The National tribune., 1901-11-28

went in the first thing we saw was Mark
Rugton sitting up on a pile of wreckage
we had brought from the ship, and just
as much alive as he had ever been. You
might have knocked either Hastings or
inc down with a feather. OF course, peO-
pie viii always say that Mark was never
dead from the first, but / want TO tell you,
sir, Mark Rugton was dead when l
last saw him, if ever q man under the
sun was dead. But now he was alive.
How the heather had wrought this mira
Gle no one will ever know, but there was
not . soul who came ashore from the
Princess that did not believe that Mark
Rugton had been raised from the dead.
As for my part, | could only look at
Semir as possessing some power greater
than mortal man. There was that in his
face | had never seen in mans face be-
fore, and / want to tell you, sir, that
| never want TO see such a face again.
As we came in Mark bade us good morn
ing, and seemed as careless as if he had
never known sorrow could hardly be-
iie:c him the same person. At first
thought that the awful business Of the
murder had upset his mind.
Have l been i'll long? he asked, with
a sort of impstience.
"tOnly a few hours, | replied.
'''I did not think it could have been
very long he replied. Bring me some
wine he added. i feel as stupid as
beggar
it at a gulp.
. How long must we stay in this stu
pid placeP he asked.
" 4 month, perhaps, l replied
He swore a bitter oath, and the look
on his face made me shudder-a look
pray Heaven | may never see again. He
that he has today--something cold, m-
human and coTpse-like that | could not
look at him without q shudder.
Curse the luck" he said. making
gesture Of impatience I want to get back
to Bombay as soon as possible, for | have
my business to look after. | was a fool
to get married, and now that | have come
TO my sober senses, / am quite reconciled
that fortune has taken it into her hands
to free me from the fetters!
His speech was so unfeeling-sO bru-
tai in its cold inhumanity-that there was
not one among us who heard il that did
not feel a cold chill Of horror at the heart.
Could he be the same man we had known
whO came aboard the Princess with his
fair bride a few weeks ago. / could
hardly believe that it was not all dream.
There was another matter that gave
me great surprise, and that was the con
duct of Semir. Having wrought what
everyone considered a miracle, he seemed
to take no pleasure IL what he had ac-
complished, but rather seemed deeply de
pressed over il.
1T was near the middle of the day
when / heard cry inside the hut, and
running thither | found Semir lying on
the floor within, the lifc-blood running
from a wound in his heart In a few
moments he was dead He never spoke
but there was no doubt that he had taken
his own life In his possession was found
a letter he had written before committing
the rash act.
1T was written in a plain, bold hand,
and ran as follows:
Dear Friends: When you read this
shall be beyond the reach of man to
curse or bless. / shall take my own life,
but who shall blame me when the rea-
sons for the act are known! Let me be-
gin at the beginning. | was deeply in
love with Patora, and because she was the
wife of another | killed her. | knew she
could never be mine in this world and
/ desired to send her soul TO the next
that mine might follow it thither. But
Mark RugtOn took his own life that his
soul might be with that Of the one he
loved. The thought vas maddening to
me. / knew that | possessed the power
to restore Mark Rugton to life-a power
/ that has been with our people for ages
and / resolved to use this power TO bring
/ his soul back to earth and cheat him Of
/ his desire. How l succeeded you all
know. But there is one thing you may
! not know. In restoring Mark TO life [
made an awful blunder, one | would have
/ given my very hearts blood 10 have avoid
ed, for / permitted his soul to escape, and
what | restored to life is only his animal
body, without love, without conscience,
without human sympathy, aud without
one spark of that divine pTincipe-the
soul. - soon as Mark Rugton spoke af-
/ ter his resurrection / knew that his soul
had gone from him. and | had been cheat
/ ed Of the end / had sought to bring about.
/ The very thought that his soul had gone
! to join her soul made me insane with
anguish, and how can you blame me for
taking my own life? Farewell My soul
shsll soon be with her soul and Marks,
and then she shall choose between us for
all eternity. Semir Raaiul.'
That was the only explanation we
ever had of the awful business, and no
doubt some will say that he was mad and
/ that Mark is also mad. As God is my
/ judge, there was something more than
/ the hand Of human beings in all this black
! business, but what it was we may never
know till we all meet at the great bar OF
Judgment.