Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-01-03

'S ~ t nu' d in h ns r 5"'
and gloomy study, with hanging
lamp throwing its light down on his
shock OF grizzled hair, and casting
cavernous shadows from his beetling
brows, beneath which those eyes OF
his gave forth n red sparkle, and his
big, irregular nose dividing his Wis.,
age like spur of n mountain be-
tween two valleys, and the lips, of
his great grim mouth working and
pickering MS he sucked at his black
pipe-as he sat there in his high.
backed oaken chair, beside n table
piled up with rare and ancient books
and strange ornaments from China
and India, and with a small but fine
ly formed skull carefully mounted
on an ebony stand, and so placed
that it Ind the air of whispering in
his ear-as he sat there, | say, he
looked less like an ordinary man
than like II wizard OF the dark ages,
or even like one OF the demons that
such wizards were wont to evoke.
or course, as every one knows. DR..
Hoknngel is nothing of the kind; for
though he probably knows more
than all the wizards of antiquity put
together, he is ut the same time one
of the best and kindest hearted of
men--lt common report be worth
anything. But that iairy-like. body
the contrast between it and the
head is certainly very singular. An
ogre and an elf combined to form a
man-that is how you would describe
him. His hands are like woman's
white, small, and beautifully shaped
and he wore on one of his fingers a
costly sapphire ring, such as a lady
might wear.
We had been discussing the skull.
cit is a woman's them" said |.
"Ies; and a very lovely woman she
was, too, replied Dr. Hoknagel, in his
deep but eXquisitely modulated
tones.
Can you judge from the skull of the
beauty of the tace?' exclaimed.
Perhaps not; at any rate, | do
not in this case"
DO you mean to say you actually
knew her?' | demanded, with n chill
of the nerves. Even the most benev-
olent doctors will sometimes do odd
things that make ordinary persons
flesh creep.
well, at allevents, know she was
n beauty" he said. And after puff
ing at his pipe Pwhie he continued:
Its curious story, and you might
as well hear it, You remember Day.
entry?"
Not Daventry who married Miss
Saltonstall, the heiress, and went
mad?"
That's the man-Edward Daven-
try. My speciality is mental diseases,
you know, and | signed the order
committing him to the asylum.
That was ten years ago. He died
last week"
"Only last week. | had supposed
him dead TOR years"
Death is n name applied indis-
criminatelv to several different phe-
nomena. Now you knew Daventry
who married Miss Saltonstall; but |
knew him before that event-long
before. And | happen to know that
Miss Saltonstall was not the first
lady"
"Ahl An earlier romancel Do let
me here about it,"
There is not much to that. There
was n girl-let us call her Francesca;
her family name does not concern us.
She was a lovely creature, of a STYLE
quite unlike Miss Saltonstall. Daven-
try was then barely 20, she. n year
or two younger. She loved him with
all her heart. He-well, he conceived
a passion for her. 1t was under
stood-she understood-that they
were to he married. But she took
too much for granted, and granted
too much. You know the way OF the
world. There are times when the
woman is as much too blame rs the
man. All will say is that this was
not one of those times. Daventry
was then young fellow in country
town, with no prospects in particular.
An unexpected circumstance gave
him n good opportunity to enter
business in New York, and he went.
leaving Francesca behind. Well, it
had to be! And within year he had
the satisfaction, such as it was, OF
hearing that she was dead"
How the doctors eyes did glow
He looked terrible at that moment.
"Daventry had, believe, already
made the acquaintance of Miss Salt
onstall. and it was not long before
they were openly engaged to be mar
ried. There WAS no ambiguity about
that arrangement. You NAV sup
pose. il you like, that Daventry was
really in love this time. At allevents,
he acted as if he were. He hardly
ever let the girl out of sight. She
couldn' tcomplain of lack ofdevotion.
They were married-a great wedding.
You rememberit A handsome couple.
All New York looking on. All the
girls envying her; ali the Young tel
lows him. SO off they went on their
honeymoon"
The doctor sucked hard and fast at
his black pipe until lie and the little
white skull, and the pile OF antique