Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-07-14

and looked wildly up into my face. rhe
snil. Slie saw there seemed Ia content her,
Tor she gnvo little sigh of relief and
mes led quietly down into my arms
Nj AT once the Kissing stopped aud
shadow feil across us. Before could raise
my eyes my wife again uttered the same
dreadful cry which had summoned me to
her assistance year before.
L looked up and saw standing before
us the Same demon OF goblin whom |
banished on that memoroLle night when
ming and chuckling fendishly. aud
bending over hor he breathel his hot
breath into her face. At first she treinbled
with terror, and then, recovering her self
possession, she raised her head and gazed
unhinchingly into his eyes. IL was moro
than he could stand, and no vanished
almost instantly.
Then my wife's eyes wore bent upon my
face, SO seorchingly and so yearningly
that | pressed her passionately to nv
breast and covered her face with kisses
You still love me-you still trust me"
she said.
Eyes; more than ever BEFORE
How hard your tenderness makes my
duty ~ she gasped. IF was not such a
cQyvard-was not so much afraid OF losing
some portion of your love-I would now
tell you that which was due you a year
ago.n
"Do not speak OF il or think of it," an
swered. 80 long as you love me, and are
happy with mo, am satisfied
"One thing l must say she said, ''else
our love will soon he desolated. You must
he with me on the next anniversary Of this
night, and must keep your arms about mo
from sunset until midnight. After that |
will forever be safe
was puzzled, amazed and bewildered by
the whole affair; but the subject distressed
and panied her. and loved hor too we'll to
let her talk about 10. 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
ing month, another year had passed since
our wedding.
One day at the beginning Of this last
month, ! was walking alone in the forest,
when suddenly caught one foot under
some hard substance which nearly flung
me upon my face. CHANGING back at the
cause OF possible disaster saw, partially
imbedled in the ground, a thin oval plate,
which seemed 10 have several words en-.
found that il was made Of silver, and that
il was very old. Tho inscription, which
was in Italian, was rs follows:
MICHAEL SPEzzf,
Claimed by the Devil,
June IN, 1850.
with whom was intimate ] showed him
the plate, and was surprised to SEQ an ex-
preston of tho most intense horror come
upon his face.
There is terrible story connected with
this thing he. said, after a moment.
Michael Spezzi was a half German, half
Italian, who came here into the Hartz
Mountains about 1880. He was OF royal
blood, and married a niece Of the King.
Five years later n daughter was born to
tlaV.. lAlI ...Axx
disfavor with the King and went to live in
France But when Spezzi's beautiful
daughter was about twenty-five disaster
again came upon him. He had no alterna-
tive, so history says, except appealing to
the devil. Tho fend came in answer to
Spezzi's iDcantntion, and promised him
every thing he wanted The price de.
manded was the soul of Spezzis beloved
daughter. After time the unfortunate
man signed the compact but within q
month he repented having. done so, and
begged that his own soul might be sacrificed
instead Of his daughters The devil con-
sented, upon certain conditions Spezzi
was to yield himself to the cunning fiend
at the end of year. The girls youth and
beauty were to be perpetual for five hun
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, il the girl found any man, who
knowing that she was in the DEVILS grip,
would still love and marry her, that would
end the Internal compact and she and her
father would both be free. Even then tho
devil was still to have three chances. Ii,
on the night she first met her lover he failed
to clasp her in his arms, in defiance of the
devils presence, the flend could then claim
her soul. On the first and second anniver-
saries Of that night the devil would also
have the samo awful power unless she was
in either her husbands or her lovers arms.
IL she passed these three ordeals safely the
compact would be ended and the devil
foiled.
That is the story. 1t 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. IL is very singular
though, that you should have found the
plate; it has been lost so long,
My learned friend went on talking upon
other subjects, but / scarcely heard a word
he said My whole mind was full of the
story that he had told mo.
IL was now all perfectly clear to me-
The supposed legend was true, and had
really married the daughter Of the ll-fated
Michael Spezzil Instead of being Mortified
! was filled with deep sense of gladness
that had brought so much happiness into
such an overshadowed life. Ny manner
toward my wife was oven more tender
than ever after that, and she seemed in
stinctively to feel that at last knew ALL
The day before the anniversary upon
which SO much depended 1 was strolling
about in the mountains when my right leg
was broken by a slight fall. At first
could not move, but late in the night some
Of my strength returned and began crawl
ing bomeward. / had many miles to go,
and some of TIE journey had to be made
by almost impossible paths over craggy
hills.
All day dragged myself along, stopping
occasionally to shout for help. But no one
came TO my assistance.
II was night when reached home, and at
my summons the servants helped me at
once TO my wife's room. Just as reached
the door once moro her voice rang out in
that wild, despairing cry, Despite tho
pain in my broken leg, 81 rushed forward
and flung open the door. But ] was too
late! The fiend already had her in his
arms. Her face was turned to me in the
most pitiful entrcaty, and tried in vain
TO reach her outstretched hands Then the
house shook violently for moment and
the room became dark as night. An instant
later the servants and were i'm the midst
of lurid blue flame, but the fend had
borne my wife away.-Lcw Tanderpoors