Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1896-10-16

section away. She clambcred up and
down the ovalRnchc-for such tho slant
ing collection Of objects seemed to be-
and each day paused before - massive
conc of white einter, tho solidity and
great boau Of which she admired so
much that 10 became n monomania with
her. Tho conc was about seven feet in
length, with a diameter Of two feet, and
looked as II it were a classic Ionic col
umn.
At lccst Miss Favre concluded sha
could not live without the cote, IN her
frcnzied admiration Of IL she forgot TO
search for q man O. her romance. She
hired tho staulelnan to take "a trusted
force of mon, steal tho coveted object ct
night and bear it away to Livingston,
Mon, by means Of relays Of horses and
stout vehicles. The mon conveyed it by
unused paths, avoiding the routes where
officials were stationed, and goti safely
to Livingston, where it was carefully
packed in a long box and shipped TO
New York at q total cost Of $40, coo,
half Of which went to the stablemen.
Miss M|ignonette accompanied her
IINNhAAtf anu vi INL 1AI4NGA ~ llNA ElA-
perb mansion ON West End avenue had
it unpaoEed and artistically displayed
in IN aesthetic, well lighted upper room
which she had converted into q sort Of
museum for the exhibition Of her tro-
phies collected while travelling. Here
she spent hours daily admiring her treas
ure, examining and -re-examining the
surface, which variously resombled cor
ais and st|alagnites, h~oneycombs and
cells. Nor did she tire. On the contrary,
so great grew her fascination that at
last she was held by it as if by q spell,
as q bird might be h~ypnotizod by a
snake. She would walk and walk around
it, sing to it, indite poems in its honor
and call it by ~endearing names.
One day Miss Miguonette read a
derful account in a vorucioUs newspaper
concerning a frog which had been found
alive in a marble block. She was star
tied. What If her cone contained some
ANIMAL boar--a undergraduates
what This girl had some sense. She
actually reasoned. she felt that if it
contained anything the mysterious OBJ.
ject must be something higher, nobler
than she, TO 50 fascinate her.
Should she smash il and end the mys.
terry? Mol Why spoil forever her idol?
Again and again she caresscd it, but
always II end Of it. Suppose the end
toward which she was so irresistible
drawn were the head?
Miss Mignonette, after reading the
frog story, grew so craZed with the
possible romance Of the situation that
she 1T last became possessed with the
belief that there was q man inside.
What if it were true? He could not 5e
d%ead--no, only in n trance. He must be
young and handsome. Yes, he must be
the idol Of her dreams, for whom she
had searched the world. Her future
lord had been found at last. Dame Ma.
ture had granted her prayer and in the
most romantic way ever conceived, yea,
irooncoivable even 10 the widest flight
ed novelist, had enabled her to find her
lover in stone.
She would break the geal-the long
seal that had hidden him from the
world. She would dress to receive him.
There should be 10 one else present. He
should awake from his long dream from
the invisible world, should open his
eyes ON her loneliness, should awake to
life and the world in her arms.
She arrGycd herself gloricusly. Her
dark hair was arranged with white
bands about it. A simple flowing gown
Of white envelopod her form, and over
it was the faintcgt white fabric Of illu
sion, so delicate as to deceive the eye.
Her brown eyes, large and long dashed,
shonc with joy. Her feet were incased
in tiny sandals. Tho nails Of her deli
cate fingers shone pink hucd, like the
shell Of n pearl. She was arrayed at
last, ready with ~endearing terms to re-
ceive her lover from his case Of stone.
Iucandescent lamps shed o soft, mellow
glow over the room on to the core, en-
HANGING tie glorious beauty Of the girl.
With a sharp chisel she began to in
dent a crease the entire length of the
cone. Gradually the croaao dcepencd.
Often she placed her ear to the opening
trying to catch some sound, some move
ment. The opening arrived at a depth
where the cone could be split open with
out injury to the inmate. She inserted
several chisels, and with a hammer gen
tly began the splitting process.
As the tomb began to open she paused.
She was scared. The man would really
be as in death. How could she revive
him unless lie Immediately came to life?
Suppose he were completely dead. What
could she tell the authorities that which
they would believe and not convict her
as q murderess?
Gradually her courage came back.
She would save him somehow. Had not
nature granted her prayer and sent her
a husband in the most mysterious, TO-
mantle fashion? Surely the power vhich
sent him to her to be rescued would en-
able her TO restore him to life. She gave
several taps, and the zone divided in
twain.
In the morning they found her in the
museum in q dead faint. She did not
revive for many days. Beside her were
two halves OF the cone Of siliceous sinter.
The occupant which lay beside her was
the limbless trunk Of a dead tree. -
Exchange.
Mark Twain In south Africa.