Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1899-01-19


where the nails should be driven n.
There was a painful bnnor In TIA.
association. He smiled, then turned
his head away, for old memories
| flashed through his brain-he had
been an acolyte once; he had served
at the altar
Suddenly he rose, took the glasses
from the shelf and placed them In
the middle of the table. Willard saw,
and ksomething in the act touched
him, Epr involuntarily he made the
sign Of the cross, but his face a mo-
ment afterward became rigid, telling
nothing.
Yet as they sat down to eat the
eyes of both men unconsciously
wandered to the crucifix, attracted by
the red sparkle of the rubies Each
ate heartily, as thought a long day
were before them and not the shadow
of the long night. There was no
speech save that of the usual courte-
sizes of the table.
At length the meal was finished,
and the two turned in their chairs to-
ward the fire. There was no other
light in the room, and on the faces Of
the two, still and cold, the fame
played as upon marble.
'Now?" asked Willard, after an
hour had passed.
II am ready
They came to the table.
Shall we bind our eyes?" asked
Dubarre. 81 do not know the glasses
that hold the poison"
Nor l the bottles that held It.
will turn my back and do you change
about the glasses"
Willard turned his face toward the
time-piece on the wall. AS he did
so it began to strike-a clear, siivery
chime: "One! two! three!" and SO on.
Before it had finished striking both
men were facing the glasses again.
Take one" said Dubarre.
Willard took the one nearest him
self. Dubarre took one also. Without
a word they lifted the glasses and
drank.
Again" said Dubarre.
You choose" responded Willard
''Dubarre lifted the one nearest
himself and Willard picked up the
other. Raising their glasses again,
they bowed to each other and drank.
The watch struck IL and stopped
its silvery Ginning.
They both sat down, looking into
each others faces, the light of an
enormous chance in their eyes, the
tragedy of a great stake in their
clenched hands; but the deeper, in
tenser power was in the face of Du-
barre, the explorer.
All at once a horrible pallor spread
over the face of Willard, and his
head jerked forward His eyes stared
wildly at Dubarre, to whose face the
! flush of wine had come, whose look
was now maliciously triumphant
| Willard had drunk both glasses of
poison.
Il win!" Dubarre stood up. Then,
leaning over the table toward the dy-
ing man, he added: THE girl was my
sister. She wronged you; you let her
die-well. Would you know the
truth? She loved you-always, Your
brother stole her from you, but he
married her in France
Flllld1u SdSpSu, anu lis lOOk wall
dered vaguely along the opposite wall.
81 knew you from the first" Du-
barre continued, coolly, "but / wanted
to hear your story. played the game
with honesty, because-because it was
the greatest man could play. And |
too have sinned in my time-a great
sin. Now, die! She loved you-mur-
derer!"
The mans look still wandered dis
tractedly along the wall. The sweat
of death was on his face; his lips
were moving spasmodically.
''Pardon-blessed Jesus!" he said,
and stiffened where he sat.
! His eyes were fixed on the jeweled
crucifix. Dubarre snatched it from the
wall and, 'hastening to him, held 1t
to his lips; but the warm sparkle of
the rubies fell on eyes that were cold
as frosted glass. Dubarre saw that
he was dead
Because the woman loved him!"
he said, gazing curiously at the dead
man.
Then he started, for the bell was
ringing in the chapel.
Dingdong! Heimgang! Dingdo1g.
He went to the door and opened It.
But all was still on the clumberous
heights and in the wide valley. Yet
he could have sworn he had heard the
bell. Imagination plays strange tricks.
Because the woman loved him he
repented,' said Dubarre again, with
half-cynical gentleness, as he placed
the crucifix on the dead mans breast
Black and White.