San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-06-18

mind, which was strongly materialistic
and logical in its bias, applied itself with
a sort of angry heat to the consideration
of the mystery. She did not believe in
ghosts, and she h.l not been asleep. Yet
she had seen in the mirror the reflection
or, as it seemed, the actual figure of
Keppel Darke. AS she had sprung to-
ward it it had vanished, and she had
found herself gazing at her own fright
ened eyes in the mirror. What was itp
| She had heard of hallucinatiOns, visions,
cerebral impressions-there We're names
enough; but the more she thought of this
| experience of hers the more convinced
she was that it was real. She had seen
a real substantial figure, and its face was
that of Keppel Darke. But how was that
possible? Was not Keppel Darke's dead
body found in the railroad wreck, hand
cuffed to the dead body of the police
officer? No matter; tbs was either Keep
pei Darke or it was some one who ex-
actly resembled him. Whichever it was,
the bearing of his appearance to her
would be substantially the same 1t could
have been no accident; there was a plan
and purpose behind. Some power hos
tile to her was at work. Was the count
aware of it? How could he but be aware
of it? Then he was her enemy-her deadly
enemy! And he had invited her here,
and had placed her in that room, with
the premeditated design Of Well, of
what? Of giving her scare? No, not
! that. Of giving her warning of battle
throwing down the gauntlet? Hardly
| that, either.
1T is no use my trying to fathom his
motives yet" said Sallie to herself. 81
must wait and watch Perhaps he meant
only to try an experiment on Inc; he has
some problem to solve, and would test
it by my behavior But what concern
has he with Keppel Darke? What is the
OBJECT of Keppel Darke himself-if what
| saw was really he? Count de Lisle
would be powerful friend-and ter
| rible enemyl There is almost nothing
that man of his resources could not ac-
complish. Yes, and cannot l, too, ac-
complish something? Have not women
no more beautiful or clever than work
| ed miracles before now? And after all,
! | have nothing to fear. keppel Darke
may come back from the grave if he
will, but Harry Trent will not. And
! even if he did so glad to see
you, Mrs. Vanderdondew Great pleas
ure, Miss Fitz-Murr&yl" Your wife
unwell? What a pity, Mr.. Roylance"
Eyes, like fairy palace"
For, all the while that Sallie was de-
batting matter of vital interest to her.
self, she had been standing near the en-
trance to the drawing room, with Count
exchanging amenities with one group or
individual after another of arriving
guests Everybody knows how readily
this duality of nature develops itself
when any powerful impression is work
ing on the mind. The soul so seldom
has any part in the farrago of conyen-
| tional and automatic things that we
daily say and do, that when by chance
| it is aroused it can attend to its affair
without being in the least disturbed by
the din of external things. Sallie, ac-
| cordingly, smiled and chatted fully as
we'll as usual, while her real thoughts
were ranging to and fro through the
| past, and questioning the future in a
| manner that those who saw her standing
| there in the soft light, glowing and
| sparkling, would have been astonished
| to even suspect.
Civilization seldom can show fairer
scene than lay before Sallie's eyes that
evening. The guests seemed to have done
their best to render themselves harmo-
NOUS with their environment. The beau
tiful girls were never 50 beautiful be-
fore; the women with taste in dress were
never so tasSefully dressed rs this night;
the women with jewels never before SO
shOne and glittered. As for the men,
they could not array themselves in silks
and satins, us they might have done
hundred years earlier, but they made up
for their plain black and white by wit
and good humOr. Everybody was feel
ing interested. There had from the first
been curiosity to see how the count
would manage his entertainment, and
this curiosity had now taken on deeper
and livelier tone. The company felt that
it was going to pass an evening that 1t
would remember, and that whatever ex-
pectations might be aroused, the count
was quite able to surpass them without
much exerting himself. Everything went
forward easily and without hitch, and
the count was the most unconcerned
and care free person in the house. He
never gave an order, or seemed to have
a thought save of pleasure at the pleas
ure of his guests. His bearing was pro-
nounced perfect by the best critics pres
ent-and some formidable ones were
thera-and in addition he appeared far