The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-10-19
A STRANGE STORY.

One spring twilight, in the year 1893,
a man, young and handsome, sat writ
ing in the chamber of secluded house
not far from the old Electoral palace of
Mayence.
Suddenly he dropped his pen with a
startled cry. The face of woman, dim
and yet perfectly distinct, had appeared
between him and his work. He looked
up. 1t hung fowerlike in the air above
him. He rushed toward the open win
dow-it was there, smiling sadly in the
fading light. Adam LUX stretched out
his arms passionately to the vision.
"Ah, you come to me again. he said.
"Who are you? Why do you pursue ME?
Beautiful shadow, whittier shall go to
find your substance? Do you exist in
the flesh, or are You only spirit-de-
lusive as maddening?"
"Adam-Eo Adam" girls voice
called from the court below; ''leave your
stupid writing and come down to me!
1t is l-Margarethe!"
Adam Lux passed his hands across his
eyes, The voice of Marguerite dissolved
the spell which held him.
His dream maiden vanished. He de-
scended corkscrew stair to court full
of shadows, where girl dressed as for
fete stood dabbling her plump hands
in the fountain.
you have forgotten my birthday,
cousin" she pouted. 'Of late you think
of nothing but liberty, fraternity, equal
ity like those mad folks in Paris who
have cut off the head of their king"
Pardon me, | did forget! am buta
sorry lover, Marguerite.
She sighed deeply.
"You are no lover of mine. Adam.
Ours is a betrothal of hands, not of
hearts. You care nothing for love-"
He took turn across the court. He
mad a fine face, with dark brows arch
ing over violet eyes, and faxen hair
slightly powdered. A strange smile APP
peared on his lips.
81 love-not flesh and blood, Marga-
fethe, but phantom, a shadow" he
answered, with his eyes full of dreams.
Listen! 1t came to me one night as |
was walking in the gardens of the Elec-
toral palace, woman's face, white as
marble-white as one of the garden
lilies Just blown; in the chin deep
dimple; about the perfect mouth an e1-
preston of sadness and gravity; a-faee
with great eyes of unfathomable dark
ness, fringed with lashes as black as
night, and hair dark also and lustrous,
the full rich cnrls, tipped with auburn,
~
pearl"
"Oh," cried Marguerite in dismay,
show very beautiful she must be!
Surely there is no woman like that in
all Mayencew
"True," he answered, NOR in the
world, fear. 1t is the ghost of some
Greek goddess that has entered my
brain and will not be dislodged. To-
night she came to me again in the cham
Der above stairs. Itwas your voice that
frightened her away
Tears stood in Margarethe's eyes. She
was jealous and perplexed
st was wrong of me to tell you these
THINGS" he continued. You are mere
child marguerite, with the heart OF q
child Come, let us talk of other mat
tiers. A great honor has been conferred
upon me by the people Of Mayence. !
have been chosen a deputy to go to Paris
and request the annexation of this city
to France
PARISH sobbed Marguerite. "That
is long way off When will you go:~
"Tomorrow-by diligence"
You will never. never come back
Adam
Heaven only knows" he answered
quietly.
Lux was an ardent Republican. The
mission to Paris suited him well. His
handsome head was full Of other and
more dangerous phantoms than dream
maidens. On the following day he
kissed poor, weeping Marguerite goodby
in the old court, and started for the
French capital, where Jean Paul Marat
was then at the height of his terrible
power.
Lux took lodgings in the Rue St
Honore and hurried to the convention to
solicit, in the name Of German repub-
licans. the annexation of his native city
10 France. The chamber on that day
was full of tunult. Marat-hideous,
loud mouthed-preaching massacre and
anarchy, was the leader of La Montague.
AS he ranted in the tribune, Adam Lux
looked at him in disgust. His head was
too large for his body; his lean, sickly
face was sunspeakably repulsive, He
wore patched and dirty waistcoat, cot
ton velvet trousers stained with ink.
shoes full Of nails and tied with pack
thread, a ragged shirt, and greasy hair
confined with a thong. On his deeply
cleft mouth a sardonic grin appeared
continually. His look was full of inso-
lence and power.
"a monster in body and i'll soulF'
thought Adam Lux, who found the ax-