Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-11-13
THE FACE In THE MIRROR.

On New Years Eve in Russia thew plac,
two mirrors opposite each other, and toward
midnight. just as the new year is coming il
to supplant the old, the girl, unattended by
any one, goes into the room where the mir
rors have been arranged and looks into one
Should she be destined to get married tina,
year, she will see there the face of her hus
band
Evghenia Alexandrovna was just IS YEAR,
old She was 1.-the of figure, with a snowy
white complexion and large, lustrous black
eyes, that changed with every thought which
passed through her mind and every feeling
that touched her heart
One New Years Eve found her sitting
alone in her fathers study Her parents had
gone to spend the day with boyar's family
in Il EeighhOring village several miles dis
taH!, ;iini they were not expected back for
several hours, \ light snow had been falling
during the day, ana though the clouds had
somewhat lifted, the sky was still over asst,
but the twilight reflected from the snow made
it light enough TO distinguish objects tiat
Were not very far distant.
A big pile of logs was burning cheerfuilv IN
the fireplace in the study where the Girl S3t.
For nearly hall an hour she gascl az tie
flames as though trying TO read ;hr ,;ia;c
language of the fiery fingers Then an IDEA
struck her for she went out and soon returod
carrying "a large looking-giaSS which she
placed on the table opposite the mirror that
was fastened against the wall Then she sat
DOWN and looked long and eagerly into the
glass that reflected the mirror behind her.
Suddenly she grew pale but no; a muscle OF
her face moved In the reflection of the large
mirror she saw the face of a man He had
fierce, cruel eyes, and wore a large bushy
red beard, Her ewes and those of the appari-
ion met. and the next moment the appari-
ion had vanished.
For second E:%hania seemed TO bs riveted
TO TIE spot where she sat She had not ex-
pected TO see any image in the glass, and She
knew that that face was not an appar
ton, but & real, live man, evidently rObher,
and that he had opened the trap door leading
to the cellar. She neither tainted nor
screamed. All the men servants were out of
the house, but she was brave girl, a soldiers
daughter, for her father had fought in the
Crimea and her grandfather had measured
swords with the French invaders. She
seized her fathers sword that hung against
tLls WdH anu uTe" II from tfle ScaD
bard. Sword in hand she opened the
trap door, listened intently. and then
softly stole down the stairs. There was no
one in the cellar, and she began to think that
the face she had seen was merely the creature
of her own imagination, when she noticed
that the iron bars of one of the windows had
been removed She stationed herself near it
Soon she could hear the tread of men in the
snow The tralnpiEg sounds came close up to
the window, and then she heard some one
whisper. Here, this way Then a big. red
hand seized the sill as though its owner was
just going to climb up. The very next
moment Evghenia hacked away at it with the
sword with all her might She felt the keen
blade cutting into the bones. and this was
followed by a howl of pai1 and muttered
curses, and then the footsteps hurried away
Evghenia remained on guard behind the
window, expecting another attempt by the
robbers, until the merry jingle of sleigh bells
told her that her parents were returning
The robbers were traced bv their foot
prints in the snow TO the edge of the forest,
where they had mounted their horses and
escaped.