Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1899-06-01

street. Inc faEAte Is u COuAtSt ptsAS /
of the one Donita admired. 1t would |
be a coincidence If she came to this
land of independence and erected an
establishment to suit her fancy.
The interior decorations are com
fortable-I am impressed with the
sensation that someone resides here
now. The staircase has the very rail-
ing we ordered for our new house In
Paris.
Memory! why do you haunt mo
thus? I wish to live in the present.
Help me to forget the past-do not
recall it continually!
A breakfast room. The breakfast
room to NE! Am | dreaming? 1t is
idle, foolish, to be thus unnerved. |
am not in Paris. Soul of my soul, l
surrender! l am again in our lost
paradise.
Every room reminds me OF you,
dear, but where is yourself?
There must be an atelier-all artists
have them-and every woman of Paris
has the soul Of an artist. She may
trim her bonnet to perfection, or oroll
a partridge to suit the fastidious cpl
cure; be her accomplishment what 1t
may, If she come from Paris, she Is an
artist par excellence.
At last reach her studio. Here
she painted the portrait of myself-it
was a pastel one of her best. Here,
too, was finished the picture which
made her famous. How the critics
marveled that vanishing day." Idly
! watched the graceful strokes Of her
brush-to live again through the dolce
far niente of that season!
All! Heavenl can she be hidden, as
of old, by that screen? Alas! for
human hope! Here is the easel made
for heT-crude and unshapely-but she
praised my attempt.
Why did that man wish to torture
me? Why was l given the key to this
chamber of memories? What is this
number-here are words in Italian on
the tag. They thought me ignorant
of their meaning-she spoke the
tongue with such musical cadence.
This Haunted house, sell at
any price"
Not haunted, kind friend; only kept
in waiting for me.
She whispers, Search, you will find
me-"
I'll look around-she may be hidden
in some dusty corner laughing
through the cobwebs which cover her.
l seem pitifully unsuccessful. Mon
cher, mon cher, appear before me.
Then tease me as you viii!
| never dreamed she would have
carried this little escritoire, which
covered with dust it is-something
taps me on the head-what is it?
Through a broken pane In the sky
light a great tree pushes one of it's
inquiring branches. There are a lot
of tiny green worms on it; they Will
fall in here and die-be literal worms
of the dust-there is enough OF it to
smother them. Why here are a num-
Der Of .iem on the top of the desk
they lie in regular rows. Maybe they
are dead, that Is why they are so
quiet-but what funny shapes-they
form letters, and those letters are
words-those words compose a SEN
tence!
I'm heaven; telephone!"
What queer illusion. Can 1t be
meant for a joke? Has some skeptic
killed and placed them here? No!
they are alive, and changing their
positions, now. Perfectly motionless,
they say in silent eloquence:
Forgive you all-speak to mel"
Strength and reason seem leaving
me. am growing very, very tired.
a memento OF the harem What sweet
music-it comes through this little
golden case on the tabourette near my
head-I'll listen. A zephyr Is waited
to me, past me through 1t, and on its
wings it bears words spoken in soft
est accents. "Victor, Victor, say your
heart is still mine ! have suffered
much, yet l love but you, my own
love, reply!
Thank heaven! Zonita! I will
clasp the little golden casket in my
hands. l can speak to her through its
magic.
You will wait for me, Zonita-till
time shall be no more? Dear one,
your summons was opportune-I shall
not long await It. ! am coming-how
sweet the music is!-almost as sweet
as your voice-it is not very far
converse with me through the interim
of passing-I will be with you-in-a
little while.
Maybe he was so satisfied with his
survey of one of the places that he
decided to remain for a night. Per-
haps 1t is the haunted house He is
just the cool sort OF fellow who would
try to fathom that mystery"
When they found the door to No.
11o5 open they were surprised and
searched the house In the atelier
they found lot of dusty furniture.
and in one corner OF the large room
was the form OF a man. Prone upon
the floor he lay, and under him a
shattered golden box.