The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-05-20


to check herself mysterious power
grasped her ankles with unseen fingers and
strove 10 elevate her In air.
Fully believing that her last hour had
come Beatrice gave one long pealing cry, in
which the terrified yelp OF the dog mingled
She was shot violently forward, a noise
ing plates rang i'm her ears. and tumbling
headlong TO the carpet she lost all con-
seriousness
When Beatrice next opened her eyes. she
found herself lying on the sofa with three
persons standing beside her; Godfrey was
| sprinkling her face and throat with cold
water; the housemaid applying a bot
tie of strong salts to her nostrils; and Idris
was holding a candle, the feeble light of
which he strove to steady by shielding II
| with his hand. The windows and door were
wide open. and the cool night air was blow
| ing through the ROOM laden with a rant
Beatrice gave a feeble smile OF recogni-
! tion and then gaZed vacantly around the
| apartment, unable at first TO recall what
| had preceded the present state OF affairs.
The room presented scene OF confusion.
| All the pictures hung awry; the ornaments
| of the mantel had fallen, and lay, some
| shattered To pieces, within the fireplace;
| fragments of one OF the gasoner globes
starred the carpet; the doors OF the DOCK
case were open, and many of the volumes
| had been projected from their Shelves 10
the floor On the table was the viking s
skull the cause, in some mysterious way,
/ of all this disorder; at least, such was Be-
Il have bee1 horribly frightened" she
| said. soon she had recovered the use
/ of speech.
Godfrey and / had just reached the door,
| when the house shook TO It's foundations,
and out went all the lights BY heaven l
thought the place was coming down. we
| have had an earthquake shock.
! But the imaginative mind of Beatrice,
| still under the spell of The Far oriental
| iSt,' was not prepared 10 accept THIS I'd
| tional explanation.
| EARTHQUAKES don't happen in England,
| she declared. .,
| said Idris land the present one Is a case
| i'm point. Why" he added observing Be
| atrice's dissentient shake of her head'
| what else could il have been?
| Il cannot say" she answered, shiverlng,
| and glancing at the Vikings skull. But
| this much 1 know. that long before the
| house shook and the gas went out was
| frightened by strange sounds coming from
| the head of the staircase where the skull
| was, and So-and So
And here Beatrice paused, not knowing
| how to express TO others that which was
| not very clear to herself.
| And so you began to think that the skull
was talking and threatening you with mys-
tic oracIes? Fie, Trixie.' said her brother.
| reprovingly. Il did not think you could be
| so foolish.
But perceiving that it would be useless at
| belief, such process being best reserved for
the sober light of morning, Godfrey turned
to give some orders TO the housemaid.
| '.Ha"' exclaimed ldris. picking up the
/ novel from the floor, $50 you have been
reading this? Then L don't wonder that you
have been frightened. The Fair Oriental
| ist' is not a book to be read at night In
lonely house"
Il will not deny that the book frightened
| me- but what was it that frightened Leo
He cannot read ghost stories, and yet he
| Mi Glx
Probably with that provision instinct in
| the brute race he discerned the coming or
this catastrophe"
| Beatrice. having now recovered herself,
| proposed a tour of the house with view
of ascertaining how much damage had
beeen done
| The walls did not exhibit any cracks or
| assures and, apparently, were sound
| as before, but on the floor of every room
proofs of the recent earth-tremor were
Breakage was especially triumphant IN
the kitchen.
.'Ah mer' sighed Beatrice, sorrowsully.
| Goodbye to my new tea servicei And
| my pretty majoica bread plate gone. too.
| Nothing will convince me that this Is not
the work of the Viking. When he was alive
L have no doubt that, being heather, he
took a pleasure in Staying good Christian
folk; and now that he is dead he shows his
malignity by. destroying .their crockery-
ware, A noble Viking, would think,
should be above such meanneSs.
On returning to the sitting room Idris,
for acknowledgements of Beatrice, began 10
relate his adventure with Mademoiselle Ri
Were; and, Beatfice listened, she be-
came strangely disquieted by the incident
Why should this be?
But when Idris. in the course of his story
dwelt on the beauty of Lorelie and above
all on the heroic light of her eyes when she
bade him leave her to save himself. Beat
rice readily dscerned by the warmth OF
his tone how matters stood with him, anC
realizing this her agitation increased
Surprised, frightened, trembling, she found
oil
emotion 70 the certain knowledge that hel
feelings towards Idris were not those OF
friendship. simply. but of lovel
And perceiving how deeply enthralled he
was by the witchery OF Lorelie Riviere heI
mind became tortured with exquisite pain
Fearing that Idris and Godfrey might OBJ
serve her emotion and divine its cause, she
seized a favorable moment to steal from the
apartment. without little a Good
night" lest her voice should betray her.
And on attaining her dainty bedroom she
flung herself upon the bed and gave way
to emotion. despising herself as foolish
and yet unable TO check her tears
murmured: IF he but knew. But it is moi
for me 10 tell him. He will-he must Learn
it in time. And then-and then-perhaps-
But Beatrice put this hope from her az
too delightful ever to be realized.
Now to examine my noble Viking" sale
| Idris taking UP the skull from the table
LET us see whether he has suffered any
injury in his roll downstairs. Hul-lo!'
| Shaking the skull as he spoke, his atten
ton was arrested by faint rattle within
it, a sound that he had not heard in hi.
previous landings of the relic.
Listen. Godfrey he cried. in curiou.
! tone of voice, and shaking the skull again
What is this inside?
| He stopped the motion to examine tn,
skull more carefully. Strange that till thi.
| moment ne had not noticed that the occip
tai bone was pierced by a tiny hole of cir
| cular shape.
.Do YOU see this Godfrey he said
1 h.
been caused only by a sharp-pointed instru
ment. The thing rafting within must be 8
fragment of some weapon.
He gave the skull another shake, when
from the vertebral oriice there dropped :
piece of rusty steel about two inches In
| length, slender, rounded and tapering to Z
point.
in his head" said Idris. $50 ii is cleal
that we have here a fragment of the identi
cal weapon that gave old Orm his coup
de-grace.
A tiny piece of steel publicly exposed
say in a shop window. will attract little 4
any notice: but let il be known that thu
said steel is the instrument with which !,
murder has been wrought. and a whole cit,
will come trooping forth TO view; and fan
cy prices will be offered for IL by connois
seurs of the gruesome.
Deep. therefore. the interest will
| which the two friends viewed. their lates
discovery.
''Then this cannot be the skull of Orn
the Viking" remarked Godfrey after ;
thoughtful pause. 'f the tapestry w,
brought away from the tomb is TO be re
ceived authority. since that repre-
sents him as slain by an arrow piercin,
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