Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-08-30

nna experienced sensation of fear.
a. rho sounds proceeded Dovely sat in
= omaZemcnt For a moment he
rnsnected that he was going mad. He
- superstitious, but ghosts, accord
i, to his way Of thinking, always
opifested themselves TO the eyes
thor than the ears and with shrouds
thor than dialogues There was
.rething uncanny in the sounds, too,
as If issuing from Il metal casket.
nov,ly would have attempted an in
,ostjration, but very fear held him
r,otad TO the chair He could not
asrape and he began to feel that he
had been selected by some restless
s,,irits as the custodian of their conf
danres The sound of the voices at
erst seemed like an echo of something
10 had heard before, and this circum-
stance deepened his perpleXity. The
.,pvcrsation seemed to he between
a man and woman. The mans tones
were imperous, those of the woman
half fattering half conciliatory.
"You know men are such deccivcrs."
tbn voice was saying. You play with
a voman's heart as IA child does with
toy, Then you look for another that
i newer TO you, though perhaps not to
some others, and another fellow, who
r,,rbnps has thrown aside and bruised
the heart that you pick up, comes along
and picks up the very heart that you
have thrown aside
4 soft laugh of tolerant condescen
sion followed this speech
oh that's the old story with WON.
on" replied the man. you are all
wrong: YOU don't understand man.
Your feminine minds can't grasp the
depth aud breadth of his nature.
have tried often to make some women
soar with me to loftier realms of
thought but | have never found one
To sympathize with my poetic or ar
tistic moods
Here soft little sigh, like n zephyr
touching the maple leaves. stole across
the room, and then the imperious tones
resumed
Il know women. I've seen a good
deal IF life, Didn't live more than
wear in New York;
The pcrSpiration stood out in beads
on DOvely's forehead as he stared in
the direction Of the voices and clutched
the arms Of tho chair In which he sat.
II seemed like nightmare. The echo
was getting clearer and clearer He
hated the dreadful sounds. but felt that
he must suffer the ordeal to the end
And memory told him that the end was
yet a long way off and the path there
10 full Of thorns Of humiliation and
shame for him. He hogan to feel like
diScmbodiCd spirit that stands beside
its erstwhile prison and contemplates
with horror the ravagcs that debauch-
cry has wrought on its once beautiful
form. But through the nightmare he
was sustained by the sweet reflection
that he was not irreclaimable and that
this ScOurg.ug was az worst only Il Sc
we're lesson from which he would
emerge q better man.
The imperiOus tones of the man and
the conciliatory, even pleading tones
Of the woman went on. With deep
humiliation he followed the mysterious
dialogue to the browning point of his
own shame. He could hear the soft,
S0licitouS tones of the woman leading
the man on to make a fool of himself.
And he heard the man following with
haggadociO and bombast right up to
the very pitfall that had been prepared
for him. The grandilouuent and pre-
poSterous phrases in which a proposal
was next couched struck him as being
SO ComiCally conventional that he
would have laughed aloud had not the
humiliating reflection of his own con
duet covered him instead with shame.
Then he heard sweet voice asking
linn to think it over and then come
back IN a week. If he were still of the
same mind. Even then he did not
realize the truth. He wondered if he
We're not asleep and this an awful
dream. The volume that he had been
holding fell from his knee and startled
him. He put his hand to his forehead
and brushed the beads of perspiration
away and said: Thank God, it was a
dream"
At that moment Mary entered the
room and smilingly apologized for
keeping him waiting. She drew has
sock over to him, and, seating herself.
upon IL and looking up in his eyes,
said. Pm awfully sorry | kept you
waiting, Arthur; | know you must have
been SO lonely. But there"-she stop
Pea suddenly and knitted her brows-
really believe you have been asleep
and dreaming. You look it, quite
Tie poor young man took her hand
'n both his own and looked fiXedly at
Aer 81 don't know whether I've been
asleep or not, but l certainly must have
"g1u dreamiug-such "A horrid dream
and he passed his hand quickly over
Ills eyes as If to wipe away the last
Traces OF n nightmare. Then he took
a's hand again. MARY" he said slow
n " You told me to come back tonight
u ] We're still of the same mind as
u When l was here last | Lave come 10
"t You that l am not of the same
i 4hI"