Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-10-31

had swept over her at my words and
look, so her beauty suddenly vanish
ed. Her face became drawn and
pipched and almost old-ber lips turn
ed blue, her eyes grew glazed. ana
strained themselves from their sockets
to stare at me-; her very hands looked
thin and ghostlike as she raised them
upwards with a frantic, appealing ges-
ture; there was a sort of gasping rat
tie in her throat as she drew herself
away from me with a convulsive ges-
ture Of aversion, and crouched on the
floor as though she sought to sink
through 1t and thus avoid my gaze.
"Oh, no., on, mol" she moaned wildly,
mot Fabio.-no, IL cannot be .
.Fabio is dead-dead! And you! .
-. you are mad! this Is
some cruel Jest Of yours-some trick to
brighten me-"
She broke Off ~breathlessly, and her
large, terrified eyes wandered to min"
again with a reluctant and awful W
der. She attempted to rise from her
crouching position; l approached, and
assisted her to do so with ceremon-
ious politeness. She trembled violent
ly at my touch. and slowly staggering
to her feet, she pushed back her hair
from her forehead and regarded me
fixedly, with a searching, anguished
look. first of doubt, then Of dread, and
lastly of convinced and hopeless GER
tainty, for she suddenly covered her
eyes with her hands as though to shut
out some repulsive object, and broke
into a low wailing sound like that Of
n in bitter physical pain. / laughed
Scornfully.
well do you know me at last?" l
cried. '"Tis true l have somewhat al
tered. This hair Of mine was black, If
you remember,-it is white enough
now, blanched by the horrors Of a liv-
ing death such as you cannot imagine,
but which," and / spoke more slowly
and impressively, "you may possibly
experience ere long. Yet in spite Of
this change l think you know me!
That is well. l am glad your memory
serves you this far!'
A low sound, that was half a sob
and half a cry, broke from her.
"Oh, no, no!' she muttered again Ia
coherently-'it cannot be! 1t must be
false-it is some vile plot-t cannot be
true! True! Oh heaven! it would be
too cruel, too hOrrible!'
l strobe up to her. I drew her hands
away from her eyes and grasped them
tightly In my own.
Hear me!' l said, in clear decisive
tones. 81 have kept silence, God
now l can speak. Yes! you thought
49, InnI haI WOW ynosnn 10
think so, you had every proof 10 be-
lieve so. How happy my supposed
death made you! What a relief it was
to you! what an obstruction removed
from your path! Butt was buried
alive" She uttered a faint Shrek Of
terror, and, looking wildly about her,
strove to wrench her hands from my
clasp. l held them more closely. Aye,
think OF it, wife of mine!-you to
whom luxury has been second nature,
think of this poor body Strengthened
in q helpless swoon. packed and press
ed into yOnder coffin and nailed up
fast, shut out from the blessed light
and air, as M would have thought,
forever! Who could have dreamt that
life still fingered in me-life strong
enough to split asunder the boards
that inClOSed me, and leave them shat
tered, as you see them nOwr'
She shuddered and glanced with
aversion toward the broken coffin, and
again tried to loosen her hands from
mine. She looked at me with a burn
ing anger In her face.
Let me go!" she painted. "MGdma2!
liar! let me go!"
1 released her instantly and stood
erect, regarding her fixedly.
II am no madman," | said COM
posedly; land you know as well as I
do, that 1 speak the truth. When /
escaped from that coffin / found my
self a prisoner in this very vault =.
house Of my persisted ancestry, WI
If old legends could be believed, TIC
very bones that are stored up here
would start and recoil from your pres
ence as pollution to the dead, whose
creed was honor"
The sound of her sobbing breath
ceased suddenly; she fixed her eyes on
mine; they g~littered d~efiantly.
For n long. awful night" I re-
sumed, II suffered here. l might have
starved or persisted of thirst. l thought
no agony could surpass what / en-
dured! But I vas mistaken; there
was a sharper torment in store for me.
l discovered a way of escape; with
grateful tears l thanked God for my
rescue, for liberty, for life! Oh, what
a fool was I! How could l dream that
my death was so desired-how could
l know that l had better far have
died than have returned to such a
home!"
Her Inns moved but she uttered M