Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1882-06-29
Gales allo Skftfbes.
4 SIGur Or DIsAsrER.
CONTINUED from yesterday.


self. thoughtfully.
On the Tuesday week he get out fol
Antilles, as he had told Garcia he intend
ed doing.
But the night before leaving Paris ht
dreamed a dream. He could not get to
sleep till early morning, and when hi
slept his brain was haunted by strange
imaginings. He was on wide sea. in Z
little boat. and no shore was to be seen al
far as the eve could reach. Who was II
the boat with him he could not tell. AL
he knew was that a tempest was raging
that the wind howled and the breaker.
dashed over the frail bulwark, and every
moment he expected the rapidly filing
bark to sink beneath the waves. Yet i
did not sink, but seemed to ride the bill
lows by some supernatural power. Ir
the bows there sat figure. the figure Of
a woman, but the face he could not see
For some reason he felt convinced it was
Helen. his own Helen. and he tried to cal
her name, but he could not. and then he
rose to move toward her, but he wa:
chained to his seat. and. struggle as he
might, he could not change his position
And all this time the wind and the waves
were rising higher and higher. till at last
breaker came towering with crest OF
angry foam just over the frail bark. and as
it broke on the boat he heard the figure
give despairing cry. and then it was
washed overheard. And he. too, tried Ia
shrek, but could net utter sound. Then
he tried TO leap toward her, but he was
unable to move. And as the figure-the
face still hidden. but he had no doubt who
it was-foated for a moment on the wave,
what was his horror to see hand, white
and jeweled, rise out of the sea. and
clasp the figure, and drag it down
Even in that moment of agony he
seemed to have time distinctly to observe
that hand-a peculiar, yet somehow
familiar hand, very white. but with large
veins standing out on il. and to notice the
exact nature of the ring on the finger
gold, with alternate rubies and diamonds.
And then the agony was too great, and
he awoke,
He could sleep no more that night. He
rose, dressed himself. completed his pack
ing, and set himself down to read book.
Surely my nerves are out of ORDER" he
said to himself; '.was that Helen in the
bOat?" and then he became angry with
himself for thinking OF his dream. "What
superstitious folly. She will laugh to-
night when tell her. Shall tell herp
No. it might possibly Brighten her. Thank
heaven, she is not given to idle superst-
tious terrors. Nor am generally. What
a peculiar hand! Where have | seen it
before? And that ring--I could recog
nize that again anywhere.
Directly daylight came-and how slow
it was in comng!-Bertram took up his
painting materials and set to work for nm
hour or two before breakfast. BY this
means he succeeded in quie,ing his i'm
agination, and by the time breakfast was
ready he was able to take more tranquil
view of things.
That evening he was travelling through
The flat and desolate country that lies be-
tween Marseilles and Antilles, where the
railway runs, now close to the shore of
the Mediterranean, and now diverging n-
land for some way among the stony plains
and stunted trees of the Department of
the Var. Was he hapPyP can hardly
say. lie was soon to meet his beloved
after a separation of months. He was
looking forward with all a lovers long
ing to the meeting, and yet he was more
excited than happy. Somehow or other.
the thought of that disturbing nightmare
would cross his brain. and at Toulon.
where tickets were demanded from
the travellers. he found himself carefully
observing the conductors hands. to see i'll
they bore resemblance to those of the |
dream. Again he felt vexed at his own
folly. yet as the train sped onward through |
the darkness toward his destination. he |
became more aud more uneasy
"Thank Heaven ~ at last he exclaimed. |
lie was the only passenger in his first
class compartment. and he had seen the |
lights of a little town which he knew was
only few miles from Antilles. The train
dashed past it, and was once again buried
in fields. Then it emerged on to high
embankment skirting the sea, which
served both as railway viaduct and rs a
dixie to keep off the storm waters from the
land.
This was point he had been waiting
for. Antilles was not five miles ahead
now, and from this lofty embankment he
knew the Chateau y was visible.
where Helen was waiting for him, and
looking-must she not be for the line
Of moving light which bore her lover on
ward to her embrace.
He had risen from his seat. and was
SNsuuiuS aXaiuSt inc WlnuOW, peerlnI
anxiously out into the night 1t had be-
gun to rain, and the wind was rising.
The train made a slight lurch. and he
steadied himself against the carriage seat
for moment with his hand. Before he
could look out again the carriage gave a
violent jolt, which threw him to the floor,
and ere he could do anything to recover
his position. or even realize what had hap
pened. the whole solid framework had
tilted bodily over to tho left and plunged
down the embankment.
Even while the carriage was taking its
fatal plunge headlong. Wilde had time to
think, ''What will Helen do If l am
killed." and there his thoughts ended. for
he was buried beneath pile of wreckage
that rose twenty feet above him In the
air.
But he was not killed. It was miracle
that he was not. but all the mischief that
had befallen him was that he was stunned
for few minutes. When he came to, he
found stranger lining him out of the
wreck, and saying.
III est pas mort. pauvre jeune
hommeil nest has mort 20
mo, I am certainly not Dead" said
Bertram. and he tried to lift himself up.
He was badly bruised. and had an ugly
wound on his head. Other injuries he had
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