim, his eyes starting with anx-
iety, % the old mans description Of his jewel
~ in famed his Imagination.
III know il, and will prove it," replied The
old man. Alexander heard you CALL and did
not answer you, because he was conscious that
If you found him as he WAS robbing me of all
those precious stones, you would have insisted
on his not appropriatiDR them to his own use