The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1890-10-23


Yes! It was she. The dream of the
artist soul stood before him, fairer than
he had imagined. She was dressed very
simply in gown of white satin, with
large sash of white silk at her slender
waist.
He felt thrill of delight She seemed
nearer to him than ever. The purpose
which he had sworn in the Wagner car,
when it seemed so wild and impossible
to carry out, now seemed to the excited
young man very easy matter.
He felt that her position as public or
profe ional performer argued some diff
Guilty in her family, and he was not slow
to think that in this way the beautiful
girl had sought to escape from the hate
full DIR. Watson.
The next moment he was entranced.
A strain of music OF the most delicious
sweetness streamed from her bow as she
lightly swept it over the nut brown in
stru1nent which she held so caressingly.
Henshal was passionately fond of
music. He had heard her wonderful
playing in the car, and it had held him
in thrall; but that could not be compared
TO THIS.
Edna was inspired by the occasion to
her best effort. In the Inspiration of the
moment she forgot all but her art. The
dainty melody OF the great German
foated on the air like lullaby sung by
one spirit to another.
AS she went on he felt that some oc-
cult influence was at work within the
girl. Instead of the free, spontaneous
movement and the entire absorption in
the composition there seemed tense,
nervous agitation in the performer which
betrayed itself to him he hardly knew
how. The tempo was quickened, and
the bow seemed to bite into the catgut,
while her smooth forehead contracted
into faint frown, her nostrils dilating
slightly now and then.
Was she going to be overcome at the
moment of her triumph Could nerv-
BUSINESS be asserting itself now after she
had triumphantly conquered her public,
and when the house was hanging breath
lessly on her playingf
He felt in himself sense of discom-
fort, which he was attributing purely to
his sympathy with the young girl. But
it seemed to augment. At last by an
attraction which was almost against.his
will he felt his head turned to one side,
as il drawn there by some subtle inf1u-
ence.e
Not five yards away from him was DR.
Watson.
His eyes We're bent with growing ear
nestness on the girls face. They were
hot, and seemed almost starting from
his head. It was evident that the hate.
full man was concentrating all the power
of his soul into that look. BY his side
stood Mr.. Crawford.
Henry Henshall understood the stu
alton at glance. His own creeping
disguised sense of being under some in
duence seemed explained by the mag
netic attraction of this devilish man
| He knew, too, that his ideal, this nerv
GUS, high strung girl whose artistic
| temperament must answer to the faint
est impression, was being overcome BY
that terrible glance which DIR, Watson
was directing toward her.
He felt that something must be done
A little more of this occult violence and
Edna might break hopelessly down
He was her knight. self constituted, Il
/ be sure, but with the fond hope tha
some time he might receive from thes
soft brown eyes the sign that he was no
| al ungrateful defender.
His course was quickly decided on. Ii
walked behind the hateful form of tn
doctor, and after standing momen
turned around sharply and, as if by ae
cident, struck the man in the back S
heavily that he turned in wrath and SUI
| prise.
| "Oh, | beg your pardon, DR. Lee
pardi," he said, with a stress upon th
name.
l He darted a glance at him as he sal
this that sufficiently conveyed his fee
ing. It was to be war to the knife |
il DR.. Leopari looked at him in retur
with a deadly hate.
"You are mistaken, sir, he said hotly
without a moments hesitation m
name is not Leopard"
4 Henshall felt that his ruse had sui
ceeded IN what he chiefly intended. a
, had broken the fatal current whic
streamed from DR.. Watson's eyes, an
j, which was slowly but surely unnervin
the fair girl who struggled 90 bravel