, 1881-01-14

pieces. laughed the stranger. LOOK
heIer and from doublet that did not
seem big enough to hold half the money,
lac drew forth q purse that certainly
held 1000.
The night had closed in and the arch
itcct was desperate, If money cannot
tc pit you money shall force you;' and,
spriuging toward the stranger, he
pluckcd dagger from his girdle and
held its point close 70 the breast Of the
mysterious draughtsman in the attitude
to strike. In moment his wrists We're
pinoned as with the grasp of vice, and
squeezed until he dropped his weapon,
and shrieked with agony. Falling on
the sands, he writhed like an eel upon
the tisherman's hook, and plunged and
struggled in vain. When nearly faint
ing he found himself thrown helpless on
the very brink of the stream.
There, revive and be reasonable.
Le,nn that gold and steel have no power
over me. You want my cathedral, for it
would bring you honor, fame and profit,
and you can have it if you choose
How? Tell me how
"By signing this parchment with your
blood"
"Avaunt, fend" shrieked the archi-
tect I'm the name Of the Savior / bid
thee be gone" And so saying, he made
the sign of the cross, and the Evil One
(for it was he) was forced to vanish be.
fore the holy symbol. He made time,
however, to mutter, You'll come for the
plan at midnight tomorrow.
The artist staggered home, half dead
with contending passions, and mutter-
ing, "Sell my soul, tomorrow at mid
night" "honor and fame" and other
words, which told the inward struggle
going forward in his soul. When he
reached his lodgings he met the only
servant he had going out wrapped in her
cloak.
"And where are you going so late?'
asked her surprised master.
"To mass, for a soul in purgatory," "
was the reply.
"Oh, horror horror no mass will avail
me. To everlasting torments shall L be
doomedw
And, hurrying to his room, he cast
himself down in tears of remorse, irreso-
luton and despair. In this state his old
housekeeper discovered him on her re-
turn from her holy errand; and her soul
being full of charity and kindly religion
she begged to know what had caused such
grief, and spoke of patience in suffering
and pardon by repentance, Her words
fell upon the disordered ear Of the archi-
tect with heavenly comfort, and he told
her what had passed.
''Mercy me!' was her exclamation
"Tempted by the fiend himself so
strongly, toop' and so saying she left the
chamber without another word, and hur-
ried off to her confessor.
Now the confessor of Dame Elfrida
was the friend of the Abbot, and the
Abbot was the constant counselor of the
Archbishop, and so soon as the house,
keeper spoke of the wonderful plan he
told her he would soon see her master,
and went at once % his superior That
dignity Immediately pictured to himself
the hosts of pilgrims that would seek a
cathedral built with skill from such Won
derful sketches, and (hoping himself one
day to be Archbishop he hurried off to
the bewildered architect.
He found him still in bed, and listened
with surprise to the glowing account Of
the Demons plan.
Sand would it be equal to all this ?"
"It would"
"Could you build it,"
"I could"
"Would not pilgrims come to worship
in such Cathedral?"
''By thousands.
''Listen, my sonl Go at midnight to
the appointed spot; take the relic with
you," and so saying the Abbot gave him
holy morsel OF one of the Eleven
Thousand Virgins. agree to the terms
for the design you have so long desired,
and when you have got it and the Evil
One presents the parchment for your
signature, show this sacred bone"
After long ponderlng, the priests ad-
vice was taken, and in the gloom of
night the architect was seen tremblingly
hurrying to the place of meeting. True
to his time, the Fiend was there, and
with q smile complimented the artist on
his punctuality. Drawing from his
doublet two parchments, he opened one,
on which he traced the outlines of the
anu Iutl 'MLlIlCn
some mysterious character, and having a
yellow birthstone space left for sigma
ture.
"Let me examine what am to pay so
dearly for"
Most certainly" said the demon, with
a smile and bow that would have done
honor to the court of the Emperor.
Pressing it with one hand to his breast,
the architect with the other held up the
holy thumb bone and exclaimed,
"Avaunt, fend. In the name of the
Father and the Son and the Holy Vir-
gins of Cologne, bid thee, satan, at de-
tiancem
And he described the sign of the cross
directly against the devils face.
In an instant the smile and graceful
civiity were gone. With hideous grin
he approached the sacred miracles as
though lie would have strangled the pos
SCISSOR. and yelling with q sound that