Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1882-05-18

VI oHe III WHOM eVll mas struggled WIN IN
stincts naturally good and holy and driven
them out forever But there seemed some
thing doubly natural in the face. That long,
dark hair, those firmly closed lips reminded
him of Romagno. But Romagno was dead.
In the eyes there was blue light which
even the fierceness of their glare could not
wholly disguise. And the hair-the raren
hair acas streaked wuh gold. The Comte
glanced at the couch beside him. The light
nings glare revealed it empty. My God .
could it be-. A stunning blow des-
cended upon his head and he became uncon-
scious
THE Comte was found by his servants on
the following morning A brain fever fol-
lowed which nearly resulted in his death.
Nothing was ever heard of his wife. Moth
ing, do say? Stop The strange creature
which struggled with him thirty years ago
often appears to him-sometimes with viO-
lence in its mein, and sometimes only to gaze
upon him with the saddest, saddest look, as
though it would reveal what it dare not tell.
All, you scout the story of Lord Ruthven
and other vampires, and all stories Of me-
temsychosis, but do you wonder that l be-
lieve-for / am that unfortunate Comte-that
the foul spirit of Romagno entered into
the fair tenement which my wite's pure spirit
had vacated?'
l could not answer 80 fearfully had the
narrative interested me. There was silence
of few moments. Then came one of those
long g-continued flashes of lightning which,
while lasting but second or two, seem to
continue for minutes. The solid tower trem-
bled; the old harpsichord emitted a low,
hoarse sound in minor key; the shoulder
ing fire put forth all it's energies to send up
one clear flame, which was stationary for an
instant rs though listening fearfully, and
then expired. There was a creaking and
groaning in the timbers overhead. A scream
from the old man startled me.
There Look there"
] sprang towards him and looked in the di-
rection indicated and there, not two yards
L
saw face which, though seen but for an in
slant, stamped itself indelibly upon my
memory. A liyid, pallid, meagre face, with
hollow, burning eyes. Not a mans face, nor
yet a woman's; mixture of both. A de-
spairing, desperate face, expressing fierceness
and malignity, and yet at the same time an
unutterable sadness. A face from which
there seemed to look soul not belonging to
it. And the raven hair that streamed out
behind in the fury of the blast-yes it was
streaked with gold. For moment saw it,
CHASTITY, appalling, distinct in the lightning's
blaze, and then the darkness rushed about
it.
Again the tower shook again the timbers
shrieked, and the harpsichord gave its hoarse
alarmed me, but with cry of warning to
my host | sprang to the stair. AS did so
caught a last glimpse of the old man. He
had sunk on his knees with his face to the
window, his hands clasped as if in prayer,
his form sharply outlined against the glare
OF the lightning With few leaps reached
the ground, but scarcely had l done SO than
the great tower tottered and fell into the
Whirling torrent. AS it fell there issued
from it cry which sounded high above the
roar of the tempest, the swirl Of the waters
and the crash of the fall-a shrek of demo-
MAC laughter, it seemed to me- My horse
heard it and trembled in every joint.
| fingered long near the place shouting
and striving to display. 4 light. In vain.
No answer came but the wash of the river
and the roar of the storm and at last l re-
newed my journey through the darkness and
the new horrors with which my excited
imagination now peopled the night.
Men and Women i'm the United States.
The United States has been called the par
adise of women. Probably one reason why
women are better off here than in older and
more densely populated countries, is that
there are fewer of them in this country in
proportion to men. In the European nations
the female population is in extent of the
male population. while with us the males
are more numerous. OF the total population !
of the United States, 25,520, ,562 are males |
and 24,534,284 are females, The males,
therefore, exceed the females by e89,29S |
During the last ten years the male popu-
lation has increased more than the female,
and the explanation of the gain is to be
found in the enormous immigration of the
decade, which amounted to about three mil
lions. That this is the true cause is shown
by the circumstance that most Of the excess
of men over women is found among the for
eign population, though it constitutes only /
of the whole. Men are more
ready than women to emigrate and make
new homes, to which women may afterward
come Hence it is that the United States,
the country of pioneers and adventurous
spirits, has always shown a larger male pop
ulation, in proportion, than can be found in
any other country on the globe
The Christian 4duocate, mentioning the
case of an Irish girl who said she joined the
Methodist church "on suspicion" for six
months, says: "We don't know about the
of taking people into the church
on suspicion, but we think considerable
number might be let out On that ground.