Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-10-11

ever was the cause. the result was Ter
ribly sure. He was carried to hts
room doctors were sent for and ar
rived-too late Long before they
came nv old friend was dead"
Froisssrt paused and his voice trem-
bled. said nothing; and presently
be resumed:
~ have hurried over this part Of my
story as briefly as possible, for the deep
pain of 1t is with me still. 1t WAS by
far the saddest moment of my life when
| returned from the melancholy duty
of following his coffin to the vault to
this old house where he and | had lived
together so long. The evening OF that
day was gloomy and depressing; a lo~
cloud brooded over the country like a
pail; . fine and steady rain fell Ode
fully. Melancholy and sick at heart. |
roamed aimlessly aud in silence through
the empty house, regarding in every
room the aforementioned tokens OF
nv dead friend. At last my restless
wsnderings brought me to the tower
to this apartment. 1t was already dark
when entered it, and | carried in my
hand no lamp.
1.-The room, | say, was dark when |
entered it, and / struck a light and
kindled the swinging-lamp. AS it began
to elimmer fitfully, and to throw a
doubtful light about the interior, my
heart all of q sudden gave a great
bound and then seemed to stop beating.
was not alone Some one was sit
ting there in the middle of the room.
For some minutes. as the lamp
glimmered and spluttered and would
not blaze up into clear flame,
| stood there with a shivering feeling,
only able to make out that dark and
silent figure, mysterious presence. was
before me. In another moment the
lamp famed up brightly and gave forth
a clear light. What delicious sensa-
ton of relief felt, The startling OBJ
iect, on becoming visible, turned out to
be nothing more terrible than the auto
maton, which | had quite forgotten,
seated as usual before his little table.
IL broke out into alaugh at my own
folly, not without reflection that my
nervous system must certainly be out
of order. To think Of my being fright
ened by that familiar figure, which |
had seen hundred times. sitting there
so TRANQUILITY before his checkered
board. The sight OF it touched me with
a strange sense Of tie pathetic. | re-
membered how it had been for years the
occupation and the delight Of my old
friend to work at it, to calculate for it,
to invent for it new movements and
improved details. | knew how it had
come to form at last-this creature OF
his brain-the interest Of his life. He
bad loved it, as it grew into perfection,
as a parent loves an only child. And
now be would never watch it play a
game, as he had planned; never see the
moment on which his heart had been
set. And he had died, moreover, leav-
ing unaccomplished the one other ambi-
ton Of his life-to have linked his name
Immortality to the game he loved, as the
inventor of new and grand and revo-
lutionary opening.
"My thoughts, however. were sud-
denly diverted into another channel. |
was struck with discovery which puz-
zled me greatly. The chessmen on the
table at which the figure sat were not
ranged in order as at the commence
ment Of play, but were stationed
irregularly about the board, as in
the position of an unfinished
game. Several pieces on both sides
had been taken and lay on the table be-
side the board. But what amazed me
was the fact that the position Of the
men on the squares was perfectly ia
milar to me. | recognized it in an in
slant; | could not be mistaken. 1t
was the game in which and Sombras
had last played together, and which
had been broken off on account Of his
attack.
81 say was amazed, and with good
reason-my poor friend had never, |
knew well, entered that room after his
seizure. Who. then, had placed the
men in the position they now occupied
The more thought Of this matter the
more unaccountable it seemed. Yet
there could be no doubt Of the fact. In
order to be sure that the positions
were indeed identical | examined the
board closely, in case L should
have been deceived by partial
similarity. But no the pieces stood
man for man as remembered them.
even recollected to what the move had
made seemed to lead up, and what had
intended to play Afterwards move
which opened out an exceedingly inter-
esting and novel combination. The
move was possibly unsound, and yet
believed that | had Analysed it cor
rectly. AS ! now look at the board
the whole returned to my mind as
clearly as when | first conceived it.
found myself repeating in my
mind that the only plausible retort on
the part Of my opponent would be such
and such a moye-P. to q. b. 3, as a
matter of fact. Half unconsciously
took a seat before the board opposite
the automaton, and became gradually
quite lost in speculation. At length,
in order to consider what the effect OF
my purposed move would be, placed
my hand on the Queen and played the
move contemplating. to X. 5.
Instantly the figure on the other
side OF the table stretched out its hand
deliberately over the board and made
the answering move-P. to Q. b. 3.
Il will not attempt to describe my
amazement. fell back in my seat and
gazed for many minutes in stupefac-
ton at the figure Of the automaton
nor could |, during that time,
had my very life depended on the
action, have risen from my seat
or uttered a sound. The figure sat
there motionless, with its eyes appa.
rently fixed upon the board. Presently,
however, finding that | did not move
again, it raised its head and fastened
its CLASSY orbs on mine. There it sat,
looking at me with large mild eyes,
which now q am ready to swear to it,
seemed to be alive. Great Heaven
Oh, ancient earth and sky. 1t must
have been nv fancy. | thought the