The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-08-21

he had touched into deviIishness. Dut
che shrank away and stood crouched
against thew wall, for she knew now that
he was mad. but did not know to what
his fury might next lead him. Then he
caught up a knife that lay on the sill
Of the window, and, now smiling as
strobe across to the row of pictures and
reached up to them, knife in hand.
But Osra suddenly sprang forward,
crying, "Do not hurt them"
"These?" he asked, turning to her,
with a sneer. "These? I'll destroy them
all, for they are no longer beautiful to
me, but that, one only is beautiful, be-
cause it is true" And he wrenched his
arm away from the OBTAINING hand that
she had laid upon it. Falling back in
terror, she watched him cutting and
slashing each of the pictures until the
face was utterly destroyed. And she
feared that when he had finished with
the pictures he would turn upon her.
Therefore she flung herself on the couch,
hiding her face for fear Of some horri-
BILE fate, and she murmured low to her.
self, mot my face, o God, not my
face!' Ard she pressed her face down
into the cushions of the couch, while
he, muttering and grumbling to him
self, cut the pictures into strips and rib
bons and strewed the fragments at his
feet on the floor. And, this done, he
turned to the face that he now loved
and poured out to it, as though it had
been an idol he worshiped, a flood of
wild, passionate, reproachful words that
Osra shivered to hear, and the purport
of which she dared tell none, though
for all her prayers she could not herself
forget n of them.
At last he came to her again and
plucked her roughly and rudely from
the couch where she lay and dragged
her behind him back to the door again
and through it, and they stood together
in front of the last picture, whose paint
was still wet from his hand. The paint
ed face smiled down on the trembling,
pale girl, with its smile of careless, Sc
rene dignity, so that now even to her
self it seemed hardly to be her picture,
for it was the true presentment of a
kings daughter, and she no better than
a helpless, frightened girl. 1t seemed to
reproach her, and suddenly she drew
herself to, her full height and turned to
Giraldo, saying, "You shall not touch
it," And she stepped forward SO that
she stood between him and the picture,
raising her hand and forbidding him to
approach it with his knife. And now
the picture seemed more to be hers, al
though where it smiled she frowned.
But at this moment there came
through the window that opened on the
street the clatter of horses hoofs. At
the sound Giraldo arrested the motion
that he had already made to fling him.
self at the princess, whether to kill her
or only to thrust her away from the
front of the picture she did not know.
Running to the window, he looked out
and called in seeming glee, sit is the
king come to see my pictures!' And he
looked proud and happy. Going to the
door of the room, he flung it open and
stood there waiting for the king and
the gentlemen who attended the king.
They were not long in coming, for Ru-
dolf was full of anger, impatience and
anxiety, and ran swiftly up the stair.
case. His gentlemen pressed into the
room behind him, and Giraldo drew
back, keeping his face to the king and
bowling again and again. But the king
and the rest saw the knife in his hand,
and ragged strips of painted canvas
hung here and there on his clothes
while the princess, pale and proud,
stood guarding the picture on the easel.
The king. in spite of his wonder, wa
not turned from the purpose which ha6
brought him to the painters house, but
with a quick step darted up to Giraldt
and thrust the letter of the Marquis d.
Merosailles into his hand, bidding hin
in a sharp, peremptory tone to read il
and give what explanation he could o.
the contents.
Giraldo fell to reading of it, while
the king turned to his sister in order tt
ask her why she seemed agitated ant
stood SO o~bstinately in front of her OWL
picture, but at that instant one Of thu
gentlemen, whose name was Ladislas
gave a cry of surprise, for he had look
ed through the door into the inner room
and seen the havoc and dcst1uc}luD
9 Giraldo had made, and al'o tht Str,
g and terrible picture that alone had /,
capped the knife. The king, wondering
followed Ladislas to the threshold
the inner room and passed it, while h
It gentlemen, full of curiosity, crowde
It close OH his heels after him.
E The Princess Osra, thinking herse
safe, found her anger and terror pa
It away as her mirth had passed befor
l. Now she felt at her heart that pit
II which borders on tenderness and whio
a she could never refuse to a man thi
II loved her, let the folly of his love al
"A of the e~xtravagances into which it dro,
y him be as great as it would. Turnir
70 toward Giraldo, she saw him frettiI
% his puckered brow with his hand al
r vainly seeking to compel his disordert
" brain to understand M. de Merosaille
70 letter. So she was very sorry for hin
and, knowing the sudden, hot temp
D to which the careless king was subjec
70 she glided swiftly across to the paint
and whispered: Escape and hid
L. Hide for a few days. He will be fur
er Gus now, but he will soon forget. Don
81 wait now, but escape. signor. Son
"a harm will happen to you here" And
70 her eager pleading with him she la
10 her hand on his arm and looked up
at his face with imploring eyes. But
T. looked at her with dazed, vacant star
n muttering, II cannot read the letter.