The record-union., 1891-07-11

allowed in to hear the music on such Oc-
casions were gone, / noticed two or three
still waiting about. One in particular,
remarkably tall man in long, dark
cloak, and with some sort of hood over
his head like a monks cowl. was stand
ing under one of the mess windows with
his back to me. l Sauntered into my
room, lit cigar, and came out again to
muse mus in the quiet moonlight over the
''Tenebraen and the ''Stazione." BY this
time the loiterers were all gone except
the tall, cleaked man, who appeared to
have never moved or changed his posi-
ton since I saw him first. The open win
dows of the inesS-room were still aglow,
and through the boughs of row OF lank
trees along the inclosure wall one could
see the distant twinkling lights of the
town.
Something in the appearance of this
solitary shrouded figure attracted and
fixed my attention. To be so attired in
warm, balmy night like this, in semi
tropical climate, seemed peculiar And
1 had already been struck with his phe-
nomenal stature. contrasted with those
who had been standing beside him. Who
could the man be, and what on earth was
he waiting for? 1t crossed my mind that
this must be either one of the dominoed
incogniti who had been following in the
Passion procession, or else one of the
Capuchins from neighboring monas-
terry; but friar would hardly stroll in to
listen to military band, and then stand
stock still alone under the windows of
the officers mess. With the momentary
passing thought came the sound of pretty
loud talking, and occasionally laugh,
from the lit-up anteroom opposite, where
it was plain some of our fellows must be,
probably engaged at whist loo, or some
other card game. Why, | cannot tell,
but along with feeling of indefinable
repulsion toward him, an impulse seized
me to watch the muffied stranger closely,
and at the same time an awakening con-
sciousness that | had better walk straight
over and ask the man what he wanted
there at that time of night. As my gaze
fastened itself on the motionless figure,
whose head seemed in the bright moon
light to be bent little to one side in an
intent listening attitude, l became con-
scious of kind of chill and numbness
creeping through my limbs, with that
horrible sense of inability to move for
ward one occasionally experiences in
dreams when something dreadful is GO
ing to happen which one wants to avert.
Yes, whoever the man was, most assur-
edly he must be watching and waiting
and listening for something or somebody
in the meSs-room, with that strained in
tentness yet absolute quiescence of post
urei But why this vehement and alto
gether unaccountable foreboding of i'm
( pending evil borne in upon me?
| These bethinkings, however, were all
! the work of few seconds, when, with
/ eyes still riveted on the mysterious
/ watcher, heard several voices within the
room calling out in excited tones as
/ though some alteration were going on.
| One voice above all the others came with
a kind of strident sharpness through the
open window, in which it was easy to
recognize D--'s hard and distinct ac-
cents. ] seem TO hear the words raSp-
ing out as | write. II tell you I dealt
myself the ace Of spades;n then another
! voice, young Ms, "I'Il take my oath
! you didn't and then terrible impreca-
1 ton from D, which | viii not repeat,
invoking the Prince Of Darkness to the
ruin of his soul and body if what he had
stated was not the truth.
As the last words struck on my ear the
! tall, cloaked figure made an instantane-
Gus movement, leaped up with light,
swift spring TO the wlndOw-Sill he was
/ standing under, and disappeared through
/ the muslin curtains into the room, for [
was unable to see further into it from my
position. Another instant, and an ear
piercing scream rang out-a harsh, APP
! palling cry as Of mingled pain, rage and
terror from one in dire eXtremity-and
/ to my horror and utter amazement he in
the cloak reappeared at the window with
! D gripped in his arms, and half slung
/ over one shoulder, apparently struggling
! desperately. One instant both faces were
visible in the moonlight, D-'s CHASTITY
1 and convulsed the other set back in its
domino, from the eyelets of which L was
near enough to catch, as I tancied,
! lightning-flash of fiendish malignancy
and exuitation. Ere / could collect my
! bewildered senses sufficiently TO rush
across to stop them, which [ did mo-
ment later, both men had vanished
round an angle of the building. After
! them [ rushed, shouting to the gate-sen-
! try to alarm the guard, but on reaching
| the rear of the block not soul was in
| sight. Out turned the guard and telling
! the sergeant to take a file and search the
| inclosure tor two men fighting, / ran
round to the mess-room. Meanwhile
and before | could reach the entrance
door TO the mess, the bell inside was ring
! ing out peal after peal, and an officer
came tearing out full tilt, nearly knock
! ing me down. What is it?'' I burst out
! Where's C-?" (our regimental doc
tor. rs he in his quarters?'' was the
/ simultaneous counter question, and away
! he rushed toward the quarter where DR..
! C was located. I ran into the ante
room, along with one or two of the mess
walters, helter-skelter. And what a sight
! inside! There huddled in a group, with
4 pale, scared faces, whist table over
! turned, and q litter Of cards strewed all
over the floor, were some half dozen of
my comrades OF the --th, stopping over
! the PROSTATE form of D, who lay mo-
! tionIess, with lips apart, eyeballs fixed
and staring. his head lying back sup
ported by one of our fellows. 1t was a
| terrible moment. The surgeon, c.,
came in a minute after, tore open DIS
waistcoat and shirt, looked hard at him,
knelt down and put his ear to the
/ drawn mouth, felt about the region of the
| heart and shook his head. Life was ex-
| tinct.
! AS for myself, could hardly believe
my senses. The man l had just seen bod
/ lily carried off struggling in the arms of
an unknown individual, lying here dead
lit seemed an absolute hallucination! l
was too taken aback to ask single ques-
ton; but as my inquiring eyes went
round the circle of assembled officers, I