Sharp County record., 1881-03-03

The Countess remained dumb.
Hermann threw himself at her feet.
at your heart be human, if you have
everloyed, [ implore you to tell me this
secret! BY all that is holy in this
world or the next, beseech you to tell
it mer'
The Countess remained dumb.
"Stay-perhaps some awful sin
stains your soul. Perhaps you
have some compact with demons
to obtain this secret If so, bethink
you-you have not many years to live.
| am ready to assume with the secret
all its pains-ready to take upon my
soul all its sins. Speak-speak, l i'm
plore you!"
The Countess remained dumb.
Crashing his teeth, Hermann leaped
to his feet.
Course you, old hagm he cried,
drawing a pistol from his breast, ''Speak
you shall or dier'
For the second time the features of
the Countess displayed some emotion.
Her aged head trcmbled-she extended
her hands feebly, as if to ward off the
weapon-she fell back in her chair.
Enough of this" cried Hermann,
brutally cIutching her arm, for the
last time-will you speak or no?"
The arm felt strangely limp and life
less in his grasp. He approached and
examined her face by the light of the
fading fire. A look of naughty deter
mination was upon the withered face,
but the eyes were dim. Anna, Countess
of Fedotovna, was cold and dead.
Three days after this scene the obse-
quies of the Countess were celebrated
in the cathedral of VaSilf Blazhennoi.
Hermann entered the church. AL
though he felt no remorse, he could not
deny to himself that he was her as
sassin. Faith he had none-supersti-
ton had forced him there. He fancied
that the dead woman would exercise q
malign influence over his life if he did
not appease her spirit by assisting at
the funeral.
The cathedral was crowded. The
body lay upon an imposing catafalque,
under velvet canopy. Around the
bier were gathered the three genera
tions of her family. No one wept-
tears would have been considered an
afectation. The Countess was so old
that her death had long been regarded
as probable at any moment.
After the funeral Grafton the relatives
and friends deiled slowly around the
bier to look upon the features Of the
dead woman. Hermann also advanced.
He reached the catafalque, mounted its
steps, and bent over the coffin. He re-
coiIed with a stiAed cry. He fancied
he had seen movement of the eyes of
the corpse, and a mocking smile play
over its cold lips.
All the rest of the day he felt a most
extraordinary uneasiness. At the res
taurant where he took his solitary din
ner he drank deeply, contrary to his
habit, in the hope of shaking Off the
gloom that oppressed him. 1t was all
in vain. The wine only inhamed his
imagination, and gave new activity to
his working brain. He walked the
streets of the city until he was ex-
hausted, and then returned to his quar-
ters. He threw himself upon the bed,
fully dressed, and in q few minutes a
leaden slumber fell upon him.
When he woke flood of moonlight
streamed from the window to his bed.
He looked at his watch. 1t was half
past three. He could sleep no longer.
He began to think of his failure to OBJ
tain the secret, and of the escape of the
old Countess to the other world, bearing
her secret with her.
Suddenly he looked up. He thought
the door was moving. Could it be his
servant? No, not at that hour. The
door slowly opened, andhe could dimly
distinguish in the background Of dark
ness figure in white The figure ad-
vanced toward him with agliding mo-
ton. Itreached the yellow line of moon
light. Hermann's hair rose upon his
head. 1t was the Countess!
81 come against my WILL the appa-
rition said slowly, " but by your will it
is that | am forced to come. Three,
seven, ace, played one after the other;
these are the cards. Farewelln'
The figure glided towards the door.
As it reached the threshold it turned,
and Hermann fancied he could discern
in the darkness it's mocking smile.
"Three, seven, acer' Three, seven,
ace! This was the secret. The words
were branded on Hermann's brain; he
could think of nothing else, he could
dream of nothing else. The cards ap-
peared in amyriad of mystic forms. He
saw vast forests, whose nodding branch
es wove themselves into threes. Mighty
cities reared themselves before him,
whose Gothic gates were strangely like
to sevens. Monstrous aces dangled
from the skies, like spider-webs. The
clock ticked :" Three, seven, ace"
There was at Moscow famous faro
bank, frequented only by the rich. The
bankers name was Tchekalinski. His
life had been passed at play, and he had
amassed an immense fortune. His
magnificent house, his excellent wines,
his elegant manners, had succeeded in
attracting to his doors the fashionable
youth of Moscow. They deserted the
ballroom for the gambling-hell; they
neglected the smiles of beauty for those
of the tickle goddess, Fortune.
Naroumoff was in the habit of fire.