The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-12-25

sllghtly turning his head, watched the
preparations of the doctor. The fire
was now burning a deep red, and the
brazier was standing in the center of
a ring Of white powder which had
been strewn around it. The doctor
bent down and touched this powder
with his finger. muttering some words.
whereupon a blue lambert flame
sprang up and ran around the circle.
Roversmire then cast some herbs on
the fire, which he took out of a small
silver box, and raising his arms.
chanted a kind of hymn in a low, soft
voice. The wild music, barbaric in
the extreme. rose and fell like the
rythmical fall OF waves on a lonely
beach and a thick white smoke curled
upward from the brazier, spreading a
pungent odo through the vault
After a time Roversmire. looking
strange and spectral amid the veil Of
smoke, paused in his chanting,
crossed over to the young II .a..d
spoke solemnly:
Il am about to leave this varld for
that Of the spirits and I lee;''e YOUR
soul in charge OF my bodr--make
good u g Of it. for what yo7. do will
be Of your own free will and must be
eNpiated by your own spirit. Are
you ready and willing to take this
burden upon youp'
Il am ready, replied Adrian slowly.
Then close your eyes" command
ed Roversmire, going over to the
brazier. Farewell, and may your
crime-stained soul be cleansed by
prayer. repentance and expiation."
IN obedience to the instructions,
Adrian closed his eyes and felt the
acrid odor of the smoke tittillate his
nostrils, while the doctor resumed his
measured chant The strange mel
ody. which sounded like the wailing
Of a lost spirit, seemed to recede
further and further away as the
senses of the young man became
clouded by the fumes spreading
through the apartment. Suddenly
his whole body felt contorted with
extreme pain. every muscle, every
nerve seemed to be wrenched asunder.
and in a paroxysm of terror he strove
to cry out but was unable to do so.
Fire seemed to run all through his
body, burning up his physical frame,
and he wr!thed and twisted in an
agony of torture. then a thick dark
ness seemed to descend on his brain,
and he remembered no more.
How long the thick darkness con.
tinued he did not know, for when he
opened his eyes again he was lying
on the floor near the brazier, from
whence all the fire had died AVA A
cold air pervaded the vault, and rails.
ing himself from the floor, Adrian
saw with a sudden thrill Of horror
that his body, pale and still, was
lying on the couch. while he himself,
looking down at his limbs, saw that
they were wrapped in Roversmire's
dressing gown. With a cry which
did not sound like his own voice he
walked to a mirror which was hang.
ing on the wall and then recoiled
with a shudder, for the. face which
looked frop tAa glass was not his ow
handsome cOuntenancc. put the Olo
gr%ay-bearded wrinkled face of Rovers.
mire. now no longer calm and placid.
OuG COuVuASeu Will terror ana an.
guish.
The transformation had taken place
Adrian. in the person of DR..
Michael Roversmire. walked languid.
ly over to the table. already feeling in
his limbs the difference between youth
and age, and pouring out a glass Of
wine drank it up. Then looking al
his own body lying SO still on the
couch, he folded the arms across the
chest lighted the candle, and after
turning out the electric light, left the
vault.
He soon found his way back to the
room above. as his hands seemed to
mechanically discover the secret
springs, then putting back the fire.
place into its original condit on, he
h1ayU ont tho camilla ap1 ron)aoo6 IL