The Van Buren press., 1896-11-21


tering hastily I perceived IN agea
woman. withered bag, with upiftea
knife. in the act of striking girl who
was crouched in the corner OF the wall.
struck the knife aside, and the
would-be Inurderess fled, leaving me
face to face with Veda, the intended
victim.
She only paused a moment to press
kiss upon my hand; then she slipped
through gap in the wall and was gone.
That was the last | had seen of her.
To my inquiries regarding her where
abouts | received no information, eX-
eepting a bit of her past history when
told me that she had belonged to
wealthy and influential family, and
that she had received a finished eduea-
ton. But reeerses had come; her IA
Their had fallen a victim TO a dreadful
vendetta, and she had finally been lett
a penniless orphan.
l was deeply interested in her, but
no one could give me the slightest elew
as to whittier she had fled.
Still | had fingered about the places
| used to see her. Was | in love WITH
the little Goisican beauty?
Her face would come before my mem
tai vision asleep or waking, bringing
a sweet sensation | had never before
experienced; and yet tried to dismiss
her from my mind.
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.
# was about II o'clock when /
stretched myself upon the cot winch
Muggins had placed upon the deck.
fell asleep soon after, and dreamed OF
Muggins' ghost.
1t seemed that some strange pres
ence came to me-a woman, beautiful
beyond any dream; and Just as 1
reached out to touch her she vanished,
leaving only a faint odor of some
strange, sweet perfume. awoke sud-
denly with that ineXplieable sensation
that sometimes tells US of the unseen
presence of another.
l sat up and looked about me IN
vague bewilderment. The moon haa
risen out Of the sea and was flooding
the deck with its mellow radiance.
As my mind grew more composed l
detected subtle perfume on the night
air. the same that had come to me Ill
my dream.
Was it only the effect of my imagina-
ton? No; there could be no mistake
as to its reality. Something white lay
at my feet; picked it up; it was a del
ieate piece of lace embroidered linen,
and exhaled the breath of perfume that
had before greeted my senses.
While stood bewildered at the amaz-
ing circumstance, l perceived white
form emerge from the hatehway and
move forward, with a slow, gliding
movement.
| stood speeches., staring at the
strange figure, the words of the super
stitious Muggins coming with sudden
force to my mind, and in spite of my
utter disbelief in the sailors absurd
story something like feeling of awe
came over me.
[ stood immovable, watching the fig
ure as it came toward me. As it drew
near, | perceived that it was girl and
az the moonbeams fell on the pale face
recognized it as belonging to Veda
Dorlos, the little fruit seller.
Her eyes were wide open, and staring
vacantly ahead in way peculiar u
the somnambulist. She was a sleep
walker! The thought came to me like
flash. Yet, what could account for her
presence aboard the Penguin?
Without attempting to answer the
ruz2ling question, started toward the
figure. but as / did so, the sound oil
something like the dropping of an oar
in boat came from over the port. Their
a moment later the dark figure of 8
voman-the same had seen making the
assault on the little uit-seller-slippet
noiselessly over the rail. She paused foi
a moment to glance about the ship
have proceeded from some wild ami
NAL in deadly combat, she leaped upol
| the unconscious girl, the blade of
long knife glinting in the rays of thu
moon. Reused to action by the sight o
| the murderous intruder, l leapet
quickly forward, and, before the knife
descended to do its deadly work.
caught the hand that held it.
But if | recloned on an easy yit'ts''
in subduing my adversary, / soon dis
covered my mistake, for the woman
though aged to all appearances, seemed
to possess the strength of the stronges
man, and, finding herself foiled in he
murderous attempt, she turned upoI
me with the fierceness of a panther
Coming unexpectedly as the attack did
it caught me off my guard, and befor'
| realized my peril, the hand that hell
the knife was wrenched from my grasp
| then there was n swift blow, keel
| pain in my shoulder as the blade err
! tered: then mist gathered before m.
eyes. and | sank unconscious upon tn
deck.
When my senses returned it wa
broad daylight, and | was lying on
cot in Muggins' cabin, the beautiful btl
! troubled face of Veda bending over me
1t was about week before ! wa
able TO get ashore, and, though had
trained nurse from Bastia, Veda re
fused to leave me entirely in the hand
Of another.
Well, in that week | had learned t
love the little Corsican beauty witt