Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-03-11

Plaseovie, while the Count was struggling
| TO free himself.
yes" answered the real Octave mad
with love! Countess, you are decidedly
too beautiful-mueh too beautiful"
XI.
Two hours after this scene, and the false
Count received from the true a note sealed
| with Octave's seal, the unfortunate Olaf
having no other at his disposal 1t con-
tanned the following lines IN constrained
aud stiff characters, for Olaf was not &C.
customed to writjng with Ocsave's fingers ::
"To other than yourself this letter
would appear to come from the inhabitsnt
of madhouse, but you will understand
me- By an extraordinary and inexpliesble
combination of circumstances never before
conceived of since the world was made, |
find myself forced to do that which no
other man living has ever done. | am
writing to myself, and am addressing this
to a name which is mine-s name which
you have stolen from me at the same time
that you possessed yourself Of my identity.
OF what tiendish Vaccinations [ am the
victim, into what circle Of internal ilu-
sions have been drawn, | know not. I'm
questionably you understand it all. If
you are not a coward, my pistol or my
sword will wrench this secret from you on
the ground where every man, honorable or
dishonorable, answers all questions that
he is asked Tomorrow one OF us must
have ceased to see the light of heaven.
Large as is the universe, it is too narrow
for us both to exist in it. am resolved to
destroy my body, animated by your vile
spirit, or you shall kill yours in which my
indignant soul is imprisoned Do not a.
tempt to prove that I am mad. l shall
have the courage and the will to be per-
feetly sane and reasonable, and whenever
l may encounter you l shall insult you
with all the politeaess OF a well. bred man
of the world, all the Sanatroid of diplo-
mate. | hope these words, though some.
what obscure, may be perfectly clear to
you, and that your seconds will arrange
with mine the hour, place and conditions
OF meeting"
O,tave was terribly perplexed by this
note. He could not refuse the Counts
challenge, and yet ne recoiled from fight.
ing with himself, for he still retained a
tender regard for his cast-off envelope.
But the idea that the meeting might be
forced upon him by some insult in the
presence of others decided him to accept it,
though, if absolutely necessary, he could
place his adversary in strait lcket by
proving him insane, and thus arrest his
purposes of vengeance; but from this
measure he recoiled with horror Carried
away by the force Of an irresistible passion,
he had committed hideous crime in as
suming the disguise of husband. Never
theless, he was not absolutely destitute of
courage and honor.
Where should he look for seconds? Of
course among the friends of the Count, but
who were they? In the twenty four hours
OF his residence at Hotel Labinski he had
not become acquainted with them.
On the chimney stood large vase of
celadoa craqueLe of which the handles were
golden dragons. 1t contained visiting
cards, on which, under the crests of dukes,
marquises, and counts. were engraved in
old English, modern English. and round
hand list of names, Polish, Russian,
Hungarian, German, Italian and Spanish
indicative of the wandering life of the
Count, who had friends of every nation.
atty.
Without selecting, Octave took the two
he touched first Count Zamoicezki and
the Marquis de Seprelveda. He drove
Immediately to their hotels. Both were at
home. They showed no surprise at the
request Totally destitute of the mis-.
placed sensibility of bourgeois second,
they did not even ask if the affair could be
amicably arranged, preserving the silence
of good taste as to the cause of the quarrel,
like the well-bred men of the world that
they were.
On his side the real Count, or, if you
prefer to call him so, the false Octave, was
IN the same perplexity. Remembering AL
fred Humbert and Gustave Raimbaud, at
whose breakfast he had declined to assist,
he decided to call upon them on this occa-
sion. The two young men were no little
astonished to learn that the friend who had
hardly left his room for year was engaged
In duel, more especially as his disposition
was rather peaceful than quarrelsome :;
but, understanding it to be deadly quar-.
rel, the cause of which could not be dis.
closed, they made no objections, and in
stantly set out for Hotel Labinski.
All the arrangements were completed. A
| gold piece tossed IN the air settled the ques-
ton of arms, the adversaries having de.
clared that swords or pistols would suit
them equally. The meeting was to take
| place in the Bots de Boulogue at the next
morning.
Doctor Cherbonneau, to whom Octave
had written, appeared the next morning
with case Of surgical instruments and a
roll of bandages. They drove together,
NJ Zamoicezki and NJ de Seprelveds fol-
lowing in a coupe.
$50, then, my dear fellow" said the
doctor, "our little adventure has become a
tragedy, Ell? l ought to have left the
Count asleep in your body fortnight or
so, lying comfortably on my divan. have
frequently prolonged magnetic sleep be-
yond that time. But there really is no use
in studying among the brahmas and the
pundits Of India. One always forgets
something, and there are sure to be imper-
| fections and mistakes In the most carefully
laid plans. Bat tell me, how did the
Countess Plascovie receive her old lover in
his present disguise ?"
~ firmly believe" answered Octave,
"that she recognized me under the mask,
or she has a guardian angel, who whis-
pered in her ear that ! was not to be
trusted Her exquite subtle delicacy d.
vined the spirit of another under the dis
guise of her husbands beloved form"
"Who dares assign limit to the powers
of the spirit ?" said M. Balthazar Cher
| bonneau in a meditatiye tone; s. above all
when it has remained without earthly
alloy-pure as when it left the hands of
the Creasorf Yes, you are right; she
recognized You, and instinctiyely hid her.
self under her snowy wings"
They had arrived The coupe of the
false Octave was already there at the place
designated.
At this hour the Bots was far more beau.
tiful than later in the day at the fashion
able hour. 1t was yet early in the sum-
mer, and the foliage was fresh and trans
parent with the dew of the night before.
Tie trunks of the grand old trees were
covered with green, velvety moss and
silvery lichen. The birds, silent as the
noises of daylight increase, were singing
gayly, and rabbits ran hither and thither
seeking shelter, frightened by the noise OF
the wheels.