The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-10-03

of sixty, with abundant white hair
pulled above eyes still black and bright
with a IRE that must once have kindlcd
flame In many n heart, caught the
ball Of conversation as it came her way.
In my youth We never heard OF this
thing you can mental telegraph, thcoso-
ply and the like but every now and
then there took plncc, "a now, occur
rences which puzzled the thoughtful,
though they had no name to give the
phenomena but, like most young girls.
was sceptical of all that was not d.
rcCtly natural when | thought of 1t at
ALL which was not often. until | had
the experience | am going to tell you
Of. which was so strange that 1t upset
me for some weeks. which agitation
came not SO much from the real shock
and frigh, that suffered as from the
mysterious circumstances that attended
it,
MY own home was "A country place
some fifteen miles from a large city,
where | had several families of relatives
whom | visited once or twice IA year or
whenever there was To he given any
bail or opera or festivity of sufficient
Importance for me to desire to attend
II. j was Just seventeen when royal
parsonage from Europe came across the
pond to get peep at the Yankees, ana
though democratic to the point OF being
rabid every manly head was uncovered
in the country. every manly throat
ached with cheering this parsonage. ana
every feminine heart beat high with the
hope OF having >the royal eye rest for
moment upon the new gown which was
to be had at all hazards if the family
dined on potatoes alone for year to
come.
| "There were TO be n series OF enter
tainments given in honor Of His High
ness and |. like all the rest OF the
world, must attend In all the iinery my
ather's ample means allowed me. From
my mothers side of the family ! mad
Inherited some very fine diamonds,
amounting In value II over $1,000 ana
even a great deal more in those days,
when these gems were not so common,
and on this occasion | leased my father
to let me wear them.
II had no mother to tell me that such
rich jewelry was not In the best OF
| taste on one 30 young and an unmarried
| woman, so when ! started for the city
| | carried the diamonds with me. But
my maid was an elderly woman. who
had also been my nurse since my
motherless babyhood. and the jewels
were in her care. Unfortunately, how
| ever Marian fell Ill the day after
| left home, and being confined to her bed
| was dependent on my aunts maid for
service in my dressing, sc. In order
| to tighten this woman's duties, which
were heavy, as my cousins also fire.
quently required her aid as hairdresser
and seamstress, | looked after my
clothes and waited on myself as much
as possible performing such acts of my
| toilet as | could.
1T thus happened one night, after
returning from h reception at the house
of foreign consul. l disrobed myself
of my trained evening dress, and slipping
on a loose sack sat down to brush my
hair before retiring. My seat was Just
| in front of n large glass above my
dresser. or what was then called a
bureau on which | had placed the
| tewelry ! had worn-the diamonds \
have spoken Of
LAS | piled the brush my eyes nat
urally fell on this mirror. which re-
| fiected the room behind me, and as
continued to look | ssw evolving itself
apparently from empty air the figure of
a man. He was well dressed. even
stylishly, and was after a fashion hand
some, but deadly pale, and his eyes
| glittered feverishly.
"He crcpt nearer and nearer to me,
see.-ling TO look only at the diamonds
loosely strewn upon the marble before
me, but his right hand was thrust into
his breast, and as he stood over me he
suddenly ierked it out and raised high
above me small Spanish dagger the
hilt of which was OF dead gold, or
Etruscan gold. as it is called. This was
set with ruhies which | noticed with
that peculiar attention to tribes so often
| displayed IN moments of danger. Up to
this rolnt | had been too terrified to call
| out or even to move. not even turning
my head to look around me- but watch
Ing the movements of the assassin AS
they were retectcd'in the mirror. But
as he brought down his hand with "A
| swift, murderous motion TO strike me
! from my Cnulr WIN n slNglt DO" tHe
spell that had held me snapped, and |
sprang to my feet with shrek OF ter
ror and rushed to the door
! Even as | ran | wondered at not en-
countering the man. but though could
not remember afterwards seeing him at
ali | did not stay. but unlocking the
door flung 1t open. still screaming AZ
fast as the sounds could issue from my
fps. 1t happened that two OF my young
men cousins had fingered later than
| the rest of the family at the entertain
Iuent referred TO- ana having just come
in were coming up the main staircase
close to my room. Rushing to these
threw myself into the arms OF the near
est. Christopher. shrleking. The man.
! the man"
THE two young men hurried 10 my
room and looked about, but could see no
one The windows were all fastened
and as ! had myself just come out OF
| the single door to the apartment, ana
| from which no one else could have
slipped without our seeing him, the on,y
chance was for the burglar To have con-
! ccllel himself In the room
by This time the rest Of the household