Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-12-25

was deeply interested in her, but
no one could give me the slightest clew
as to whittier she had fed.
Still I had fingered about the places
1 used to see her. Was in love with
the little Corsican beauty
Her face would come before NV mem
tai vision asleep or waking, bringing
a sweet sensation I had never before
experienced; and yet tried to dismiss
her from my mind.
I sat smoking for some hours upon
the deck of the Penguin, Watching the
yellow lights dancing in the romantic
little city, and drinking In the fresh,
sweet air of the night that stole up
from the Mediterranean.
It was about II o'clock when I
stretched myself upon the cot which
Muggins had placed upon the deck. /
fell asleep soon after, and dreamed OF
Muggins' ghost.
It seemed that some strange pres
ence came to me-a woman, beautiful
beyond any dream; and just as I
reached out to touch her she vanished,
leaving only faint odor Of some
strange, sweet perfume. I awoke sud-
denly with that inexplicable sensation
that sometimes tells us Of the unseen
presence Of another.
sat UP and looked about me In
vague bewilderment. The moon had
risen out Of the sea and was flooding
the deck with its mellow radiance.
AS my mind grew more composed
detected subtle perfume on tho night
air, the same that had come to me In
my dream.
Was it only the effect of my imagine
ton? No; there could be no mistake
as to its reality. Something white lay
at my feet; picked it up; it was a del
icate piece of lace embroidered linen,
and exhaled the breath Of perfume THAI
had before greeted my senses.
While stood bewildercd at the amaz-
ing circumstance, perceived white
form emerge from the hatchway and
move forward, with q slow, gliding
movement.
I stood immovable, watching the Ag-
ure as 1t came toward me. As 1t drew
near, perceived that it was girl, and
as the moonbeams fell on the pale face
I recognized it as belonging to veda
Dor1os, the little fruit seller.
Her eyes were wide open, and staring
vncantly ahead in way peculiar to
the sonnambulist. She was sleep
walkerl The thought came to me like
u fash. Yet, whatcould account for her
presence aboard the Penguin?
Without attempting to answer the
ruzzling question, I started toward the
figure, but as I did so, the sound Of
something like the dropping Of an oar
III a boat came from over the port. Then
o moment later the dark figure Of a
woman-thc same I had seen making the
assault on the little frutt-seller- slipped
notselessly over the rail. She paused for
moment to glance about the ship,
then, with cry Of rage that might
have proceeded from some wild ami
NAL in deadly combat, she leaped upon
the unconscious girl, the blade Of a
long knife glinting in the rays of the
moon. Reused to cotton by the sight OF
the mmrderous intruder, I leaped
quickly forward, and, before the knife
descended to do it's deadly work, ]
caught the hand that held 1T.
But if reckoned on an easy victory
in subduing my adversary, I soon dis
covered my mistake. for the woman,
though aged to all appearances, seemed
to possess the strength Of the strongest
man, and, finding herself Boiled in her
murderous attempt, she turned upon
me with the feroeness of a panther.
Coming unexpectedly as the attack did,
it caught me of my guard, and before
1 realized my peril, the hand that held
the knife was wrenched from my grasp;
then there was q swift blow, q keen
pain in my shoulder as the blade en-
tered; then mist gathered before my
eyes, and sank unconscious upon the
deck.
When my senses returned it was
broad daylight, and was lying on a
cot in Muggins' cabin, the beautiful but
troubled face of Veda bending over me.
It was about week before was
able to get ashore, and, though had a
trained nurse from Bastia, Veda re-
fused to leave me entirely in the hands
Of another.
Well, in that week had learned to
love the little Corsican beauty with
such an intense devotion that could
not bear the thought of separation.
Her life had been one of trials and
misfortunes. The old bag who had twice
sought the life of Veda was. prevented
from taking my life by the timely ar
rival of Muggins, who had come over
to the vessel in his boat just before day
break to see how was faring. Find
ing herself thwarted, she leaped into
the bay, and was drowned before she
could be rescued by Muggins.
She was the last Of the Baralodo fam
lily, between whom and the Dorlos a
dreadful vendetta had existed, and 1t
was to escape the vengeance Of the old
woman that Veda had slowed herself
aboard the Penguin, hoping to be car
ried to some foreign land, and thus es-
cape the violence and death that con-
stantly threatened her.
Veda and were married, and a
month later sailed for America in the
Penguin with my old friend Capt.
Darke, who had returned and had the
vessel repaired.
Muggins was much elated over tho
happy ending of my attempt 10 "lay''
his ghost though he always declared
had made a most lucky failure, and
instead Of laying the ghost, had my
self been laved bv tn. Y. Ledger.
SPANISH BULL FIGHTS.