The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-07-22

uOOli Dub COulu nut LIS ldtdl pOlSOU
had already paralyzed my limbs, ana l
Reflect, Salvatore he exclaimed,
earnestly. "With long life yet left
before YOU, there is time to forget
Pauline and seek happiness elsewhere.
With death all human things cease to
be. But little time is left you to decide.
1t was ten o'clock when you drank the
wine. 1t is now five minutes past the
hour. In twenty-five minutes you
will cease to breathe
"He drew out his watch and placed it
on the table. 1t lay in a patch of the
blood-red light from the window. /
glanced at it vaguely, and saw that its
hands marked five minutes past ten. /
watched it while the slender bars OF
steel moved over five minutes more o
my life, and then gazed UP at my de-
stroyer's face. 1t had faded to the col or
of ashes, and his ewes met mine with a
look of horror. Vile as he was he could
not see me die unmoved.
Salvatoren he cried, ten minutes
past ten
Il smiled at him in triumph. With
the abyss of the hereafter yawning at
feet my soul was calmer than his. There
was dead silence in the room, broken
only by the soughing of the wind
through the vines at the window. The
poison seemed to be benumbing my
senses. Through mist that beclouded
my eyes l saw A Hgelo's face growing
ghastlier ever moment, and the watch
lying in the blo0d-red stain. I heard
him cry out again in piercing accent,
Salvatore, fifteen minutes past ten.
Then l sank into partial unconscious
ness"
"Once again heard Angeles voice as
in q dream: Salvatore, twenty minutes
past ten.'
"Then there seemed to be sudden
confusion and a shrill outcry from
women's voices. In hazy way saw
the Catalonian servant enter the room,
followed by Pauline. / heard her voice
in wild entreaty. / saw her kneeling at
Angeles feet, and / saw his pale face
bent over her in awful emotion. Then
an arm was passed about my neck and
glass put to my lips. In a few nom ents
more l recovered my senses and looked
about me. The first object that saw
was the watch marking twenty-eight
minutes past ten. The next was my be-
trothed wife kneeling beside me.
go Thank God, you are safe!' cried
Pauline. Your cousin Angelo has
saved your life as he did mine. May
heaven reward him.
Il glanced at Angelo and our eyes
met.
Yes I muttered, may heaven re-
ward him.
"Pauline,' said Angelo, in a low,
hoarse voice, leave US together for q
moment. He will recover, l swear to
you. Go, have only word to say to
him.
"When they had left the room he ap-
preached me, and looking at me for a
moment in silence:
Salvatore said he, with q writh-
ing lip, I have lost my game-lost it
through my love. The Eatalonian sus.
pected more than I told her. Her con-
science smotc her and she hastened to
inform Pauline of her suspicious.
Pauline knows nothing of the truth.
She believes that she has wronged me,
that you were taken suddenly i'll, and
that saved your life. I thought my
self invincible. | was, to all but her
voice. I loved her too we'll to deny her
even my own chances of winning her
Can you respect such lovep Can you
balance it against your hate of me, and
let what has passed be buried forever
from her know ledge? Salvatore the
mans voice trembled and his eye grew
dim, what I carry in my own heart
will revenge you amply; will you lei
ner keep her respect for meP"
His misery melted every sterner
feeling of my heart.
Angelo, said, with emotion, she
shall never know the truth
"'Thank you,' he muttered, wringing
my hand. You deserve the happiness
which is in store for you
with these words he left the room.
On the next day he disappeared from
the city and was never heard of again.
This, signor, is the history of the
halfhour. The poison left no trace
upon me, except this white hair. My
wife believes that some sudden strange
illness caused it. To me it is the re-
membrance of the most mournful and
most terrible period of my life."