The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-05-14

"And thcua"
"Then, starting from the moment
\ when I had this bit of rope in my pos
session, began to digest badly, I had
constant Nightmares, that took no partic-
! ular form at first, and then. little by lit.
tie, became more definite; and every
night 1 again saw Sauviniere, with his
| little violet streak around his neck. 1t
was dreadful. 1t came to pass when
was afraid to 90 to sleep. Ispent my
| nights in gambling at the club. And
wlst ill luck 1 had! You can imagine.
Finally, I was taken sick. The doctors
| knew not what to do You understand,
of course, that was not going to tell
them my dreams You know Marthe,
my landlady. One day she told ME that
her cook knew certain Saggi. You do
not know him? A wonderful man, my
dear fellow, sorcerer.
Robert uttered this word with an in
describable expression of anxious respect.
"Then this cook had Saggi consult the
cards for her. Marthc wanted to see him
and advised me to consult him. Let me
tell you that this Saggi is astonishing
frightfully, even. You have never paid
any attention to sorcery!"
''Very little"
"You are wrong. You see, people
laugh without realizing that they are
playing with terrible things"
"But the rope, the rope" L cried.
"Ah, yes, the rope-Iam coming back
to it. For a year studied with Saggi,
and all that time misfortune continued to
rain upon me. 1 broke my leg in falling
from horse: quarreled with three old
friends, and was neglected in the will of
my uncle, who had made me play chess
with HIM twice weak for fifteen years.
Everything, in short, everything!'
"But the rope! Where did that come
in?"
"The rope! Exactly; it was the
ropcl''
"What. it brought ill luck?"
eyes, my dear fellow. You would
never have believed it. But that's be-
cause you do not know. And at that
time did not know either. But now"
And with an air that was at once trl-
umphaut and sorrowful, Robert added:
~ was always dreaming of the hanged
man. had a nervous disease. I have
it yet, for that matter. Unable to stand
it longer, 1 determined to tell all to
Saggi, and he explained everything to
me. Very bad, my rope! Deplorable!
An absolute token of ill luck"
:'Oh no! another illusion wiped out
Painful, very painful, said in a con-
ciliating tone.
"Do not joke; it is very serious
matter. This was Saggi's explanation.
The rope with which man has been
hanged does indeed bring luck, but on
the express condition that the man
hanged did not commit suicide. but was
executed by public hangman.
ssPrecious information! But the horse
that we saw just now2'
II am coming to that. The rope that
has hanged suicide brings, on che con.
trary, ill luck. Enlightened by this re-
velation, I wanted to get rid immediate
ly of the rope which had been keeping
so carefully, and which was unquestion-
ably the cause of all my mistortuues.
But how to do it? 1t was not thing to
be done lightly. The talisman might
fall into other hands, and become the
misfortune of some one else. In that
case the responsibility would be mine,
and, you see, nothing obstructs the flow
of the fluid portion of the soul like"
"Thank you, prefer to remain in ig-
norauce. But what course did you
take?"
~ resolved to throw this cursed rope
into the water. With that in view I left
my house one night, holding the piece of
red rope, which seemed to me to have
demoniacal tint. AS I was crossing the
crossing the Champs Elysees, at the place
where we Just saw the accident, stum-
bled into heap Of sand-they were just
then laying the wooden pavement-and
fell so awkwardly that I again broke the
leg which had suffered by my previous
accident. In my fall dropped the rope.
I tainted, they carried me to my house,
and I lay there fiat on my back for three
months. The rope rcmainedin the hole,
and they laid the pavement over it.
And since that time all the horses fall at
that spot, and there have been fatal ac-
cidents. 1t is frightful and queer, is it
not?"
"Terrifying," I said with an air of con-
viction. 'sBut how about yourself2
Have you got rid of your evil geuius2"
"Oh, you may be sure. 1 bought the
whole rope with which Stamford, the
English assassin, was hanged last sum-
mer in London. I went to get it myself.
1t cost me dear, but do not regret it.
Now I am in luck. Aud, in fact, may
announce it to you, am going to be
rnorriad ~ EJrs ,SLories m Wax