The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-01-09

folds Of smoke hung sullenly over the
ruin, laying a pail upon the dead dam
nation, she said to him:
Il have seen writing In that foul
cloud the souls of men lost through the
product of this vanished manufactory
of satan"
rs vision seeing an inheritance like
sensing" Evariste asked sarcastically.
81 believe it is. see visions Often,'
us the one power as reliable as the
other?"
Eyes, but the visions depress me.
They are so real"
"Then why do you indulge them?
Because I cannot Danish or resist
them"
"Why, Laure, you may yet become
doctress."
mo"
"Why not?"
because you will prevent"
"Not l." said Evariste positively.
Eyes, you" she insisted, with firm
ness.
us this another Cassandra prophe-
cy?'
1T is true prophecy. know moth
ing Of Cassandra. Come with me,
please. I wish to stop for a moment
at the old cottage to get book of my
granduncle's which left there"
Il will be delighted" he assented,
with condescending air which was
not lost upon her. Are you not fear
full that those things will be stolen
from the deserted cottage?"
mo. The thieves among US will not
risk the vengeance of the doctress."
"But she is dead"
'They dread her curse the more be-
cause she is dead"
They rode through the swamp in
silence. he affected to. reinstate the
dignity which he thought had been I'M
Willingly lowered by the free converse
in the crowd. She gave herself to q
train Of disturbing thoughts, which
flushed and paled her brown face and
escaped in signs from her heaving
bosom, and she threw from dark, melt
ing eyes glances Of yearning and adora-
ton upon her unseeing companion for
which many Gasconoid would gladly
have given all his worldly possessions.
Arrived at the cottage, she drew a
bunch Of keys from her reticule and,
begging Evariste to await her on the
veranda, unlocked the door and enter
ed. The stiffness Of the house and all
it's surroundings, the motionless pros
pect Of open field and rigid forest, the
creeping shadows Of evening and
Laure's words, '"They dread her curse
the more because she is dead" worked
insidiously upon the scoffer sense Of
the uncanny, and Evariste was op-
pressed By feeling Of the presence OF
the old doctress. Dreamily he fell into
reverie, in which he seemed to receive
presentiment from the white haired
oracle. A footstep recalled him, and he
started, as if at an apparition, upon be-
holding Laure, her head barred and the
luxuriant hair tumbling in wavelets
about her forehead, clad in the gown
of flmy, clinging fabric she had worn
the day he gave her the crescent of
rubies and diamonds. Her ripened fig
ure, Of voluptuous contour, strained to
the utmost the delicate enveloping It's
sue. Entreaty was in her moist eyes,
passion in her mantling cheeks. Quiv-
ering lips and quick breath betrayed
the agitation of her heart. Rich, glow
ing, tropical, her beauty was that Of
the red lily. Evariste gazed upon her
in mute, admiring wonder.
Hear me patiently, Evariste and
weigh well what will say There
was intense pleading in her voice, and
as she drew near to him he could see
the rapid throbbing of the veins in her
satiny neck. "You have book learning
and know the ways and rules of what
is called society. You understand the
business and politics of men. But YOU
do not know yourself or human ma
ture. do. It is gift. Your passions
possess you. If you attempt to hide
them, they consume you. Opposition
tlays discretion and sends you on reck-
less courses. You have never been
happy. You envied your brother. His
very generosity irritated you. His for.