Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-03

| VI JHc HttIl-' ana yet IL Is huOWn; ana Well
| known, that by hypnotic suggestion the
pulse can be made to fall to the lowest
| number Of beatings consistent with life. and
| that the temperature of the body can be
! commanded beforehand to stand at a GER
| tain degree and fraction of q degree at a
| certain hour, high or low, as may be de-
! sired Let those who do not believe read
| the accounts of what is done from day to
| day in the great European seats OF learn
| ing, accounts of which every one bears the
! name of some man speaking with authority
| and responsible to the world of science for
| every word he speaks, and doubly so for
every word he writes. \ few believe in
the Anticipated doctrine of electric animal
currents, the vast majority are firm IN the
| belief that the influence is moral one-all
admit that whatever force or influence lies
1t the root OF hypnOtism, the effects it can
produce are practically unlimited, terrible
in their cOmprehensiveness and almost en-
tirely unprovided Tor in the scheme of mod
ern criminal law.
Cnorna was sure of herself and Of her
strength TO perform what she contemplated.
There lay the dark beauty in the corner of
the sofa, where she had sat and talked so
long, aud told her last story-the story of
her Hfe-which was now to end. A few
determined words spoken in her ear, q
pressure Of the hand upon the brow and the
heart and she would never wake again.
She would lie still until they found her,
hour after hour the pulse growing weaker
and weaker the delicate hands colder. the
face more set. At the last there would be
a cOnVulSive SILVER of the queenly form and
that would be the end. The physicians and
the authorities would come and would
speak of weakness Of the heart. and there
would be masses sung for her soul, and she
would rest in peace.
Her soul2 IN peace? Uuorna stood still
Was that to be all her vengeance upon the
woman who stood between her and happi-
ness! Was there to be nothing but that,
nothing but the painless passing of the pure
Young spirit from earth to heaven? Was no
one TO suffer for all Unorna's pain? 1t was
not enough. There must be more than that.
And yet, what more! That was the ques-
ton. What imaginable wealth of agony
would be a Just retribution for her exist
ence' Unorna could lead her, as she had
led Israel kafka, through the life and
death CT a martyr, through life of wretch
edneSS and death of shame, but then, the
moment must come at last, since this was
to be death indeed, aud her spotless soul
would be beyond CnOrnas reach forever
No, that was not enough. Since she could
not he allowed to live to be tormented. VEN
geance must follow her beyond the end of
life.
Unorna stood still, and an awful light of
evil came into her face. \ thought of which
the enormity would have terrified a COM
mon being had it entered her mind and
taken possession of it. Beatrice was in her
power. Beatrice should die in mortal sin,
and her soul would be lost forever.
For long time she did not move but
stood looking down at the calm and lovely
face of her sleeping enemy, devising crime
to be imposed upon her for her eternal de-
struction. CnOrna was very superstitious,
or the hideOuS scheme could never have
presented itself to her. To her mind the
deed was everything, whatever it was to
be, and the intention or the unconscious
ness in doing it could have nothing to do
with the consequences TO the soul of the
doer. She made no theological distinctions.
Beatrice should commit some terrible
crime, and should die in committing il.
Then she would be lost, and the devils
would do in hell the worst torment which
CnOrna could not do on earth. a crime-a
robbery, murder-it must be done in the
convent. Unorna hesitated, bending her
brows and porting, in imagination over the
dark catalogue of all imaginable evil.
\ momentary and vague terror cast its
shadow on her thoughts. BY some accident
Of connection between two ideas, her mind
went back month, and reviewed as in 3
flash of light, all that she had thought or
done since that day. She had greatly
changed since then. She could think calmly
now Of deeds which even she would NOT
have dared then. She thought of the even
ing when she had cried aloud that she
would give her soul TO know the Wanderer
safe, of the quick answer that had followed,
and the Keyork Arabian's face. Was a
devil indeed, as she sometimes fancied, and
had there been realty and a binding mean
lug IL that contract!
Ieyork Arabian! He, indeed, possessed
the key to all evil What would he have
done with Beatrice? Would he made her
rob the church-murder the abbess in her
sleep! Bad, but not bad enough.
Unora started. A deed suggested itself SO
hellish, so horrible in its enormity, so far
beyond all conceivable human sin, that for
one moment her brain reeled. She Shud-
dered again and again, and CROPPED for sup
port and leaned against the wall in bodily
weakness of terror. For one moment she,
who feared nothing, was shaken by fear
from head to foot, her face turned white,
her knees shook, her sight failed her, her
teeth chartered, her lips moved hysteri-
caly.
But she was still strong The thing she
had sought had come to her suddenly. She
set her teeth, and thought of it again, and
again, till she could face the horror of it
without quaking. Is there any limit to the
hardening of the human heart!
The distant bells rang out the call to mid
night prayer Unorna stopped and listened.
She had not known how quickly time was
passing. But it was better so. She was
glad II was so late, and she said so to her. |
self, but the evil smile that was sometimes |
i'll her face was not there now. She had |
thought a thought that left mark on her |
forehead. Was there any reality in that |
testing contract with KeyOrk Arabian?
She must wait before she did the deed. |
The nuns would go down into the lighted |
church and kneel, and pray before the altar. |
II would last sometime-the midnight les |
son, the psalms, the prayers-and she must |
be sure that all was quiet, for the deed |
could not be done in the room where Bea-
trice was sleeping.
She was conscious Of the time now, and |
every minute seemed an hour, and every
second was full of that one deed, done over
and over again before her eyes, until every
awful detail of the awful whole was stamped
upon her brain. She had sat down
now, and leaning forwards. was watching
the innocent woman, and wondering how
she would look when she was doing il. But
she was calm now, as she felt that she had
never been in her life. Her breath came
evenly, her heart beat naturally, she thought
of what she was about to do
But the time seemed endless.
The distant clocks chimed the half hour.
three-quarters, past midnight. Still she
waited. At the stroke of one she rose from
aid her hand upon the dark brow.
\ few questions. a few answers followed. |
She must assure herself that her victim
was in the right state TO execute infinitely
Ill her commands. Then she opened the |
1oor upon the corridor and listened. Not
sound broke the intense stiffness, and all |
10, bod No.,