Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-05-27

| seemed so beautiful 10 me De1ore was
about answering her, when suddenly the
air about us was filled with strange his
sing sound, which made my wife's flesh
culver like shaken jelly. She clutched
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 aud nestled quietly down into my
arms
All at once the Kissing stopped, and a
shadow fell across us. Before | could
raise my ewes my wife again uttered the
same dreadful cry which had Summoned
me to her assistance year before.
looked up and saw standing before us
the same demon or goblin whom | ban
ished on that memorial night when first
met my wife. He was grinning and
chuckling fiendshly, and. bending over
her, he breathed his hot breath into her
face At first she trembled with terror.
and then, recovering her self-possession,
she raised her head and gazed unflinch-
inglv into his ewes. 1t was more than he
could stand, and he vanished almost in
stantlv.
Then my wife's eyes were bent upon
my face, so searchingly and so yearning
| ly that pressed her passionately to my
breast and covered her face with kisses.
you still love me-you still trust
me p'' she cried.
Yes; more than ever before"
"How hard your tenderness makes my
duty ~ she gasped. eff | was not such
a coward-was not so much afraid of los
ing some portion of your love-I would
now tell you that which was due you a
year ago"
''Do not speak of it or think of it,"
answered. 80 long as you love me. and
are happy with me | am satisfied
Zone thing l must say" she said.
''else our love will soon be desolated.
You must be with me on the next anniver-
sary OF this night, and must keep your
arms about me from sunset until mid
night After that will forever be safe -
was puzzled. amazed and bewildered
by the whole affair; but the subject dis
tressed and panied her, and loved her
too we'll to let her talk about it, And,
lest she should fathom my thoughts.
kept the uncanny mystery as much as pos
sible out of my mind
Two months later we went to live in
France. and finally in Germany. Except,
ing a 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
imbedded in the ground, a thin oval plate,
which seemed to have several words en-
graved upon one side. Picking it up, |
found that it was made of silver, and that
it was very old. The inscription, which
was in Italian. was as follows:
Claimed by the Devil,
| June 10, 1860.
On my way home l met German sa-
want with whom | was intimate l
showed him the plate, and was surprised
to see an expression of the most intense
horrer came upon his face.
There is a terrible story connected
with this thing" he said, after 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 niece of the king
Five years later daughter was born to
them. and soon afterward they fell into
disfavor with the king and went to live in
France. But when Spezzis beautiful
daughter was about 25, disaster again
came upon him. He had no alternative,
so history says, except appealing to the
devel. The fiend came in answer to
Spezzi's incarnation, and promised him
everything he wanted. The price de-
manded was the soul of Spezzi's beloved
daughter. After time the unfortunate
man signed the compact, but within a
month he repented having done so. and
begged that his own soul might be sac
ritieed instead of his daughters The
devil consented, upon certain conditions
Spezzi was to yield himself to the cum
ming tiend at the end of a year. The girls
youth and beauty were to be perpetual
tor 500 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, if 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 the devil was to have three
chances. If. on the night she first met
her lover. he failed to clasp her in his
arms. in defiance of the DEVILS presence.
the tiend could then claim her soul. On
the first and second anniversaries of that
night the devil would also have the same
awful power unless she was in either her
husbands or her lovers arms. If she
passed these three ordeals safely the COM
pact wonld be ended and the devil foiled
That is the story. 1t is said that the
devil came for Spezzi, and that his rela-
tives put this very silver plate upon his
tomb, which was made in some unknown
corner in the Har'z Mountains. Nobody
knows what befell the daughter. 1t is
very singular, though, that you should
have found the plate; it has been lost so
long"
My learned friend went on talking up
on other subjects, but l scarcely heard a
word he said. My whole mind was full
of the story that he had told me.
1t was now all perfectly clear to me.
The supposed legend was true, and had
really married the daughter of the dictated
Michael Spezzi! Instead of being horri-
/ q