St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-23

MIN wild, every which way. wouldn't
wonder the Red Devil has hand i'll 'em.
She didn't set that big house of hern on
the jumpin'-off place of the world there
fur Hathin'. It's clear fun fur her to
catch the storms passin' down the val
lev, and send 'em scOotin' over here to
blow the roofs off peoples houses, and
clap thb-,der on the heads Of good folks
and thei. cattle"
''She walked our way this afternoon.
and Mary fell ag'in the window tryin' to
get peep at her. The blind burst open,
and you should see the creature turn
and cut her ewes at us, and smack her
lips Mary's heads been achin' fit to
split ever since"
MARY wants to be more keerful, she
doe Shes TOO curious, even fur her
kino. There amt no sense in tryin' to
get knowledge of the Evil One. It's
sartin- Your pardon, stranger; was
you speakin' to me?"
Can YOU tell me if there is any
nearer road to Miss TraverS' house yOn-
der than around the hill?"
Miss Trayers' house! You mean the
Red DEVILS over there? It's risky
thing you've undertook, sir, if you're
bound for that place. Never but one
man in these parts put foot inside the
gate, and he was found dead at the bot
tom of that rock next morning. But if
YOU'RE set on gOin', there's a short cut
up the front O the hill; you'll notice 1t
"a bride path that leads Off this road
quite a bit further on. It's pretty steep,
and you've need Of strong nerve and
good horse to take it,"
Thanks, my good fellow; [ have
bOth,''
ITS tempting Providence, MOTHER"
John reached his long arm inside the
shed door and took the key of the barn
from the peg on the wall where it had
hung, tied to the same hickory stick.
ever since the barn was built.
ZULA TRAVERs.
A queer mixture of the barbaric and
intellectual was apparent in the cham
Der where Iula Travers stood before
mirror that reflected a body, clean cut as
that of a tigress, and fair with the
beauty of a woman; hair falling both
sides her face and shoulders, taWny as
lions name, streaked with the warm
light of molten gold: a face, the chin a
trile sharp, perhaps, the red lips not
quite full enough, the black eyebrows
too strongly marked, the eyes-never in
any other woman's head did God and
the devil war in such pair. They
were tawny like her hair, with wonder
Jul lights, now suddenly put out by the
widening pupil and now as suddenly
abaze again, when quick droOp-
ing of the heavy, thickfringed
lids would follow, accompanied
by an odd tightening of the
lips. There was not the least suggeS-
ton of Narcissus in the air with which
Zula TraverS regarded herself There
was rather the calm satisfaction OF
well-fed eXecutioner lingering a hemp
moose and calculating the endurance
of mans neck. Gradually the woman
saw the picture on the mirror vanish
into another-that of girl who bears
such resemblance TO herself as an angel
bears the devil ii becomes. aspiring and
failing TO be a god. She is held at
arms length by man whose face is
flushed with passion, who bends to her
and studies her. An expression of
triumph grows in his eyes. \ sculptor
might look so upon his handiWOrk.
''Xula. all you wanted was a soul. |
have given you that and now You glut
me with your DertectneSS." This plct-
IRE, like the first faded into another
the same girl lying face down in a
dusty road, kissing the footprints
of horse. the man rides
rapidly away. Still other pictures fol-
lOWed-never again the figure of the
man. always the figure of the girl. She
passed through strange countries and
strange scenes, changing impercepubly,
until the WOmanS eyes rest
ed once more upon her own image. She
was still the stolid eXecutioner, with her
fingers on the hemp moose. her thoughts
on mans neck. She was Zula TraVerS,
with the consciousness that he who had
long ago gone out of her life was com
ing back TO her that night.
As Col. Harrington stood on the door
step. waiting qdmittauCe TO the home of
Zula TraverS, it occurred TO him that
outside there was nothing to give sup
port TO the rumorS atloat concerning
her. Entering her drawing room, how
ever. he found evidence enough OF q
strange personality. The harmony OF
paintings, statuary and the most
exquisite of modern furnishings,
which only a refined taste could
arrange. was broken with outlandish
cOntrivances to please the eye of Hot
tentOt princess. Oriental perfumes
made the air heavy, and Oriental lamps
threw a glamor over the room that
caused Col. Harrington to say, with
half shrug, "A man might yield up his
soul here in utter ignorance of the sac
riiice." The spell of the place LAYING
hold on him, it was as if gathering form
from the mystical light as she came,
that a superb creature, moving with
Stealthy grace, her scarlet draperieS
marking her figure as the changeful
shaping of Il flame, her white face, with
its cleaning eyes, the one certain feat
ure of the apparition, that Col. Earring
ton saw Zula TraverS approach him.
"COl. Harrington Richard!'
"Zula! then it is you and not some
fleeing vision" he replied. rising to
take her extended hand in his, regard
ing her curouSly, half-feartully. AS he
continued TO look upon her, all other
emotions were swallowed i'll that her
beauty inspired. Good God! Zula,
who ever dreamed you would make
such a woman"
did not you?" She lifted her eyes
to send the blood rushing more madly
through his veins.
Never, upon my soul, or | wOnld not
have waited until this late day TO return
10 you"
You but follow the method of the
All-WiSe Creator; the Lord, you know,
formed world and let ii be alone sew
eral thousand years before His love
grew ripe to bring Him back to it."
And when lie came, He was crucifed,
dead and buried, and descended into
hell"
And when he regained heaven, His
world
LET us not carry the parallel so far.
Were Gods world Znla Travers, and
did He, remembering His handiwork,
return to her, the joys of heaven would
De blotted from HIS memory. He would
not leave her q second time"
tsNOll hlaSnbnmp my friend. -
"Only as your beauty. in defying all
MingS else"
Come, come" she said laughing and
Ln,nl fr,,rn, liz.