The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-11-30
"He is thinking of Nina" said Mari

''But often, even when I am here,
find him sitting before that plaster cast"
said Mariette, sullenly.
"Oh, it's perfectly platonic," laughed
Ernest.
s.Bah!' said Rose; s'you don't object
to plaster rival, do your"
ITO the health of Nina, cried Ernest.
Charles looked up quickly. These
jibes cut him to the heart.
"Mina was good girl he said.
"That remains to beseen," cried Mari
site; 81 am good girl, too, am not!'
"You will be when you are dead"
Knocked Ernest.
"Charles, said Marietta, confess that
you love Nina stillr'
"No; do not!'
"More than you love meT'
"No, no! | love you"
every well, then prove it, There is
that horrid skull that you keep as a
sacred relic. I've seen it grinning up
there long enough. Let us make the
punch in it,"
''Ah, that's an original idea!' cried
Ernest. sMariette, you have the imag-
| ination of poet.
$50 be it then" said Charles, and
rising he placed the skull in the middle
of the table.
II am the one to light it," said Mari
cite triumphantly, pouring the liquor
into this CHASTITY cup.
Suddenly the punch was afire, the
tongues of blue flame mixing amorously
with the smoke of the cigars. An odor
deadly and mephitic exhaled from the
skull. Phosphorescent flames rose and
fell in strange colors of decay, and the
smoke rose in purple spirals into the air.
Charles felt a shiver clutch him in its
cold fingers from head to foot. Marietta
showed her teeth in the horrible joy of
secured vengeance. The rain fell
heavily outside, the windows shook.
Little by little drunkenness overcame
these ribald beings who jested with the
sacred mysteries of death. Then Marietta
began to sing a song composed by
Charles for Nina, mockingly begging
him not to weep.
AS Charles heard the words of the
song chanted in her pitiless voice, his
heart beat fast, something rose in his
throat, his voice failed and his head fell
heavily forward upon the table. His
sudden movement overturned the skull,
and the burning brandy touched the
thin folds eff Mariette's dress. Her awful
cry of terror was lost in the flames
which enveloped her.
Charles remained in delirious con-
dition. Idiotic cries burst from his lips,
and in spite of himself, he rested his
eyes upon the mask of plaster, whose
eyes remained fixed upon his with a
steady persistence that held his own.
He began to repeat the words of his
early love and those of Nina when she
was happy with him, and finally those
that she had uttered when she felt the
end of all their happiness approaching:
81 love you so dearly, my beloved one.
cannot give youup. Ishall come back
sometimes at night to speak to you"
Feverish and trembling he drank greed
lily the last glass Of punch at his elbow.
Suddenly the cast detached itself from
the wall and came forward through the
clouds of smoke. He felt the sweat
start from every pore.
A sigh fell upon the air; he felt it pass
his cheek, moist and terrible; breath
from the tomb. A cry struggled to his
lips, but died there. His voice choked
in his throat. The figure approached,
and the student recognized the beloved
of his youth. Silent tears were flowing
from the hollow sockets of the eyes, and
as she bent toward him Charles felt her
lips upon his forehead-lips as hard and
cold as marble. Then the phantom
raised her hand, pointing with her
skeleton finger to the clock, which was
at the stroke of 8. AS Charles felt his
heart fail in his breast and his veins turn
to ice the vision faded.
Day was just beginning; the first rays
of a bright sun lit up the windows of
the little room in the Rue Ores. Charles
awoke from profound sleep. He looked
about sleepily upon the confusion which
surrounded him and endeavored to recall
the events of the past night.
"These glasses and empty bottles; that
is NATURAL he muttered, land / have
slept here on the table, but-what time
is it?'
He walked dizzi1y to the chimney.
The hands were at the hour of 8,
and the clock had stopped. He remem-
bered the frightful vision of the night
and the accident to Mariette, and he
hurried to the adjoining room.
"Mariette, Mariette!'' he cried. No
body answered. Charles opened the
door violently. Ernest and Rose were
upon their knees beside the bed.
"Mariette!" cried Charles.
"She is Dead" replied Ernest. =
, "Dead?'
ayes, at o'clock"
''Mina is avengedr' said Charles sink
ing upon his knees.-Adapted for Ar
gonaut from the French of Frederic de
Reiffenberg.
Consumption carries off