Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-08


tingllshed officer, who had come all the way
from India to wed rich and lovely bride, should
vanish mysteriously the very eve of his in
tended marriage All the machinery of the law
would be set in motion to discover the author
OF the deed Suspicion would be sure TO fall
on the artist who was known to entertain feel
lpgs OF love towards the bride. 1T was Vasar
that did it, men would say, and jealousy was
the cause [ must act with caution. All. 7
would forge letter in Captain Wizards hand
wrltlng-easy task this for an artist!-purport-
ing that he had fled Of his own accord to the
Continent. Ho! no! it was bravely done-brave
ly. No one ever dreamt that he was dead and
that Angelo had killed him.
lie put on an air of savage pride which plniny
implied, Now what do You think of that"
Lake a trembling child finging cherished eat
able to dog of which he is afraid / flung the
maniac prcpitiatory falsehood, despising myself
for it the minute afterwards:
! Il always thought you were a clever fellow"
He accepted this tribute of admiration with
the air Of one who quite deserved it, and con-
tnued:
eyes; would so arrange the affair that none
should ever discover what had really happened
would kill him and travel in his dress to Dow.
er, making it appear if Captain Willard had
really departed for the Continent I was not
unlike him in build and features, and by paint
ing and Disgusting my face could transform my
self into his very image. L tried the exneri-
!
an actor the stage has lost, Even you were de-
ceived when landing from the steam-packet last
Christmas morning. 1t was whom you saw on
the pier amid the falling snow"
My amazement at this point was 50 great that
1t made me forget the perilous situation I was
In. Spell-bound at the revelation, stood like
spectator gazing at some actor who enthralls
him.
| HIS death furnished me with noble idea in
connection with the picture was then painting
The Fall of Caesar Did not Parrhasius when
he wished to paint Prometheus chained to the
rock and tortured by the vulture order one of
his slaves to be fettered, and the bosom of the
shrieking captive to be laid open, that he might
paint the agony of Prometheus in all its glorious
reality! Gods! what picture that must have
been! Oh, that 7, too, could have by me a man
Just slain, with the red blood distilling from the
wounds! What glorious model it would be!
lts image transferred to the canvas would be
the making of my picture. What realism it
would exhibit! This work at least would not be
called mediocre by the cold critics. All! bright
thought! Captain Willard shall be nv model
The very stroke that deprives a rival of life
shall be the means of elevating me to fame
Could vengeance take a sweeter, more subtle
! form"
It seemed age since Angelo had begun his
recital. but as the church-bells had not pealed
the quarter, l knew he had not yet been fifteen
minutes it, My ears were keenly alert for
| any SOuIu UlldJ lHlgnU llUlCdUe UndC nelD was
approaching, but everything was still and quiet
outside the tower
"I met Captain Willard late on Christmas Eve
returning from Daphncs house. l asked him to
come to my studio for few minutes; L have
surprise for yOu,' I said. So / had. As I
spoke I had to turn my face from him to hide
the light of triumph in my eyes. He came
willingly enough, talking of the happy morrow.
We were alone. ] led him to a picture on an
easel. "A present for your bride; do you like it:'
I said, standing behind him. Oh, what thrill
was going through me. Yes he replied-his
last word! We'll, how do you like that?
cried as my weapon descended. Hatred-love-
fame nerved my with triple power, and I
struck him own-down-down. This is how I
did it,"
At this point the maniac sprang to his feet
with the rapidity of lightning. and, lifting the
dagger on high, made swift downward stab at
an ideal figure. My heart gave great leap, for
thought he was going to strike me.
'fWth one loud cry he dropped-thud! Oh,
that cry! 1t rings in my ears still. 1t was the
sweetest music to me. I stood over him with
nv dripping weapon ready to deal him second
stroke, and red drop fell on his vest. I want
ed him to cry, to move to rise that I might
have the pleasure of striking him down once
more But he never moved after that one stroke,
and I took him up in my arms and flung him
down again that might enjoy the luxury of the
sound"
Dropping the dagger, he illustrated his words
by going through the motion of flnging body
to the ground. Anything more deyilish than his
manner had never seen.
"And he fell thus and lay in this manner-so"
| And here the maniac flung himself backward
with his arms aloft and dropped to the floor
swiftly and naturally that I marveled he did
not hurt his head on the yellow-sanded stone.
! And there he lay in silence for a few seconds
with his eyes closed and his limbs rigidIy
tended in imitation of dead body.
I thought of the figure in the grey cloak that
Fruin had seen lying on the floor of the picture
gallery That figure had been none other than
the mad artist whose diseased imagination go-
ried in the still hours of night in rehearsing the
terrible drama of last Christmas Eve. His mon
omania. in fact, had taken the shape of sub
iectve reslaying of the slain, united to an OBJ
iective wearing of his victims dress. Instead of
destroying that evidence of guilt, he had re-
tanned Georges clothing and, as his subsequent
rawlings showed, regarded it as a memento of his
own cleverness-
The artist rose to his feet and flung himself
back in his chair again, apparently exhausted by
his emotion
"Crlel?" he gasped, staring at me, and striv-
ing to palliate the deed by the example of others
"Cruel? If Giotto stabs his living model on the
cross that he may paint cruci6ed Christ, if
Parrhasius puts his slave to torture that he
NAV produce the agony of Prometheus in all its
realism, may, l. too not have my victim? Cruel?
It was sacrifice to art Churchmen hAEe burned
each other for the glory of God &rt is my
god"
And the maniac lifted his cIenched hand aloft
as il defying Heaven.
"My rival was lying at my feet, dead I want
ed his clothing for my purpose, so stripped him.