Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1895-06-13

| glass admitted light enough to see all
| thai There WaS to lie seen. and close To
| this cNlemporiZcd window hung the
| mirror alluded To IL beautiful thing.
/ set in Silvc.' OF antique workmanship
the cosllinesS of which nj once rec
| cSnlzed. though into the glass itself
dared not for Il moment Icok. The old.
I man showed me With some pride that
the door to this marrow den of his
I locked from within.
/ II made the lock and key. and fitted
it all myself he said. Look how
neat and strong! Yes! ] VAS clever
once ut all that wCrk-it WAS my
lladr-till that morning when found
hrr With the singer from Venice. then
forgot all ] used to know-it Went
away somehow. | could never under
stand why. Here is the tiSlcrnanS
suit; YOU can take your time to put it
on-fastcn the door--the room is mt
your service"
And lie nodded several times in n
manner that WAS meant to he friend
ly, and left me. followed lis advice
at once and locked myself in. Then
stepped steadily 10 the mirror hanging
on the wall, and looked ut my own re-
Election. y bitter pang shot through
me. Tie dealers sight VAS good. he
had said truly. WAS old! If twenty
years of suffering lad passed over my
head they could hardly have changed
me more terribly. My illness had
thinned my face and marked it with
deep lines of pain: my eyes had re-
treated far back into my head. while Il
ccrlain wildneSS of expression in them
bore witness to the torrors | had suf-
/ i'm lao, ,,.l
my hair WAS indeed perfectly white
! understood now the alarm of tho
man who had sold me grapes on the
highway that morling-my appear
ance wHS strange enough to Star1lc
any one. Indeed. scarcely recognized
{ myself. Would my wifc-would Guido
recognize me! Almost doubted it.
This thought WAS so painful to mo
that the tears sprang 10 my eyes. |
brushed them away in haste.
Pie on thee. IIbio. BE Il man" |
said. addressing myself angrily. "Of
what matter after all whether hairs
are black or white: What matter
how the face changes. so long as the
heart is true: For Il moment. per-
maps. Thy love may grow pale ut sight
of thee: but when she knows of thy
Sllt!erlnGs. wilt thou not be dcarcr 10
her than ever? Will not one of her
soft embraces rccOmpense thee for all
thy past anguish. and suffice to make
| thee young again?"
/ And thus encouraging my sinking
spirits. quickly nrrayed myself in
the Nclpoitan coral-fishor's garh. Tho
trousers We're very loose and were
provided with two long deep pockets
convenient reccptaclcs which easily
contained the lcathern bags of gold
and jewels had taken from the brig
and's coffin. When my hasty toilet
was completed took another hasty
glance mt the nirror-this time with IL
half smile. True. ! was greatly al
tered hut after all did not look so
bad. The tishcrman's picturesque
costume became me we'll; the scarlet
cap sat iauntily on the snow-white
curls that clustered so thickly over my
forehead. and the consciousness had
of approaching happiness sent Il little
of the old fearless luSter back into my
sunken eyes. Besides knew should
not always have this careworn and
wasted appearances: rest. and perhaps
Il change of air. would infallibly re-
store the roundncss to my face ana
the freshness to my complexion. Even
my white locks might return to their
pristine color-suc.l things had been
and supposins they remained white
well. there We're many who wonll.
admire the peculiar contrast between
Il young mans face and an old mans
hair.
Having finished dressing. unlocked
the door of the stutfy cabin and called
| the old rlg-pcker. He came shu1lling
nj will Il
his eyes as lie approached me, lie
| threw up his hands i'll aStoniShmant,
eNclaiming:
"Santissima Madonna! But you are
fine man--n fine man! Eth, eli!
Holy Joseph! What height and
breadth! y pty-a pity you are old:
| YOU must have been strong when you
were young"
Half i'll Joke. and half to humor
him in his fancy for mere muscular
force. rolled up the sleeve of my
jacket to the Misunderstanding lightly:
'Oh. as for being strong! There is
plenty of strength in me still, you
see"
He stared; laid his yellow fingers
on my barred arm with a kind of
gbonl-like interest and Mondcr and
felt the muscles of it with childish,
almost mnudlin admiration.
"Benutiful! benutiful!' he m,mbled.
Like iron-just think OF it! Yes. yes!
You could kill anything easily. All!
used To be like that once. | WAS clever
ut sword play. l could. with well-tcm-
| percd steel cut asunder n seven-times
| folded piece of silk at one blow with
out fraying out IL thread. Yes. as
rcatly as one cuts butter! You could
do that. too. If you liked. 1t all lies in
the arm-tle brave arm that kills at Il
single stroke
And he sazcd at me intently with
his small bear eyes as though lie
would know more of my character
and temperament. l turned abruptly
from him. and called his attention to
my own discarded garments.
See" / said carelessly, "you can
have these. though they are not of
much value. And, stay. here are an
other three francs for Some socks and
shoes, which dare say you can find