The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-06-25

 The servant told us yey indefinitely. that madame would probably dine out and that she intended io spend the evening Al ! the iheAier.
 :. By mA faith. exclaimed Delaurier al this bad news. we are in luck and a'a going straight to the Cafe Chapins.
 Let's go by the avenues. lt's a. short tas ,he Rue ac pieuefends.
 That Is sha, VIC did. Scarcely had We advanced fifteen steps in the cursed ave nues. black AS coal. thanks to inc fog which vas thicker than ever. when iost i sight and sound of my friend Dc!aarier. I | don't know whether he turned 10 the l ri gh: and io the left; CT the reverse. but Il Is certain that we were separated as !; by the wall of China called him. No reply. Without thinking any more about him. and knowing lha; would md hlIn again al the Cafe Chaplns. continued Ir> dangerous walk All Il ence ! hit my foot asains, something strange. which had rlr, fpt,aren; form. and stopped doan to look ii Il closer Was II a dog. a stone or | human beng: l,mosed. examined t. epcnlng my eyes wide. | wa> "o- man. She Has seated a; the loo; oi ] tree. covering ike a beggar. seeming not to feel The cold nor to ieas fhc solitude nor to no,}ce r1V presence and seFatlfF.
 ~Wha, are you dong there madam l sad Are yoe III
 No. she replied ln faint ,oice.
 iits is nai ;he weather iar slcePins in the open air.
 Hefc er anywhere else. wha, does | matter
 Ainisht. woman all alone i, cN- posed ;e disagrccablc adventures. con- ,inued. moved. don't know why. by th:s ecccn,r.cliv. = and !: such ilme
 Any time i> ssA,d for me. ~iie- >sie.
 Neycsihciess II yau wiH perni; ne. madam. ,e accompany YOU home l will offer you III, arm.
 Willingly" she said
 She rt,>e immed. .aielg. offered her my arm. but she did ID. aoeepi |. and walked by ns s.de. admit that thi, 'if>s part of ,he adventure already puzzled me somewhat. md instead oi suffering from the cold. which feared for her fcit no, without astonlshment. several drops of precipitation forming en Hs fore head. Impressed with ihe strange en- counter. my mind was confused md an settled. Nh idcas wctt fergN as well A> the ar. What aa, ihis Womln Nas >he reallS ! woman: If ST. would en- iay au asLeeahle surprise when l should zee her faSe. Would i; not probably be as sweet as her Xnlces
 .At the cnd ii tve mlnuie4 she stopped teuld no; tell anxlhin. what street wc were h. bn, wiiha.: beng uneasy for a moment. approached her.
 fhi> i> nv house. she said a" @iil Il please Xeu ta enter
 Although 1 wa> iar from expecting >ae i d proposition. made in the ealme>5 tnne nevertheless accepted wiih al,friiN. anN- iesl, iacarTv he affair ,o the end h. maj Ter what should happen. and. moreove l determined m, ,o leave her before h4s T seen her face.
 The stranger advanced iesa.4 her house. The >hrill rngin- of sel t. sounded within. and thc doors flew open On eaeh h slde uf the door stood a ~ef1aa; n mourning lHcn. holding a 'areh ef lighted waN Naughty a> a queen. ,hc entered before me. and be- e5kencd nt tn follow her l'N the llLh, ot the ,arehe, I observed that she WAS completely clothed k- face
 You know me dear friend. and you knoa Ina, the devil himself could na, fngh,en me. Wcll.i confess ;o voa. with .,li due humility. ,ha; felt ish; ,hudder run through me. Eat hook courage and entered. The apaumen, into which was introduced was masnlhecn.iv furnished Kus> covered the inlaid floor. and pre- vented the sound oi footsteps from bcing heard. Casting mN eyes m ,hc clock I noticed that II Was about io strike twelve N ! sign from their mistress the servants went out as quiet as ghosts. after ha,ing lighted several wax candles as large as those of churches. the f'ickering and dull flame of winch. however sen; forth onlN a faint hght around u.
 was alone with her. That was what l wA> waiting for. and re..ii,->he did s,4; make me ~at long. Af,er mouonins me to sii down beside her on the sofa, she raised her veil l was dazzled ai the si sh, of her face, and all my uncasincss and fears seeming io me imaginary. before tha; brilliant apparitIon scattered in an instant. An angel. a demon. fl ststl will but superb woman. l lost my senses. NoW do you wan, me To tell YOU wha; passed between us. l know nothing about Il. on mv honor. l onlv remember iha, in pressing her hand in mine l iel, the same sensation a> Tn touching marble l remember ,ha, her eyes. so soft. were fixed and mo,ionlesS. and vet she looked at me with an ar oi interest >o natural oy of pity so profound that l. taking II ,or love. fell al her feet. cannot tell vou how long l remained in that position. bu, l was willing to stay there all he res; oi nv life tor felt that was dying oi hap pincss. and unknown transports were wait ing me beyond this world All al once l heard the clock strike twelve. This sharp noise seemed funereal III the silence.
 quickly rose. wi,hou, knowing why. Turning my eve toward tAc tirele>s ehiin- ney saw the mirrors becoming covered with ! black cloth, the hangings being darkened like the mirrors, and the candles gradually going cut. Dared by thi, phantasmagoria. l looked tor my unknown companion. Gone. The scnan,s gone sprang forward. The stree, door opened