Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-08-02

stranger some terrible mystery in her
existence, to implorc his help, his
succor?
'sThen." said Carroll. as the mo rn-
ing broke, ''she knows the interest
with which, insane as it may appear,
she inspired me. If an affinity be
necessary fer these black arts, the
affinity exists between u.s."
At breakfast the ladies chartered of
the coming performance of that even
ing; the final one before Kosmys de-
parted. The two, by their own wish,
ate apart.
Carroll was silent and absorbed,
pale and nervous
Carroll asked himself, now, in the
broad daylight, whether he were not
the victim of hallucinat;on. The pan
of Goals was certainly in his room;
but he might have dreamed the rest.
Through the tenseness of his thought
he heard Batcheller saying:
The daughter is going to be put
into trance to- night, and we are to
see some wonderful instances of
thought-reading on her part. 1 believe
kosmys says he is keeping the best
for the last"
Yes" SAID Mrs. Trevelyan, Il have
invited two or three dozen people
over. Kosmys just now sent me word
that his daughter would not appear
during the day. They are preparing
themselves in quiet, l suppose.
Il wonder if the girl is really the
fall ~l~e
Eyck, to Batcheller, in low tone.
Batcheller gave a laugh and shrug.
Cad. who knows? With people of
| that kind" Carroll felt his ears
tingle-he could have struck the
! speaker.
AT o'clock of the afternoon he
went to his room. Upon his dressing
table was small folded paper. All
day he had been ceaselessly restless
| He had seemed to himself always to
be waiting for something. He knew
not what He read over the follow
ing lines:
Have l erred in thinking that you
are friend? | shall know, if you
will go to the small conservatory after
the performance tonight. A slave
begs this-a bond slave; since the
earliest girlhood in the grasp of a
terrible power. Help! help! to escape
from bondage! have tried to reach
your soul with mine. Did / succeed
last night? Have you OWNED the
truth? A horrible fate threatens me.
The future will be worse than the
past. The future? Who knows if |
shall have one? He knows everything,
this man. If he learns what | am
attempting, he will kill me, for hold
| all his secrets in my hand" There
was no signature.
''The brute!'' cried Carroll to him
| self. His doubts had vanished. This
was direct appeal He felt the need
of infinite circumspection. He must
so act that no suspicion should be
aroused. He went to the small con-
servatory and studied its entrance and
exits, and the way by which he could
| best reach it that night unseen.
BY 0 o'clock Mrs. Trevelyan's guests
had assembled. Carroll looked mar
rowly at Kosmys as he entered. SAT
| least he has discovered nothing as
yet" he thought.
"The daughter looks ILL.," whispered
Mrs. Van Eyck to her neighbor. Car
roll overheard, but he avoided looking
at the girl, as she, he felt, avoided
looking at him.
She was seated in chair and then
Kosmys. concentrating his gaze upon
her, put her to sleep. She appeared
to struggle against the influence, and
Kosmys, with a CLEAN in his eye that
made Carroll clench his hand against
his side, leaned over her, and made
passes with his fingers. There was
something, to Carroll, evil, furious
! in the magician's insistence. At last
the trance was complete. The girl,
reading the silent thoughts of this
guest or that, began interpre ting
their wishes, lighting lamp, finding
a book, repeating a verse of poetry
recalled in Mrs. Trevelyan's mind.
| Suddenly she staggered and fell. A
score of men sprang forward. Kosmys
alone did not move.
There was physician among the
guests invited for that evening. He
bent over the girl, and after mo-
ment he said in quiet voice:
''She is dead!'
Murderer! You have killed her!'
shouted Carroll, springing toward
| Kosmys.
Several hands collared him.
"Are you mad, MANI" cried Batch
eller. is it likely that the fell ow
would kill his greatest aid?'
Carroll went abroad. Months passed
before any speech came from him as
to the happenings at Mrs. Trevel-
vans. Then, returning, he met the
| physician who had been present on
that last night, and irresistibly inn
PEELED, he unbosomed himself.
| ''Of course | can never explain it.
| No one can. But L am morally cer-
tain that the girl was that fellow
victim, entrapped as child, trained
! to aid him in his work, and, finally,
having grown to woman's estate, pur-
sued by attentions that were odious
to her. She saw that was interested
and strove to reach me, that l might
help her. She dreaded him. She
! thought he would discover her at