The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-07

stopped suddenly with a start A sharp, prolonged rattle, continuous and rising and falling In 'lythmical cadence, struck on his ears. For a moment the doctor felt all the terror of the crotalus, alias rattlesnake which was ever with the people of Rockland. He moved softly to- ward open window Elsie was alone in the room, dancing one of those wild Moorish fandangoes, such as matador hot from the Plaza de Toros might love to lie and gaze at. She had caught up her castanets and ra .lled them as she danced with a pas onate fierceness, her 1.-the body undulating with fiexous grace. her eyes glittering and her round arms wreath!ng and unwnding, alive and vi- brant to the tips O. her slender fingers.
 A young Spanish woman who had acted for a time as Elsie's goyerness had taught her these wild dances. Elsie had had d number of governesses before she took a whim to go to the Institute" but none of them ever stayed long. She frightened them and made them nervous they said. One governess for whom Elsie conceived an especial hatred had strange fit of sickness that caused vague. whispered rumors to go about, and that made Dudley Venners and pr. kittredge show, for a time, an almost frantic anX- iety They searched all the places about the house frequented by Elsie for con- cealed package of poison, but found none. When the sick governess was able to mo ,e she fled from Rockland as if one or it's deadly crotal was pursuing her.
 iIlsies father-whom she always called Dudlev-could influence. but not govern ger Old Sophy, born in the house by q slave mother, could do more with her than any one else. Elsie would even let old sophy, when she acted as her tire woman at night, remove that band of gold which she always wore in some form around her neck and which, people said, con ,ealed a strang brthmark, the result of a parental accident of which folk talked in whispers
 pr Kittredge snook his head, imply ing that his visit would be in vain that day, and returned to his sulky. Later in the day he was greeted with the news that Dick Venner was the cousin of whom Elsie had said, There is no one at the mansion house to hate now Dick Is Gone.'
 The inhabitants of Roclzland had known him as bright, curly-haired boy so eight or ten years before, the son of Dudley Venners brother and Span ish lady of Buenos Ayres. He was little more than a young Gaucho when he first came to live with his uncle, for he had learned to ride almost as soon as he learned to walk. and could jump on his pony and trip up runaway pig with the bolas lasso him at an age when most citJ children would hardly be trusted of sight of nursemaid. The two motherless children played and fought together Ike two young leopards, beauti- ful but dangerous.
 'sMassa Dick. Massa Dick" Old Sophy would say, don't you be too rough WI dat gal Scratch you las week. Some day she bite you. and If she bite you!" an the old negres5 shook her head om- niously. One day Elsie did bite him. She sprang at him in a paroxyism of rage and fastened her sharp white teeth in IS arm. Then Dick was sent away to his mothers relatives in South Amer ica.
 It was a wild life that Dick Venner had lived after that-a life which would not
 Gar close inspection-and one day he had mounted his favorite horse and gone ri ling off, with couple of officers after him. who, rumor said took good care no to catch him. Now he appeared in Rocklsnd again, bringing wild horse of the Pampas with him and belt around his waist in which were enough gold and diamonds to serve him for long journey.