Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-05-07
NGTON w. FREE PRESS FRIDAY, MAY l. 1ss6TWEINE

spot little above the waist, and began
the dlstasteful operation.
MY Wlte was behind me, bending over
my shoulder. The surface Of the idol had
just broken beneath the glmlet's pressure
when my wife startled me with two shnrp
screams, as if of pain.
WHY, darling | cried springing to
her side, "What is the matter ? Are you
sulfering?'
Look, look there" she gasped, pointing
in front of her Her face was white with
terror. She seized my hand as though to
support herself. Hers was as cold as
ice
looked in the election she indicated.
My blood curdleU 1T the spectacle | wit
messed
The window of our room seemed to open
upon street in some Italian clty-A
street that recalled the Toledo at Naples
~ much as any other. In the middle of
the roadway man stood. He was eX-
tending his arm rs if to ward off "A blow
and ms eyes were riveted upon us with an
expression half of intense agony, half of
reproach and appeal. The pallOr of death
was on his cheek. His fingers clutched
convulsively at the air. His lips twitched
rs If he were trying to speak. He tOttered
and fell. a stream of blood pushed from
his nostrils. One by one people began to
collect around him and finally crowd
hemmed him in and hid him from our
view. But had recognized him. He was
the dolls dOnUr-the old Hungarian jew.
"Dld you see p whispered Bertha, as
the vision commenced to disappear.
YES saw" answered gazing upon
| her pale, frightened face. Her face-her
| face-could believe my senses How had
Inever noticed it before Her face was the
literal repetition of the venerable jews,
allowing only sOr the discrepancies of
youth and sex.
Was it possible that in this way the Sc
/ bf ht trir ~ hppn ia
"Bertha,' | cried, "did you know him
/ Did you recognize the man
"Ah, | do not know she murmured.
| 4 do not know. My head is in a whirl.
| And yet, yes, | seemed to recognize him.
His face was not altogether strange to
me-though where or when had ever
seen him before cannot tell She pres
sed her hands to her temples and knitted
! her brows at seems, she said, las if
sometime that old man had played IA part
in my life, What can it mean -
Bertha burst into Hood or hysterical
tears: and she was Frustrated by the ter
lible effects of our vision for several
hours.
The next day lost no time in posting
letter to each of the American consuls in
! Italy, describing the old jew, giving his
name, and inquiring whether any such
| person had met with an accident in
the streets At the end of SIX weeks |
began to receive the consular replies. Tne
purport OF them all was the same: Not
so far rs we have been able to ascertain"
EXACTLY the reply might have antici-
| Dated but 1t did not relieve my mind.
Indeed, until l again set eyes upon the
rabbi sound and well in the flesh and
| learn from his own lips that he is not the
! father of my wife, shall not be persuad-
ed that the scene which Bertha and both
saw, was entirely unconnected with the
truth.
More than year elapsed. Not once did
either of us refer to the unfortunate idol.
! AT last one evening Bertha said to me,
"W hat has become of it ?" From the
shudder with which she pronounced the
syllable, it, | guessed to what she had
reference
II locked it up in the drawer of my
desk, ! answered.
81 don't want to annoy YOU" she said,
"but if you can bear to touch it, wish
you would go now and get it and throw
1t into the fire"
| made no opposition. Unlocking the
drawer of my writing table, | introduced
my hand to take the idol out. But there.
there where had left 1t, us intact as ever
except for "a tritllng scratch, lay no more
tangible Il remnant of its existence than
a small heap of greenish powder. My
surprise was so great that ! called eXclt-
eddy to Bertha to approach. She declined
to be Interested "PShaw,' she SAID,
chow can You expect me to be amazed by
any new devlatOns on the part of that
creature am glad of il, and she under
took to brush the dust away, but in the
process OF doing So, she paused. In the
midst of the debris, like the Phoenix
among his ashes, we beheld little gilt
tering diamond.
DO you remember the drop OF light
that shot down from the moon in the
dream you had ?" asked Bertha.
Yes, perfectly said.
well, there it is.