The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1893-04-14

set forth the Crucifxion over the door
Of the church. and his quick eyes
scanned everything within sight. To
the left, no figure resembling the one
he sought was to be seen, but on the
right, he fancied that among n score
Of persons now rapidly dispensing he
could distinguish a moving shadow
just within one of the archways, black
against the darkness. In an instant
he had crossed the way and was hur-
rying through the gloom. Already
far before him. but visible, and, as he
believed, unmistakable, the shade
was speeding onward, light as mist,
noiseless as thought, but yet clearly
to be seen and followed. He cried
aloud as he ran:
"Beatrice, Beatricei"
His strong voice echoed along the
dark walls and out into the court be-
yond. 1t was intensely cold, and the
still air carried the sound clearly to
the distance. She must have heard
him, she must have known his voice.
"a do oiAo oooCo IN UPON DlttCt, diIu
the gray light fell upon her, he could
see that she did not raise her bent
head nor slacken her speed.
He ran on, sure of overtaking her
IN the passage she had now entered,
for she seemed to be only walking,
while he was pursuing her at a head
long pace. But in the narrow tunnel,
when he reached it, she was not,
though at the farther end he imagined
that the fold of a black garment was
just disappearing. He emerged into
the street. in which he could now see
in both directions to a distance of fifty
yards or more. He was alone. The
rusty iron shutters of the little shops
were all barred and fastened, and
every door within the range of his
vision was closed. He stood still in
surprise and listened. There was no
sound to be heard. not the grating of
a lock, nor the tinkling of a bell, nor
the fall of Il footstep.
He did not pause long, for he made
up his mind as to what he should do
in the flash of q moments intuition.
1t was physically impossible that she
should have disappeared into any of
the houses which had their entrances
within the dark tunnel he had just
traversed. Apart from the presump-
tive impossibility of her being lodged
in such q quarter, there was the self
evident fact that he must have heard
the door opened and closed. Sec
ondly, she could not have turned to
the right, for in that direction the
street was straight and without n
lateral exit. so that he must have
seen her. Therefore she must have
gone to the left, since on that side
there was a narrow alley leading out
of the lane, at some distance from the
point where he was now standing
too far, indeed, for her to have
reached it unnoticed, unless, as was
possible, he had been greatly de-
ceived in the distance which had
lately separated her from him.
Without further hesitation, he
turned to the left. He found no one
in the way, for it was not yet loon,
and at that hour the people were
either at their prayers or at their Sun
day mornings rotations, and the place
was as deserted as a disused cemetery.
Still he fastened onward, never paus-
ing for breath, till he found himself
all at once in the great ring. He
knew the city we'll, but, in his race,
he had bestowed no attention upon
the familiar windings and turnings,
thinking only of overtaking the fleet
ing vision, no matter how, no matter
where. Now. or a sudden, the great,
irregular square opened before him,
thanked or the n side by the fantastic
spires of the Teyn Church, and the
blackened front of the huge Kinsky
palace, on the other by the half
modern town hall, with it's ancient
tower, it's beautiful porch, and the
graceful oriel which forms the .apse of
the chapel in the second story.
: One OF the city watc men. mufied
in his military overcoat, and conspic-
uous by the great bunch of dark
feathers hat dropped from his black
hat, was standing idly at the corner
tIOul WulCll Vic Wduuerof elucFSeu.
The latter thought of inquiring
whether the mar had seen a lady
pass, but the fellows vacant stare
convinced him that no questioning
would elicit a satisfactory answer.
Moreover, as he looked across the
square he caught sight of a retreating
figure dressed in black. already at
such q distance as to make posi-
tive recognition impossible. In his
haste he found no time to convince
himself that no living woman could
have thus outrun him. and he instant
ly resumed his pursuit, gaining rapid
ly upon her he was following. But it
is not an easy matter to overtake even
a woman, when she has an advantage
of a couple Of hundred yards, and
when the race is a short one. He
passed the ancient astronomical clock,
just as the little bell was striking the
third quarter after eleven. but he did
not raise his head to watch the sad
faced apostles as they presented their
stiff figures in succession at the two
square windows. When the black
eyed cock under the small Gothic arch
ah0vo Hoppa6 bic ,yoo3a, ,u;,rs ,a1