Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-02-22
DAILY SHORT STORY
MASKED DEATH.


"Our mobiles, Gilderstane," said the
prince to his prime minister, "are fast
degenerating. While there is no evil in
them. there is no good. Some wizard
has cast upon them the spell of frivoli-
ty. Their days are given TO out of door
sports, their nights to dancing and
feasting."
~ have POWDERED, your highness, on
their condition and have concluded that
they can only be brought to their senses
by some impressive lesson"
Have you planT'
81 have. l would suggest that your
highness issue an order for Il grand
masquerade to be given at the palace
do you desire our attendanceT
"Only for a brief space"
The prince sat i'll deep thought.
"Gilderstane," lie said at last "you
have given us manYproofs of your wis
dom as we'll as of your fidelity. 1t shall
be as you desire
\ royal command was issued for n
masquerade that was to exceed in
splendor any fete that had been pre-
viously given. Society .at once dropped
pleasure in the present To take Il frner
hold ON pleasure in the,future. All We're
busy hunting original costumes. The
principality was secured for the oldest,
the richest costumes, while artists We're
called upon to produce the most fantas-
tic designs.
The evening arrived. The palace WAS
blaze of lights and, though it was
winter, its interior resembled u garden
of the tropics. The arriving guests
sprang from their carriages with eager
steps and hurried into the palace.
Pleasure had been pent during the In
terval of preparation and was now
ready TO burst forth with new vigor.
Brilliant lights fell OH Respondent cos
tunes. Jewels received the rays, broke
them and sent them back in dazzling
hues. The music hadiin it quickening
thrill to set the blood coursing. the feet
flying. There were girls with supple
figures, women with Queenly ones,
slender youths and men of stately mien.
all swaying. rocking i'll the dance As
the hours flew by the music: grew mad
der, the dancing more abandoned.
From a supper room came popping of
corks, bursts Of laughter, shouts of
merriment The dancers, breaking
from prescribed forms, danced alone
Ivory arms waved aloft. Beneath
fringe of silk and lace shapely feet in
kid futtered like the wings of Il swarm
OF white butterflies.
The clock struck IL.
The music stopped.
The dancers. wondering. paused and
stood still.
Two lackeys threw open a portal, and
Al. l,i
tered, moving silently and amid silence
to the throne. When he was seated
four masked men came through n side
door bearing a bier covered with
canopy of satin and velvet and. max
ing their way through the guests, who
opened before them. set 1t down in the
center of the ballroom. Then, while
the jewellers looked on with repressed
expectation. one OF the bearers remov-
ed a pail and uncovered figure mask
ed and in costume.
"What u singular featured"
"His highness has outdone himself
In originality"
"Who could have consented to play
so grewsome q part-the part of the
dead?''
us he dead?"
Dead. He will arise presently and
give us Il novel dance. something never
seen before. Come let us form a ring
and spin about him to give him inspira
ton"
The speaker seized the hand of a
girl looking on, and. willy nilly. she was
carried along others joining till n cir
Gle was formed extending to the very
limits of the ballroom, all dancing.
shouting. singing round and round.
Presently one of the dancers broke
from the ring and advanced to the bier.
Come" he said, ''arise and give us
the dance of death" And he tore
away the mask.
A thrill of horror shot through the
crowd. There rigid, form of clay, u
face of marble, cheeks hollow, eyes
sunken, chin dropped upon the breast.
lay the earthly part of one who few |
days before had been the merrest man
in the principalty.
The assembly stood as if petrified. |
If there were sounds, they We're gasps |
of horror; If there We're movement. it |
was by some who had tainted. The |
prince sat immovable. From the foot |
of the throne the prime minister adj |
vanced Il few PAGES. then stopped and |
spoke:
Fool. this night thy soul shall he
required of thee
There was a silence during which the
speaker kept his finger pointed to the
corpse and his eye fixed on the people.
The prince sat silent on his throne. |
rigid as figure of stone. For time
no one moved or seemed to move. but
presently the throng grew thinner.
When all were gone the prince de-
scended from his throne and, hand in
hand with his prime minister left the
room. Lastly the bearers took up the
corpse and bore it away. the lights
were turned off, and where there had
been flare of splendor a single star
looked in through a window
From that time the prince had the |