The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-09-28
A VISION.

The hostess, an elegantly dressed lady
of 60, with abundant white hair pulled
above eyes still black and bright with a
fire that must once have kindled flame
in many a heart. caught the ball Of CON-
versation as it came her way.
"In my youth we new heard of this
thing you call mental telegraph, theoso-
ply and the like, but every now and
then there took place, IS now, occur
renoes which puzzled the thoughtful,
though they had no name to give the
phenomena. But, like most young girls,
I was skeptical of all that was not di-
rectly natural when I thought Of it at
all, which was not often, until I had
the experience I am going to tell you of,
which was so strange that il upset me
for some weeks, which agitation came
not so much from the real shock and
fright that I suffered a from the mys-
terious circumstances that attended it.
my own home was a country place
some Is miles from a large city, where
I had several families of relatives
whom / visited once or twice o. year or
whenever there was to be given n
ball or opera or festivity of sufficient
Importance for me to desire to attend
it. / was just II when a royal person
age from Europe came across the pond
to get q peep at the Yankees, and though
democratic TO the point Of being rabid
every manly head was uncovered in
the country. every manly throat ached
with cheering this parsonage, and every
feminine heart beat high with the hope
of having the royal eye rest for D mo
ment upon the new gown which was to
be had at all hazards If the family dined
on potatoes alone for a year to come
There were to be a series of enter
tainments given in honor of his high
ness, andI, like all therest Of the world,
must attend in all the finery my father 8
ample means allowed me. From my
mothers sideof the family i had inner
tied some very fine diamonds, amount
ing in value to over $40, 900, and even
a great deal more in those days. when
these gems We're not SO common, and on
this occasion I leased my father TO let
me wear them.
"I had no mother to tell me that such
rich jewelry was not in the best OF taste
ON one SO young and an unmarried WON
an, 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
are. Unfortunately, however, Marian
fell i'll the day after / left home, and
being confined to her bed / was depend
emit ON my annt's maid for services In
my dressing, etc. In order to tighten
this woman's duties, which were heavy,
as my cousins also frequently required
her aid us hairdresser and seamstress, i
looked after my clothes and waited on
myself as much as possible, performing
such acts of my toilet as / could.
"It thus happened that one night,
after returning from q reception ali the
house of a foreign consul, / 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 a large glass above
my dresser, or what was then called a
bureau on which / had placed the
iewelry I had worn-the diamonds /
have spoken Of.
"As I piled the brush my eyes nat
urally fell ON this mirror, which reject
ed the room behind me, and as I con
tinued to look / saw evolving itself APP
parently from empty air the figure Of q
man. He waswell dressed, even stylish
~, and was after a fashion handsome,
but deathly pale, and his eyes glittered
feverishly.
He crept nearer and nearer to me,
seeming 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 lie
suddenly jerked it ont and raised high
above me a small Spanish dagger, the
hilt of which was of a dead gold, or
Etruscan gold, as it is called. This was
set with rubies, which / noticed with
that peculiar attention to trif1cs so often
displayed in moments ct danger. Up ia
this point I had been too terrified To cal
out or even to move, not even turning
my head to look around me, but watch.
ing the movements Of the assassin ia
they were reflected in the mirror. But
as he brought down his hand with
swift, murderous motion to strike mi
from my chair with a single blow ths
spell that had held me snapped, and ]
sprang to my feet with a shrek Of ter.
ror and rushed to the door.
Even as / ran I wondered al not en-,
countering the man, bat though { could