The record-union., 1896-12-13

wh1rIed in my brain. The evening OF
my last discovery / remained out on the
hills, and entered the cave as it grew
dusk. A feeling of awe surged in me as
dark fell over the valley and the first
stars glistened family. / dipped under
the fan of water and took my stand in
the hollow behind it. There was no
moon, but my telescope was inclined. as
it We're, at a generous angle, and sec
ton of the armament was open before
me. My heart beat fast as 1 looked
through the lens.
Shall l tell you what I saw then and
many nights after? Rings and crosses
in the heavens of golden mist, spangled
as it seemed, with jewels. Stars as big
as cartwheels, twinkling points no lon
ger, but round like great bosses of mol
ten fire. Things shadowy, luminous, OF
strange colorS and stranger forms, that
seemed to brush the waters as they
passed, but We're in reality vast dis
tances away. Sometimes the thrust of
wind up the ravine would produce
tremulous motion in the image at the
focus of the mirror; but this was sell
dom. For the most part the wonderful
lenses presented steady curvature, not
flawless, but of magnificent capacity.
Now, 1T flashed upon me that when
the moon was at the full she would
top the valley in the direct path of my
telescopes range of view. AT the
thought l grew eXultant. II, little
Camille, should first read Alright the
history of this strange satellite. The
instrument that could give shape to the
stars would interpret to me the COM
position of that lonely orb as clearly
as though 1 stood upon her surface. AS
the time of her fullness drew near /
grew feverish with excitement. I was
sickening, as it were, to my madness,
for never more should I look upon her
willingly, with eyes either speculative
or insane"
AT this point Camille broke off for
little space and lay back on his pillow.
When he spoke again it was out Of
the darkness with his face turned to
the wall.
Monsieur, I cannot dwell upon it. /
must hasten. We have no right to peer
beyond the boundary God has drawn
for us. 1 saw His HE'LL saw His hell,
l tell you. 1t is peopled with the
misunderstanding - distorted in
the midst of ashes and desolation. 1t
was a memory that like the snake of
Aaron devoured all others till yester-
day-till yesterday by Christ's mercy"
".
1t seemed to me, as the days wore
on, that Camille had but recovered his
reason at the expense of his life; that
the long rest deemed necessary for him
after his bitter period OF brain eXhaus-
ton might in the end prove an ever
lasting one. Possibly the blow to his
head, in expelling the seven devils,
wounded beyond cure the vital function
that had fostered them. He lay white,
patient, and sweet-tempered to all, but
moved by no inclination to rise and re-
assume the many-colored garment of
life.
His description of the dreadful des-
ert in the sky 1 looked upon merely as
an abiding memory of the brain phan-
tasm that had finally overthrown a rea-
son already tottering under the tre-
mendous excitement induced by his dis
covery of the lenses and the magnified
images they had presented to him. That
there was truth in the asserted fact of
the existence of these, my own expert
ence convinced me; and curiosity as to
this alone induced me to the determina-
ition Of Investigating further when my
hand should be sufficiently recovered to
act as no hindrance to me in forcing my
way once more through the dense woods
that bounded the waterfall Moreover,
the dispassionate inquiry of mind less
sensitive to the picturesque might in
the result do more towards restoring the
warped imagination of my friend to its
normal state than any amount of
spoken skepticism.
To Camille 1 said nothing Of my re-
solve, but waited on, chafing at the slow
healing of my wounds. In the mean
time the period of the full moon ap-
preached and / decided at whatever cost
tC make the venture on the evening
she topped the orbit, if circumstances
at the worst should prevent my doing
SO sooner-and thus it turned out.
On the eve of my enterprise the first
fair spring of rain in a drought of two
months FELL to my disappointment.
among the hills; for I feared an in
crease of the torrent and the effacement
of the mighty lens. I set off, however.
On the afternoon Of the following dav
in hot sunshine, mentally prognosti
eating a favorable termination to my
expedition, and telling Madame Bar
biere not to expect me back till late.
In leisurely fashion I made nv way
along the track we had previously ira
versed, risking no divergence through
overhaste, and carefully examining all
landmarks before deciding on any di-
rection. Thus slowly proceeding. I had
the good fortune to come within sound
of the cataract as the sun was sink
ing behind the mountain ridges to nv
front, and presently emerged from the
woods at the very spot we had struck
in our former journey together.
A chilly twilight reigned in the ra-
vine, and the noise that came up from,
the ruin of the torrent seemed doubly
accented by reason of it. The sound of
water moving in darkness has always
conveyed to me an impression of some
thing horrible and deadly, be it moth
ing of more moment than the drip and
hollow tinkle of gutter pipe. But the
crash in this echoing gorge was ap-
palling indeed.
For some moments I stood on the
brink of the slope. looking across at the
great knife of the fall with a little
shiver of fear. Then l shook myself.
laughed, and without further ado took
my courage in hand and scrambled
down the declivity and up again toward
the cleft in the rocks.
Here the chill of heart gripped me
once more, the watery sliding tunnel
looked so evil in the contracting gloom.