Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-06-02

growing, L fear, out OF your unfortu-
nately solitary and lonely childhood. A
few years of bird songs and blue sky
will cure you. Something has occurred
to you of late, dear, to remind you Of
all this. Go on. Don't be afraid to tell
me-
Yes, Julian, something did happen
to me. dom know why it was. Perhaps
my head was weak from my sickness.
But i'll the first days of my recovery, as
I lay there listlessly ON the bed, fire.
quently fell into trancelike states.
have found out since that by resisting
the feeling when it first approaches
can break the SPELL but was too weak
and lacking in determination then. This
grew upon me, and became frightened.
1 remembered what the doctor had told
me about my mother and by forcing
my mind to think of other things | have
succeeded i'll freeing myself from the
shadow. That is why l have told no one,
not even you. That is why do not like
to bring it back again.
But | don't see what all this has to
do with the portrait, = MaXey said Won
deringly.
Il will tell you, Julian. 1t was i'll one
Of those waking Nightmares that l saw
that face. Don't make me tell it, Julian!
Don't make me tell itn'
God knows | would do nothing to
cause my little wife a moments uncasi-
ness; but, darling, it so important to
our welfare-for yours and mine-that
You should speak. Let it be recalled
once and then forgotten for all time. In
one of those dreams you saw that face?'
She answered him i'll low voice:
Eyes, Julian. was lying on the bed
there, i'll the alcOve room. Something,
don't know what to call it, came over
me. 1t was more like waking dream
than anything 1 could name. My eyes
were wide open all the time 1 saw the
room and the things i'll it, just as now"
She chung closer to her husband and
went on:
Il was lying there i'll the alcOve room
looking toward the fireplace out there.
1t was just after l had been brought
back here, before | had told You my sto-
~. l was watching the red Goals i'll the
CRATE. Presently felt Il sinking, dreamy
sensation coming over HE. l did not
understand it. l was too weak to make
any resistance to it. 1t was i'll the mid
die of the day, and the room was full of
light. But though the knowledge of that
fact never left me l felt that it had
suddenly become very dark. All the
light seemed to arise from something
bursting up into a great flame i'll the
CRATE, and then between me and the fire,
with the strong glare upon it, l saw
that face Just as | have tried to draw it.
l could see the mans arms and shout
ders. He seemed to be holding some
thing to the light Of the fire and staring
at it. But that was dark. All this was
dim, but rcal-rCal as you or the room
itself-and yet all the time, if You can
understand such thing, Incver got the
real fire mixed with the fire that was i'll
my mind alone. The CRATE WAS still
there behind the face and shoulders 1t
was an apparition, and | knew it. That
was what terrified mc-nOt then, for |
never thought Of fear, but afterward,
when somebody came i'll and disturbed
me and | had time to think of it When
that disturbance came, the phantom
vanished like flash Afterward it came
to me i'll the dead of night and sudden
lv sprang up out of the darkness. Do
you wonder that was afraid such things
might get Il hold upon me and tried to
Danish it,
Then, i'll the namc of all that is in
telligible why did You sketch it,
Because, Julian. | wanted to make
it real. Then if l must think of it at all
could think of il is a picture drawn
upon canvas and persuade myself that
it was no hobgoblin that was haunting
~
feeling, but l tell you truly, after had
materialized that face it no longer had
the same terror for me. Perhaps | ought
to have concealed my work, but l never
thought of yonr questioning me. DR..
Lamar frightened ne SO How could he
over guess what was i'll my mind:'
eff You had contided i'll Lamar, you
would have done better" said MaXey
excitedly. He would not only have
driven away the ghost, but he would
have explained him to your entire salts
faction. Why, Annette, if You should
hear Lamar talk you would be aston
ished to discover what an entirely SIM
pie and scientific affair ghost is Let
me tell you something to relieve your
mind of some of its half approximations
dread. That face you saw was the
face of a real man. He WAS your evil
genius Annette; he it was who took
away Your name; he who made your life
so solitary and miserable; he who pushed
you from the sea road and unwittingly
gave you to me; he who followed you
even here, while You lay in the alcove
room helpless and sick. determined you
should die. He came here into this room.
6oi,,rr
mistoOk in the dark Ellen, who was
resting herself on my bed, for you. He
choked her to prevent her crying out by
pulling the ends of the silk haudl1er-
chief which she wore about her neck
Not quite sure even then that it was
you, he dragged her to the fireplace and
threw IN newspaper TO give him light
The noise he made had startled you
Sick as you were, you understood in z
vague way perhaps that there was dan
ger near you, for we found you sitting
up IN bed. One moment you We're look
ing into darkness The next the paper
flashed up, and you saw his face, glar-
ing in the first moments of his surprise
and alarm at the unfamiliar features of
my sister. You photographed that scene
on your mind, Annette. You know
what a power you have Of INSTALLATION.
You remember how the doctor once
questioned you about it, and you found
out what phenomenon you We're i'll
that direction. IL it SO very strange to
you now that that picture should have
come up into your mind again when
you were weak and nervous?'
The young wife looked at her hus-
band, bewildered and wondering
Il only dimly understand. you, Ju-
liam Had an evil genius? Who was
he? What had done that he should
wish me dead? Julian, you have learn
ed at last the secret of my life. What
is it?''
Tomorrow, darling! Wait till to-