New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-16

TO what / asked, do owe the pleasure of this
visitP 1,...
| and read, printed in red letters upon black
| ground, the words:
| 'HEINRICH BRENCK,
| Dealer IN Souls
Amazed at the oddity of this Introductory de-
| scripton turned my eyes upon the Stranger ne
| hosJed again and saying quietly: Al your SERVICE
sir he seated himself and waited Tor me 10 SPEAK
| Well | SAID. what service can you render me-
Heinrich BreDck, dealer in souls ,.so,ho
can realize the great desire OF your lie, ne re-
| turned can give you voice compared with
| which Searlatis would be contemplate
| | started back astounded by the intimate knowl-
edge of INV most thoughts displayed by this
! curious visitor. He smiled drily. and agaiE APP
| peared to wait my answer; ..oo.o.4
| How did you know that That was my greatest
lie smiled again, and shrugged his shoulders
| Il know many things of many men:
| How do you get your knOwledgeP
| That he replied, Is my secret.
| I'm plain English, Heinrich Brenc1, dealer in
| souls YOU are the devilT
"A Vulgar error, assure you. The devil does not
| buy what he can get gratis: No. am man Ike
yourself fed by the same food: warmed by the saIie
sum- animated by the same desires, nuft ny the Sme
weapons as yourself. -,
And you propose to buy my soulY
He bowed.
I'm exchange for a voicer
He bowed again.
| reflected a moment ana then inquired:
And what would be the advantage OF sucn
| bargain to me
| Tie question had scarcely passed my lips, when
| the and the stranger vanished from my sight
saw myself standing upon stage IN the 1ul Dlaze
of the footlights, bowling my ackn0wledgments ior
| the ecstatic applause of crowded house. The
stalls and boxes were crammed Win my acqualn nS
| hand would have touched her. sat Else radiant
| with triumph my triumph The vision faded, and
| another took its place saw myself aud Elsie, our
| arms entwined about each other standing beneath
| the dropping branches of willow, and all the
| world and sky beyond radiant with light that
|
was gone in less time than the hrst, and saw
Heinrich Brenck still sitting ID his CHAIR, with ms
ewes upon my face, and his hand extended with the
gesture of one who eXpatlates upon the advantages
to be gained by the prosecution OF the plan he ad-
DO you acceptp he asked.
Il accept replied.
He rose and extended his hand TOOK IL In my
own, and he dropped his other hand upon my
shoulder.
The pact is made.
must confess to ght disappointment on see
ing him 90 out of the door like "a mere ordinary
mortal.
'Eh'. What did you say, Mrs. Dixonf Nine
| o'clockf All righlp
doing so the remembrance of the stranger came
| back to me. and | gave hslf-frightened glance
around my room M was I wa noboaJ
| there but the chair in which had sat, and the
other seat my visitor had occupied, were in the
same positions before / turned TO dress smiling
at the odd character of my dream.
Very queer sOliloquized; i must work it up
into a story some day..
| went on leisurely enough with my toilet and
began, half uncOnsciously first to whistle. and
then TO sing the air of favortte operate passage
Still singing, passed from behind the curtain
which separated my sleeping chamber from my
living chamber, in which the faithful Mrs. Dixon
was occupied in spreading my table for breakfast;
AS paused in my song to bid her Good morning,
| saw that she was standing m0tonloss and open
mouthed with half-frightened wonder Ny in
tended greeting gave way to question.
What's the matter Mrs. d
why, Mr. Langford' asked the landlady,
whatever has come to your
What do you meant l asked. glanclng at my
own reflection in the many-cornered scrap OF Look
seemed unchanged To my own eyes.
whats come to your voice asked the landlady
I've heard you sing many hundred times; but
never heard ything ike this .
Again asked what do you meanP This time
/ put the question with heart which beat 30
fercely that could hardly hear my own question
for the blood that sang IN my ears
your voice. SIR reiterated Mrs. Dixon. lt was
you a-singine wasn't it, thought at first as it
must ha oeen the foreign gentleman zen; ta, tScara'p;
i can give You a voice compared with which
Scarlati's would be contemptible., Such had been
the words of my dream visitor; and now their sense
toerably good nerves and tough physique put !
away When | regained CONSEQUENCES, / found
myself lying upon my bed, with a wet cloth about
my head and very disagreeable odor' COM
paper pervadiDg the atmosphere. | strove to make
coherent whole of the events of the last four
twenty hours. My attendance at Lady Carameiss,
my meeting, with Elsie and scarati my return stnI
home nv silent reverie in the darkness, my inter,
view with the quantity self styled man who had
described himsefas dealer In souls AL these incl
dents were fresh IN my memory Blu: stay! now
did / get to bedf That could not remember;
though the winning back Of my bartered soul mad
been the reward Of the successful effort. Had L
dreamed the interview indeed, or had it been
Sa ste into tony my soul would go to scarIa
l sprang from my bed, and, sore IN every llmc,
crawied gingcrly downstairs and betook myself to
the hotel which Scarlsti always patrOnized while
in town. / followed servant to his room. and
found him reclining upon sofa,s with the mouth
piece of hookah between his lips.
The devilp he exclaimed as / entered what
has happenedP
/ made no answered. his inquiry. bat seated my
self at the piano. and asked him with my fingers
resting en- the koys: ~
Il have heard you try he answered; and have
no wish to hear you again,
l could see that, though he spoke lightly. my
dshevelled appearance, and the inopportune char
acter of my question. puzzled him, Keeping my
eyes fixed upon his dropped my hands upon the
keys and broke out into the song that he had sung
the night before, Fri tu.'
The coffee-cup he had taken from tho table beside
him smashed unheeded on the floor. the stem OF the
hookah dropped from his nerveless fingers, and he
glared at me. as / sang like veritablo statue OF
music broke tho spell. Then he sprang from his
seat and rushed toward me.
who are you = he shouted, dragging me to the
window near at hand, and gazing 10 my face with
ford. or the dewitt Have you been hiding this
voice all these years under that Internal croak you
simulated, and starving IN garnet with Coiconda
with yours what believed yours TO be compared
to mine -, .
He darted to the piano. and seized violin that