Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1905-01-18


tell you, my friend, don't like It'll"
''The days went by. The Greek grew
thinner, more worried. and the pains in
his head grew more frequent Tho
most famous doctors of Paris could
make nothing of his complaint, and
asked him if he had any secret worry.
Every day l called upon him to
watch him as he slowly died. 1t was,
I remember, on the 23d That he met
me in a stormy and rebellious mood
Z will throw this thing off, he
shrieked. Six more days to livei Bah!
am soaring myself into the grave.
This cursed scribbler tells me I shall
die on Friday next. Well, it is lie.
l will live! On Saturday next 1 will
give banquet such as Paris has not
seen for many year, and all society
5iall be present Thus will I celebrate
my triumph
Il cordially approved Of the plan,
telling him that in the preparations for
the banquet he would forget his vain
fears. With feverish eagerness he pur-
sued the idea. The short week went
swiftly by. The fatal Friday came and
went, and the Greek still lived. 1
found him Saturday morning almost
| mad with delight A great weight
| seemed to have been lifted from his
SOUL All fear Of death had passed away
| from him. Even the pains which had
| been his constant companions for a
| month appeared to have vanished.
| That night l attended the banquet at
| the Ionides mansion-a banquet still
talked of in Paris 1t is easy to sheer
at the vulgarity of wealth, but it is
! hard not to be fascinated by the splen-
dor it can purchase.
THE cream of Paris fashion, beauty,
and talent assembled round the Greek
merchants table
Never had l seen the man so e1-
| ultant, so vivaciouS, so fill of life. He
and | were probably the two happiest
persons in the room. He lid not know,
| and 1 did, that in an adjoining room a
| woman, closely yelled, was awaiting my
signal
''She sat alone, swaying to and fro,
and grooming softly to herself.
food, good wine, and good talk The
| affair was at its height. Some one pro-
posed a toast, The Giver of the Feast
| 1t was drunk with reclamation, and the
| unwieidy Greek rose to reply.
Then l gave my signal, and at the
same time slipped quietly out of my
| seat at the foot of the table.
r1Jo
dressed wholly in black.
"All eyes were turned upon her as
| she drew off her veil. White as the
damask cloth On the table, but more
| beautiful than l had ever seen her, she
stood silent and motionless
'Ionides leaned heavily on the table
with both hands, and stared at her
with eyes almost as wild and fixed as
| her own.
Then she raised a thin, delic ate
| arm, slowly, pointed at him with a
gesture quite mechanical, and uttered
her thousand times during the last
week-The Seine gives up its dead
THE Greeks jaws moved, the mus
cles OF his face were convulsed, and
| the veins stood out on his forehead.
| Again and again he tried to speak, but
! no words passed his lips. Then sud-
! denly he Strengthened himself I'D. his
great arms sawed the air, his flashing
fingers clawed at nothingness, and at
| last cry, shrill, piercing, and blood
curdling, escaped him, cry of mingled
| agony and horror
Then he fell forward and crashed
| down upon the table among the gold,
silver, and shattered glass, and there
he lay like great, loathesome frog,
ugly and disgusting. He was quite
dead. I touched NADIA on the arm and
| she followed me like an obedient child.
| l had thought the shock might restore
her. That was my chief reason fer
| confronting her with her countryman.
But it was not success. She never
recovered her sanity
Munro ceased speaking and began to
| refill his pipe
Masters yawned aud rose to his feet.
Did you ever try to write a novel,
Munro?" he asked with his Irritating
| drawl.
Tufnell and l laughed, both a little
relieved, think, at being brought back
to the sane world after the grewsome
| recital
Munro said nothing, but, taking let
ter from his pocket, flung it over to
me.
caught it and the other two leaned
over my shoulder as read.
1t was brief notification from the
superintendent of a private asylum and
| it ran thus:
Dear Sir: l have to inform you
| that the patient known as NADIA is Sc
riously i'll. If you care to see her you
may do SO at any time OF the day. or
night on presentation of this paper"
noted that the letter bore a date
| two days old