The age-herald., 1901-04-14
'yhe NOvtcM o3 Olcnna
 Tale of Euchantmens Upset Capital

she demanded the keey. this time with a voice that rang through the hall, and brought curious footmen and laclkeys to the staircase to listen. Herr Markowics refused, firmly this time. with some re- turn to the dignity befittins his office
 The woman leaped toward him, but checked herself. Drawing herself up to her full height and pointing her finger at nim' With her eyes glittering and holding him as in spell, she poured forth a tor rent of words in a strange, musical lan- guage. It ended with a wall that re- sounded and re-echoed through the pal ace, reaching even the members of the household in their private apartments. Then, passing by the dumfounded porter she stepped to the door. There she again stopped, and pointing her finger at him with rage transfguring her features. she screamed, "So long as you live I shall always be present In your mindi Never shall you forget me! I will be with you always, until your last day! Always and evermore, until your last day."
 Before motion could be made by any or the servants she gained the street. And when the lackeys reached the front door she was nowhere to be seen. Nor when her curse began to fulfill itself later and inquiries were made, could any one be found along that whole broad avenue who had seen her, either coming or go-
 
 when the broad avenue was bare and lonely such figure as hers should have been marked by many idle servants who had nothing to do except to look out on the street. Nor has she been seen by hu- man being since.
 Haunted by the Woman.
 Herr Markowics was a big man, quite six feet in height, in the fullness of health. Nerves were something of which he knew only by report. The encounter with the strange woman had rufi1ed his dignity, and disturbed his serenity. But that was all. Yet on that evening, when he had retired to his own apartments, he saw form in his room. Gradually, as he stared at it, it assumed outline, and finally stood before him-the woman who had demanded the key to the blue room. Angrily he jumped from his chair and advanced to order her out only to dis| cover that there was nothing. Mark now, that this did not disturb him. He ascribed it, as most men would, to a mere trick of vision, and, like sensible man. went to bed. Once in the night he awoke to find the strange woman in his room again and again she vanished. Herr Markowics turned over and went to sleep again. He awoke in the morning with no more thought of the two visions than any or dinarily healthy man would give to a dream, and descended to the breakfast table with the normal appetite pertaining to the office of archducal porter. His chair was occupied by some one. It was the woman. He took another chair and reached for the bread. Hands appeared reaching for 1t from the other side of the table. They were the woman's. He turn ed to the sideboard. The woman stood there. Herr Johann Markowics made a poor breakfast.
 The sun was shining into the front en- trance to the palace when he went to his post. The avenue was thronged with ear ly pedestrians. In the band of light that shone straight on his accustomed seat stood the woman. Herr Markowics gazed at her fixedly. He marked the rich color of her dress. the dark eyes with light in them, the red mouth, the old, delicate, dark skin. He even saw tiny curl that had escaped from the gorgeous head dress It stirred just a little in the faint breeze. Herr Markowics drew long breath and beckoned to a footman who was near He called his attention to an imaginary happening in the street. The footman stroiled to the door and-walked right through the woman.
 The Burden of Entertainment. From that moment there began for the Archduke's porter a hell of enchantment Before the footman returned from the doorway, indignantly announcing that there was nothing to see, Herr Marko- wics knew the curse had come true. q will be with you always until your last day!" He saw her fit up the hall toward him, and with groan he turned and fled. Quickly as he moved, he was con- scious that she was close behind him. She entered his room with him. He fell down on his knees before the cruci1x that he, as a good Catholic. had in the corner, and felt safe But the form of the strange woman came between him and the holy emblem. Desperate, he went downstairs to his post. The woman stood in the door way. TheEceforth, all day long she stood there so long he was on duty. At mealtimes she stood behind his chair. When his wife and children approached him she crowded herseelf between them and him. He tried to read his Bible, and her hand and the hem of her garments fell over the page and hid every word Night brought no rest, for she moved up and down in his room.
 For two weeks he said nothing to any one, and bore his burden In secret. But his fellow-servants watched him with GU. rosity, for he never moved without look | ing backward over his shoulder with g furtive, hunted look. Often he would stop short and spring backward to avoid | something that nos one else could see | Pressed at laast for an explanation, he | told his story. It traveled rapidly, as ser. | wants gossip does, and before long tht whole city knew that the porter of tho l Archduke was haunted. The tale hat | double interest. first. because of the love
 match of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand
 with the lovely Countess Chotek, to wir whom he renounced his claim to the i'm
 perial throne of Austria-Hungary; and