Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-03-20

My poor darling lay still and peaceful.
l thought would let her rest SO for
few moments before l carried her out.
| dreaded what waking her might
mean. So took her hand and held ii
close in mine.
The candle was on the mantel-piece
behind mo. 1t threw little or no LIGHT
into the front room, the folding doors
of which were only partially open--the
half behind the couch on which Pauline
lay closed. 1t was, therefore. impoS-
sihle fer me from my seat beside herto
look into the front room. Indeed. aS |
SAT- there my face was turned from IL
/ held my wife'S hand for few sec
ondS, and then a strange, undclinahie
feeling crept over me-the Kind OF feel
ing sometimes experienced in 3 dream
in which two persons appear, and the
dreamer can not be certain with which
ones thoughts and acts he Identities
himself For awhile seemed 10 havea
dual existence. Although perfectly
aware that | still occupied the same
seat, still held Pauline hand in mine,
was also seated At the piano, and in
some way gazed through the half
opened doors into the other room, and
that room was fun of light.
Light 50 brilliant that in glance |
could see ever, thing that the apart
meut contained. Each article Of furni-
ture. the pictures ON the walls, the dark
curtains drawn over the window nj the
end, the mirror over the fireplace, the
table in the center. on which large
lamp was burning. could see all this.
and more, For round the table were
tr,sApy,ati f,rtf. at,l th.N NS
OF the party were we'll known 10 me
That man who was facing me leaning
across the table on which his hands
rested, whose features seemed full III
alarmed surprise, whose eyes were fixed
on one object few feet away from him
that man was Ccneri. the Italian
doctor, Pauliur'S uncle and guardian
That man who was near the table on
Cencri'S right hand who stood in the
attitude of one ready u repel posi-
Bile attack, whose faca was fierce and
full of passion, whose dark ewes We're
hlazing-thu man was the English
speaking Italian. Macari, or. rs he now
styled himself, Anthony March, Paul
ines brother lie also was looking It
the same object rs Crner;.
The man in The background i short.
thick-Set man with scar on his check
was 4 stranger t. me. lilo was look
ing over Ccneri'S shoulder III The same
direction.
And the object thcy all looked 1t MAS
Il young man. who appeared To II fall
ing out of his chair, and whose hand
graSpcd convulsivelN the hilt OF a dag
GER, the blade of which was buried in
his heart buried knew by a blow
which had been struck downward hv
one standing over him
All this l saw and realized in see
ond. The attitude of each actor. the
whole scene surrounding was taken in
by me rs one takes i'll with \ single
glance the purport ana meaning Of a
picture. Then | dropped rauGne's
hand and sprang IL my feet.
Where was tie lighted room? Where
We're the figures had SEEM Where
was the tragic scene which WAS taking
place before my eyc~a Vanished into
thin air! The candle was burning dimly
behind me. the front room was i'll dusk
Pauline and lwcre the only living Great
urcs in the place!
1t was a dream. of course Perhaps.
under the circumstances, not nm unnat-
ural one. Knowing what knew al
ready of the crime which had taken
place here; feeling sure that in some
way Pauline had been present when i.
was committed; excited by what had
occurred tonight Paulne's strange
walk, her sudden bursting into song.
the very song had before heard, that
song with the dreadful ending it is no
1N-An,l,,r tl,nt | t,,,u,rI,,1l Ill -
this, and taking the only persons
knew who were in amy way connected
with my poor wife. brought them into
the life-liko vision.
But given that n man may dream the
same dream twice, perhaps three times,
there is no record of his dreaming il as
often as he wiiled, Yet this WAS my
case Again | took Paulinc's hand.
and, after Il few moments waiting, |
felt the same strange sensation and saw
the same awful sight. Not once. not
twice, but many times did this occur,
until skcptical as | was, rs even | am
now in such matters, could only be-
| licve that in some mysterious way was
actually gazing ON the very sight which
had met the girls eyes when memory.
perhaps mercifully, fled from her, aud
reason was left impaired.
| 1t was only when our hands were IN
contact that the scene came before me
! This fact strengthened my theory. |
! felt then feel now, it is the true one.
| What peculiar mental or physical organ
ization can have brought about such an
! effect, | am unable 10 say. Call il cata-
leptic, clairvoyant, anything you will,
! but it was as | relate
Again and again | took Pauline
hand, and rs held it looked into that
brilliantly lighted room.
Like the motionlcss figures in tab
lean rirdm, again and again, without
change of attitude CT expression, ! saw
Ceneri. Macari and the man in the back
ground looking at their victim. The
appearance Of the last named | studied
very closely. Even with the agony of
| death on his face ! could see he was
Supremacy handsome. His must have
been face that women love 10 look
upon. and even through the horror Of
! the vision, Il painful thought came to
me as | wondered what might have been
| his relations with the girl who saw him
| suddenly struck down.
Who had struck him? Without a
doubt Macari. who, rs said. was stand
| ING nearest him, in the attitude Of one
expecting an attack. His hand might
| Just have quilted the dagger hit. lis
downward stroke had driven the blade
so deeply into the heart that death and
the blow were all but simultaneous.
This was what Pauline saw, what per
haps she was seeing now, and what, by
some strange power, she was able To
show me rs one shows another a pct-
ure!
TO BE CONTINUED.