The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1893-10-06

| ne run aWay-and leave IL lOr Whllhs OF
o dreamer fit for hysterical woman.
"Per baccoi' l told myself. PAY no
attention to the thingl Letu be a man,
what, the deucer
And / returned home that evening as
usual. after having dined and visited the
| cafe.
l had planned to work hard that even
ing, in order to make haste to finish.
Having entered the house l made as
usual an inspection of the apartment
and found everything as before. Not
even a chair out Of place. Then went
into my study and lighted the gas, to be-
gin work
But as soon as seated myself at the
desk and cast glance upon the manu-
script where | had left off writing, a
marvellous. amazing surprise awaited
| me.
You must know that was writing
novel-oh, what novel; Something
fine, exceptionally finel A romance like
that surely no one ever wrote. The
real and the fanciful, the romantic, the
classic, the naturalistic, were skillfully
mingled in it.
Now that day when went out | had
interrupted the story at very interest
| ing point, and the period ended thus:
"He burst into a sonorous laugh OF
scorn; he was very sure that the time of
phantoms and specters was long pastl
That apparition then gave him no fear.
It must be trick"
/ had left it there.
Taking up the pen in order to con-
tinue. with my good cigar lighted in my
mouth, cast my eyes on the paper, and
what did [ seef
Just heavensl What indeedl
Directly below the last line written by
me had been written one word only:
Fool There it was, ironical and men,
acing, in Gothic letters, which showed
the handwriting Of former age.
Who had traced this scornful and
mocking word? You can imagine wheth-
er remained amazed. will say y-eyen
more-I felt an impression of terror
Ny servant did not know how to read or
write. No one had come into the house
during the day. Then by whom had the
words been written?
grew livid and felt myself shudder.
sprang to my feet. / felt the hair
stand on end upon my head and cold
perspiration trickle down my foreheadl
Tic, the accursed stuffed cat looked
fixedly at me, and his green eyes seemed
to dilate and become variegated with
O thousand colors. But was that cat
really stuffed? Or was he not rather
alive by virtue of some witchcraftP
All at once reused myself, | had a
feeling of shame and rage; and furious,
striking with heavy fist on the writing
desk, exclaimed:
"But who is the demon who has writ,
ten this word? I would like to know
, him to twist his neckT
If / were to live thousand years,
, shall never forget what happened then.
| had hardly finished speaking those
, words when the study resounded will
mocking laughter--dry, strident, infer
a nal.
! Then the wall opened suddenly, an(
there came forth woman wrapped il
q great black mantle. And Tic, the &C
D cursed cat, made leap from his pilla.
+ and mewing as he had never mewed il
! his lifetime went to rub himself agains
that mysterious being.
| drew back more dead than alive
' Still, had enough presence of mind t
! stretch hand behind me, open drawe
/ of the desk and take out loaded re
yolver. AS soon as l had seized tn
weapon felt safer
, raised my arm and pointed the re
' volver at that being, with the exclama
ton:
| "Now, we will see who you arel"
Alasi Once, twice, thrice touched til
q trigger, but the revolver was no longe
{ obedient.
Y The mysterious figure made two stel
|, toward me. The black mantle that Oh
folded her fell to the floor.
o What fearful sight 1t was not
!, man nor woman TWAS skeleton
i skeleton with two lights flaming in il
0 empty, cavernous eye sockets-a skeleto
: that laughed satanically, while the CO
0 Tic made fantastic and wild leaps.
1t vast was Death!
n
A In the morning they found me insens
!. BILE in my den. The servant ran to ca
o physician, who found me in hig
!. fever. My family hastened from th
r country. was taken care of, treate
{ and cured. But the fact remains, IN
a hair had turned gray,
O When I was able to return to my deI
4 the cat Tic was no longer there. M
wife had made coup d'etat and sent
r to be thrown into the river. The colum
, had also disappeared, 1t had been give
: away, / do not know to whom.
o My manuscript was, however, still
/ its place Only the word "Foolp was L
o longer there
/. Then it had not been written9
o Still was very sure of having read
!. Who knows? If the cat Tic had sti
}. been there, perhaps he could have tol
me. But poor Tic was there no more.
Il Then, what am ! to think9
d Whatshall believe2-Translated Fro
n. a..