Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-04-14

as II trying 10 overcome a nightmare,
sat up, looked around and said to me:
You cannot imagine the fright that
the bonfire gave me-"
THE bonfirei" | replied, what was
there frightful about that?"
And who were the people that were
moving around it?"
"The people? Only the poor work,
men, who in spite of the cold weather,
are hurrying to clear the track so that
we may go on. They are suffering
with cold and perhaps with hunger.
while we, after a sumptuous dinner,
can keep ourselves comfortable by
these heaters. What compassion and
even gratitude you should feel for
these disinherited ones of %fortune!"
"That is true! They do indeed move
me to compassion and awaken my
sympathy; but seeing them in the fire.
light confused me and disturbed my
mind. All, you little know the scene,
the terrible scene that they evoked in
my memory!"
"a terrible scene? | have known you
since your birth; your life has glided
quietly and pleasantly along in the
companionship of loving parents. No
sad or tragic event has disturbed your
happy existence"
IF you only knew! But no, | do not
wish to tell you; I have revealed it to
10 one; | do not know why, but l am
ashamed"
Ashamed? OF what have you to
accusc yourself?"
"Of nothing; the fault is not mine
but that of my destiny"
Your destiny! 1t is with this word
that we pretend to justify all oul
faults"
81 mean that have committed
none"
"Of what, then, do you accuse your
destiny?"
Very well, l will tell you. l am 60
ing to make a confession to you-tc
you alone. | have always loved you
as if you were my brother, and l know
that you will appreciate the sincerity
of my words without making them the
subject of jest"
Go on"
''You must know that I suspect-why
dc / say 'suspect?' I believe firmly
that | have existed before in this world
and that my soul once belonged to ar
other woman"
What madnessi"
Madness? No, it is a profound con.
viction."
But to believe this is a SIM"
III it be a sin, I cannot help com
hitting it, for, in spite Of me, and
against my will, l preserve indelibly
the remembrance of my previous ex
istence."
wild d~elusion!"
MOT at all! On arriving at Orleans
the remembrance of my former life
came wildly back to my mind. l re.
membered my good parents, sad, alone
and abandoned in their miserable
home; while |, a weak woman, guided
by divine inspiration and encounterins
dangers without number, combated the
enemies of my country.
And later, when in sight of the bon.
fire, my imagination recalled the trag.
edy Of Rouen, the memory of which
freezes my blood and sets my hair OF
end.
Bound to the dreadful stake, thu
butt of the jeering, scoffing multitude
that filled the place of execution, | saw
at my feet the sinister light of the fire;
| heard the swapping and cracking O.
the wood as it mounted the pile; I saw
the increasing flames stirred up will
fiendish eagerness by my cruel eXecu
TONERS; they reached me, they envel
oped me, and l felt the supreme agon,
of the moment, when, my torture hav
ing been completed, my soul was freet
from my suffering body.
Never can l forget the frightfu
memory of my former life! There il
no doubt of it was Joan of Arc"
We arrived at Paris at one o'clocl
the following morning, four hours late
Our aunt, Sonora de Alvarez, who hat
not seen Dolores since she left that city
at the age of five years, was anxiousl!
waiting for us at the station.
She offered us the hospitality of hel
house, which | gladly accepted, as
since the scene on the train, the con
dition of the child had caused me tn
greatest alarm and required the care o
coma NOM hor pf tho fop,ilv
We settled ourselves, therefore, a
our aunts house, where rooms had al
ready been prepared for us. Dolores
exhausted with the fatigue of the jour
ney, went Immediately to bed, and
retired to my w apartment.
In spite of the natural WEAKNESS
caused by "a hours of railway travel
| arose early and gave my aunt an &C
count of the strange mental disturb
ance from which Dolores was suffer
ing. and at which the good woman wa
in no small degree surprised. I remem
bered that one of my friends, a Spanish
physician, was at that time in Paris
and l went to find him at the hospita
where he was perfecting his studies OF
diseases of the nerve centres, for thu
cure of which he was a specialist.
l had the good fortune to find hin
and to secure his immediate attendance
upon my cousin. She was still asleel
when the doctor and | arrived at thu
house.
'Do you wish me to wake her up?'
inquired my aunt Of the doctor, whil'
inviting us to seats in the salon.