Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-02-16
CHAPTER :...!..-fc ontinued55

i oLctl Cu dJ ooSld WILL q EdAO VI tCl VI
in which 1t was easy for the physician
to see that her memory was at fault
and by no means recovered from thu
tomblike lethargy in which it had beer
submerged for four and a half days.
"You recognize me- he continued
doubtless because my image was the
last that was in your mind when YOU
power to think fed from you. Pa
tience! The memory you are striving
to seize will ere long return to you
Let us see how it is with your mem
DRY. You remember that you have q
mother. What Is her name?"
The maiden sat up In bed, pressed
her hands to her temples and closed
her eyes.
/ Il have forgotten" she groaned
after moments silence. Great
heaven! Am / not sane? Has my
brain been shattered? Oh, God, have
pity upon me, I cannot remember my
mothers name!"
| And as she thus exclaimed, gasping.
4 ~, she stared at Sosia with wild but
fearless eyes.
/ He arose, dropped some liquid from
4 one of his Walls into the water and
| gliding with his quck, short and noise
less step to the bed, he said:
"Drink this"
| The lady obeyed mechanically, and
/ turned the glass to his hand in silence.
1 He placed the glass upon the table,
and then lifting the coffin lid till it was
perpendicular, with its plate toward the
! bed, he sad:
do you recognize the shape of this
| thing?"
The lady gazed. at the object for a
moment, and then replied slowly:
mo; do not"
"Can you remember your own
name?"
Again the young lady pressed her
! hands upon ner temples, as II by the
action endeavoring to force her mem
DRY to relieve her mind.
NO; have forgotten even my own
name, Alas, what has happened? 2"
she soon cried aloud, and wringing her
beautiful hands with mental anguish.
Courage, young lady! Your mind
has received severe shock, but it is
not permanently injured" remarked
Sosia "Look-this is the lid of cot
fin, from which the body of some one
has not long been taken, Here, en-
graved upon this plate, is the name of
that person Have you forgotten what
coffin is.
"A box in which the dead are buried
II think" replied the lady.
Right! Have you forgotten how
to read engraved characters?
.sNo--that is, / think l can read"
"We will try said Sosia.
And then to Martha, who, crouching
at the foot of the bed. had not yet
been seen by the young lady, he add
ed.
woman, hold this lid near the
lady's bed, SO that she may read the
name upon tiff she has not forgotten
how to read"
Martha obeyed, while Sosia held one
of the candles so as to make the en-
grayed characters distinctly visible.
The reading on the silver shield was
as follows:
HELEN DUDLEY BEAUCLAIR,
Born December 30th, 1647,
Died March 30th, 1865,
Aged Is years and 8 months.
The young lady read all this alond,
and then turned her eyes wonderingly
upon Sosia
Ia you do not recognize that name?"
he asked.
Il do not"
sit is your own"
"Mine2 Impossible.
Then what is yours 2"
II fear--I am sure all is not right
here ~, replied the young lady, again
pressing her hands to her temples and
closing her eyes.
4.Lie down and listen to me" said
Sosia, and when she again had her
head upon the pillow he continued:
aThere lived in England not long ago
a beautiful young lady, named Helen
Dudley Beauclair. She was the daugh-
ter and only child Of Lady Ida Beau
clair, widow. The mother, naughty,
ambitious and imperious, and by birth
relative OF the proud and ancient
house OF Dudley, In her youth mar
|ried, from pure love "a gentleman far
beneath her In rankfor she was the
daught Ter 81 an earl, and he simply Of
the gentry. His name was Berkeley
Beauclair. He is dead. He died many
years ago, leaving Lady Ida a widow
with one child Helen Dudley Beau
clair Your mind follows what am
saying
es; but 4 have no recollection Of
these names Am 4 not in a dream !?
TO myself ] seem to be entangled Ia +
strange dream, vainly striving to iden-
tify myself I see and hear. but my
brain seems TO me q cork tossed up
md down on the waves Of the sea. III
drifts. IT whirls, # leaps on spray, 1t
|is 90 light 81 murlnnrsd the young lady.
locking her hands across and upon her
her forehead q and signing heavily.
But your mind while You hear my
scice. follow and remembers what !