The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-06-16


waist, and | could plainly feel the beating
Of her heart.
o,,,ss aWHy are ...;yS you 50 .sls.''d and y'' 60
..,,, ~ can nm not answer y ySp nov" she ;siS aid
me In your arms until midnight"
Presently she seemed calm again, and
once moro the French ballad rang out
along the lagoon from her perfect throet
Apparently there was no change in the
Bsrgss and gonaclss wsrs hitting about in
all directions, and from everywhere came
music, laughter and merry voices. Ny wife
sang song after song, until she was tired,
And then, pulling my face down TO hers
1T was just . year ago tonight" she
said, .'that you first came to mo. had
already seen you many times, and loved
you With my hearts first love. I sang that
night because I hoped that my song might
re sssch your % ears and bring you to me- ,s.S You
the lilies that your hands threw to me.
Danger came, and you saved me. You
loved me at once, and so We were married.
Since then doubt II God, whose eternal
curse once thought was upon mo, has ever
Her large dark eyes were luminous and
full of tears, and her face had never seemed
30 beautiful to me before. was about
answering her. when suddenly the air
about US was filled with z strange Kissing
like shaken jelly. She ciutched me closely
and looked wildly up into my face. The
smile she saw there seemed to content her,
for she gave . little sigh Of relief and
nestled quietly down into my arms.
o At $ the hssPE Rs stopped Pcons and r.,:
my eyes my wife again uttered the same
dreadful cry which had summoned me to
her assistance year before.
I looked up and saw standing before
Us the same demon or goblin whom l
/ first met my wife. he was grin:
ming and chIckling nendishly, and
bending over her, he treathed his hot
breath into her face. At first she trembled
with terror, and then, recovering her SELF
unfiinchtnsly into his eyes. It was more
than he could stand, and he vanished
Then my vifs's eyes were bent upon my
taco, 50 searchingly and SO yearningly
that l pressed her passionately to my
"You still love me-you still trust me"
she said.
"Yes; more than ever before,
"How hard your tenderness makes my
duty !" she gasped. "If was not such Q
coward-was not 10 much afraid of losing
tell you that which was due you year
''Do not speak Of it or think Of it." an
wered. $50 long as you love me, and are
happy with me, am satisfied"
our love will soon be desolated. You must
be with me on the next anniversary of this
night, and must keep your arms about me
from sunset until midnight. After that l
will forever be safe"
was puzzled, amazed and bewildered by
the whole affair; but the subject distressed
let her talk about it. And, lest she should
fathom my thoughts, kept the uncanny
mystery as much as possible out OF my
mind.
Two months later we went to live in
France, and finally in Germany. Except
One day 1t the beginning of this last
month, was walking alone In the forest,
when l suddenly caught one foot under
some hard substance which nearly flung
me upon my face. Glancing back at the
cause Of possible disaster, l saw, partially
imbedded in the ground, thin oval plate,
which seemed to have several words en-
graved upon one side. Picking 1t up,
found that it was made Of silver, and that
it was very old. The inscription, which
was in Italian. was as follows
MICHAlL SPEzzL,
Claimed by the Devil,
June 10, 1850.
On my way home met German savant
with whom was intimate. showed him
preston Of the most intense horror come
upon his face.
"There is q terrible story connected with
this thing" he said, after q moment.
"Michael Spezzi was half German, half
Italian, who came here into tho Hartz
A.f >A~ H 49,
blood, and married niece Of the King.
Five years later q daughter was born to
them, and soon afterward they fell into
disfavor with the King and went to live In
France But when Spezzi's beautiful
daughter was about twenty-five disaster
tive, so history says. except appealing to
the devil. The fiend came in answer to
Spezzi's incantation, and promised him
every thing he wanted. The price de-
manded was the soul of Spezxi's beloved
man signed the compact, but within :
month be repented having done 80, and
begged that his own soul might be sacrificed
instead Of his daughters. The devil con-
sented, upon certain conditions. Spexxi
was to yield himself to the cunning Aend
beauty tut we We're re- to Be perpssusi for Svs hum ac
dred years. II, at the end of that time,
she was still virgin, her soul was to be
free, and the soul of her father was
also to be relinquished from torment. In the
mean time, II the girl found any man, who
would still love and marry her, that would
end the Internal compact, and she and her
father would both be free. Even then the
devil was still to have three chances II,
on the night she first met her lover he failed
DEVILS presence, the dend could then claim
her soul. On the first and second nnniver-
saries of that night the devil would also
have the same awful power unless she was
In either her husbands or her lovers arms.
II she passed these three ordeals safely the
fOiled.
'That is the story. It Is said that the devil
came for Spezzi, and that his relatives put
this very silver plate upon his tomb which
was made In some unknown corner in the
Hartz mountains. Nobody knows what be-
fell the daughter. 1t Is very singular,
plate; 1t has been lost 20 long" M -
Ny learned friend went on talking upon
other subjects, but scarcely heard . word
he said. Ny whole mind was full of the
story that he had told me. -,...
It, was now all perfectly clear to me.
The supposed legend was true, and had
really married the daughter Of the ill-fated
was filled with a deep sense OF glsdness
that had brought 80 much happiness into
such an overs6sdowed life. Ny manner
toward my wife was even moro tender
than ever after that and she. seemed in
stinctively to feel that at last knew all.
which 20 much depended was strolling
about In the mountains whom my right Log
was broken by . slight fall. At first !
could not move, but late in the night some
Of my strength returned and Ibegan crawl.
n .nd c e. n.s %s: e. to
by almost impassable paths oyer craeRY