The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-04

strain him to speak. But. granted the state
OF intense excitement which he felt, would
he OF throw himself upon this man, whom
, he hated as he was hated by him, aud who
had carried away bis Stilla-Stila living
and mad. mad through his fauit-and strike
him to the earth?
Franz took his position behind the arm
chair. tie only had one step TO take to
seize the Baron de Gortz, and. with SWIM
ming brain and fiery eyes, he vas just rails
Ing his hand when Stilla appeared suddenly.
Franz dropped his knife on the Garnet.
Stilia stood on the platform In full light
her hair hanging loose, her arms extended.
admirably beautiful in her width costume
as Angelica in "0rlando.' in which she had
been seen on the bastion Of the castle. Her
eyes, fixed upon the young Count, penetrated
to the very depths OF his soul.
II was impossible for her not TO see Franz
AMI yet Stllla did not make gesture 10 call
him, she did not open her lips TO speak TO
him. Alas. She was demented.
Franz was going TO spring upon the plat
form TO grasp Ter in his arms and carry her
away with him. Stilla commenced TO sing
Without leaving his armchair, the Baron de
Gortz leaned toward her in a paroxysm OF
ecstacy. The diiettante inhaled this voice
ASH it were a perfume. He drank it in
like divine nectar. Such had he been
formerly at the performances in the Italian
tbeaters. and such he was now-in this hall
amid an infinite solitude. in the top of this
dungeon, which looked out On the Transyi-
yanian countryside.
AS for Franz he stood amazed. dunn
founded, petrifed. with no thought now of
the Baron. but with his eyes fixed upon the
fair singer, his ears eagerly listening to her,
and with his soul transfxed by what
than mortal reality. There was something
weird and strange about it all. That Slilla
took no note Of him was not singular so he
thought, because he deemed her mad. and
so 1t seemed natural enough that she should
not recognize him. OF her insanity lie had
with her loss or reason, her mind had
stopped short in its normal action at
the point OF her last public appearance
as prlma donna at Naples. In manner
and appearance she exactly accorded with
his vivid recollection OF her on that Occa-
sion. The face. the costume. the action.
everything was perfect in counterpart. The
rapture Of Franz was as absorbing as that
OF the Baron, and the attention OF both was
fixed so completely upon the singer that
neither had thought of anything else. But
when she had brought the last note of the
aria to an end and stood silently bowling
first TO the right and then to the left, as
though TO large audience, the Baron
clapped bis hands and cried "BravoV The
sound OF his voice reused Franz and just as
Stilla turned to retire from her little stage
he dashed forward with an outcry aud
mounted to the platform. Advancing
quickly toward her he said:
''Stilla, Stilla, don't you know me?"
ByDot so much as turn of the head did
she show that she heard him. He rushed
at her. threw his arms about her and-to
his establishment and terror. found that she
was as impalpable as air. His arms passed
without resistance through the semblance
Of her form.
Then came sudden and complete darkness
and Franz was left alone on the stage
where ne had seen the apparition OF Stilla.
AT times OF intense excitement the human
MIND often acts with phenomenal quick
ness. An hours clear reasoning is, under
such stress, condensed into a.second. Thus
IL was with Franz Standing there he COM
pretended as clearly as though some light
from heaven had flashed it into the dark
ness the truth concerning what he had just
seen and heard. The revelation to him
before this In the chapel through the con-
yersation heard by him between the Baron
and Orfanik made him acquainted with the
fact that these men had employed the lat
est known devices Of electricity. and that,
further, the inventive skill of Orfanik
had enabled them to elaborate these
wonders of science beyond anything
known as yet to the world in
general His instantaneous conclusion was
the correct Que. Rodolphe de Gortz had
utilized the mechanical genius OF Orfank.
while In Naples. firstly. to construct an cleo
trlcal phonograph that would take In aud
preserve the vocalism OF StilIa. This mar
Vicious Instrument had been taken into
box at the opera by tho Baron night after
night, and by means OF Ii he had preserved
the singing Of the prima donna he passion
ately worshiped. This was the box that
Franz had seen the Baron manipulate
here in the old room of the castle, ana
1t was not Stilla who sang, but this
scientific echo OF her singing that he heard.
Secondly, the figure that he had believed for
the time to be that Of the living woman was
an Illusion. Many years ago all London
was puzzled by what afterwaid became
known as Peppers ghosts. Every after
noon Tor many days In succession ghostly
figures of men and women were seen walk
ing in the air above the heads Of the people
in a certain thoroughfare. These ghosts
had every appearance of life. They scared
some Of the spectators. amused others and
cngrossed the attention Of scientists until
the cause was found. An inventive genius
named Pepper had devised n way to project
these images from the window of his room
out into the open space beyond.
Franz WAS right IN his instantaneous solu.
tioD Of the mystery Of Stilla's appearance.
Orfanik had cuDningly brought out from
the idea OF Peppers ghost. an apparatus
which would photograph person c0ntinu-
ously during several minutes, and with this
wonderful camera the Baron had been able
70 preserve the Image Of Stilla "a 1t APP