The Washington times., 1895-01-27
DAY TIMES PACE OF TIE BEST LONG AND SHORT STORIES

the window turned instinctively to our host
!or an explanation Of the lovely vision, bui
tne lace OF the man at the end Of the table
wore an expression Of perplexed surprise.
beiore we had time to comment the figure 70
appeared.
"It is Egypta, the Eastern daneerp' ex.
claimed some one
without: on tho marble terrace, stood ths
graceful dancer, light as butterfly lust
poised; within the brilliantly lit room was
started, DewIldered company. Some of tha
men had risen from their chairs. some wers
iesning forward On the table; our host had
Waiked lew PAGES toward the window We
iooheu d eaeh other questioningly, and sud-
denly the true naturs OF the vision flashed
upon u.s. An lndeseribable sensation con-
y1nced Us that the woman on the terrace was
not flesh and blood. A few muttered az
clamatiOns were heard, then there was abso-
Lutte silence, and the eyes OF all were fixed
upon the garden with a painful intensity.
The dancer stood still but for minute Bow
ing to the pale attentive group within the
room, she commenced TO move her limbs and
body with q peculiar. swaying motion, thor-
ouRhly Eastern in character.
She held in one hand a champagne glass OF
Venetian ware, and 10 drink some liquid
from It seemed 10 be the motif Of her dra-
matte dance. With quick, tripping step,
she Whlried round and round, drinking ap-
parentiy with the gayest intoxieation. Her
gauze skirts few about her 1.-THE form, the
jewels at her waist and on her sandals
sparkled, her aims cleaned Whitley, and the
quleknesS OF her motion blew confusion OF
dark hair across her face and breast. The
climax OF the dance was the drinking Of the
liquid, and, as she raised the glass TO her iips,
her eyes flashed at as a sudden glance so di-
rect and significant that several Of the men
caught their brv ath and started involuDtarlly.
She threw her head back and seemed to
drain the glass of the last drop. Then, still
with graceful, rhythmic movements, sha
went through an awful pantomime, clutch
ing her throat and sWaying to and fro al
though eonvulsed with the death agony. Tha
horrible play lasted only minute Chang
Ing again abruptly, the dancer threw her,
self into merry whirl and, with disdain-
fui, moeking fling. and wave Of the hand,
retreated from the terrace into the shadows
OF the garden. A white figure was still faintIy
visible, and it seemed to me she becksned.
My limbs were cod and stiff. but. with kind
OF clumsy plunge, stumbled out on 70 the
terrace and across the grass. The cleaning
wrath melted away. Before my eyes all was
darkness. 1 thought heard the Words:
"All is not over" And through the air
came swiftly a champagne glass. It broke
into thousand pieces az it touched ths
ground. and the quaintly y-twisted stem was
all that remained. / picked it up and went
back 10 the terrace, where host and guests
were all standing with the exception of ona
man-the young man whom I had seen in
the hotel. He was still sitting by the table,
leaning back in his chair his arms hanging
beside him. his terrified eyes fixed upon tha
window. He looked at me as I entered, and
without any conscious thought or purpose,
/ walked up to him and laid in his hand the
bit of glass.
at has gone hard with you" said some
one to him, giving bin some brandy.
We were all terribly shaken Some lin
Dered bV the Windows soma walled raSr-
lessly about the room. Gradually COM
posure returned. We seated ourselves at
the table, and the business of dinner re-
commenced. enlivened by disjointed. nervous
conversation. In quarter of an hour, q
young cousin OF our bOSt dropped IN. He
had just come from the Imperial Music Hall, A
and could think Of nothing but a scene he
had witnessed there
'Uneommoniy sad he said, pausins for
greetings: "by Jove, L feel all broken up
went down 70 see Egypta. you know az the
name the eyes OF all present turned quickly
to the speaker Ia pretty girl, and, by Joye.
a dancer" He poured out some wine and
went on, looking ar oar host. "She brought
out a new dance this evenin2-a champagne
dance-Whirled around drinking the stuff with
all sorts Of pretty filings and turns. Set tbs
house Just wild; applause thundering you
know. She danced again Tor the encore, and
Just at the end she was taken with convuI+
siOns-heart failure the doctors said. She
died. Most shocking thing. By JOve, it was
sad. So sudden. you know
One Of the guests groaned and. rising, stag
gered from the room. Whether the Eastern
woman who loved him tor .ured him further
do not know. He died within a few weeks.
/ think it was poison she drank that evening,
whiriing about in mock gayety. She was
dancing consciously a wild dance with Death
She had threatened that sic could 90 and
could return, and / believe she knew that
altar daa+h ha v-or1td ha ahla 70 raartr,aar on
earth. She was conscious that she possessed
the power OF making the elements serve the
spirit
''And why cannot all possess that power?"
murmured the dark-eyed girl and throwing
her shawls impatiently aside she walked TO
the edge of the deck and gazed into the black.
fathomless Yater.-The Argonaut.