The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-05-03

Ihe ZONES came two distinct regions.
one OF them needle-Ifke peaks, the
otne OF bold, precipitous mountains.
IL was very warm that evening and
l c0ntented myself with pacing to
and fro under the rustling trees. gaz.
ing at the mountains aud listening to
the strains of the band, pouring from
the Casino, situated on a knoll that
overlooked the grounds
PRESENTLY, l perceived the father
and daughter CO ming toward me with
slow steps. / bowed to them in that
pleasant continental fashion with
which n always salutes his hotel
companions The gentlemen halted
at once.
Pardon me, sir" said he, "but
may l ask if you can direct us to "a
snort walk, easy and pretty, if posi-
ble?:"
"Certainly," I answered. and l Of
fered to lead them myself to the val
ley through which the swift river
f1ows-a deep, narrow cleft between
two great declivities, rocky and
wooded.
They accepted, and as we walked
we naturally discussed the virtue of
the mineral waters. They had, as |
surmised. come there on his daugh-
ter's account.
"She has a strange malady," said
he. 1.-THE seat of which her physicians
cannot determine. She suffers from
the most inexplicable nervous symp-
toms. Sometimes they declare her
i'll OF heart disease: sometimes of a
liver complaint. again Of a spinal
trouble. At present they attibute it
to the stomach-that great motor
and regulator of the body-this pro-
team disease of a thousand forms, q
thousand modes of attack. 1t is why
We are here. l. myself, think it her
nerves In any case it is very sad."
This reminded me of his own jerk
ing hand.
ut may be hereditary" says L,
''your own nerves are a little dis
turbed, are they mott"
''Mine?" he answered TRANQUILITY.
mot at all; l have always possessed
the calmest nerves" Then, suddenly,
as il b%ethinking himself:
For this" touching his hand, sis
not nerves, but the result of a shock,
a terrible shock that l suffered once.
Fancy it, sir: this child Of mine has
been buried alive"
l could find nothing to say; I was
dumb with surprise.
YES" he continued. ''buried alive;
but hear the story, il is not long.
For some time past Juliette had
seemed affected with o disOrdered ac-
tion of the heart. We were finally
certain that the trouble was organic
and feared the worst. One day it
came, she was brought in lifeless-
dead. She had fallen dead while
walking in the garden. Physicians
came in haste, but nothing could be
done. She was gone. For two days
and two nights l watched beside her
myself, aud with my WI hands
placed her in her coffin, which l fol-
lowed to the cemetery and saw placed
in the family vault. This was in
the country, in the Province Of Lor-
ralne.
1T had been my wish, to +, that
she should be buried in her jewels,
bracelets, necklace, and rings, all
presents that l had given her, and in
her first bal dress. You can i'm
agine, sir, the state of my heart in
returning home. She was all that l
had left: my wife had been dead for
many years. l returned, in truth,
half-mad, shut myself alone in my
room and fell into my chair dazed,
unable to move, merely a miserable,
breathing wreck.
s.So0n my old valet, Prosper, who
had helped me place Juliette IN her
coffin and lay her away for her last
sleep, came in nOiselessly to see II ne
could not induce me to eat / shook
my head, answering nothing. lie
persisted:
Monsieur is wrong; this will
make him i'll. Will monsieur allow
me, then, to put him to bed"
"'No, no. 1 answered. Let me
alone
"He yielded and withdrew.
GLOW msny hours passed l do not
know. What a night! What a night.
1t was very cold: my fire Of logs had
long since burned out in the great
fireplace: and the wind, a wintry
blast, charged with an icy frost,
howled and screamed about the house
and strained at my windows with a
curiously sinister sound.
Long hours, l say, rolled by. l
sat still where l had fallen. pros
trated, overwhelmed: my eyes wide
open. but my body strengthless.
dead: NV soul drowned in despa r.
Suddenly the great bell gave a loud
peal.
Il gave such a leap that my chair
cracked under me. The slow. solemn