The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-01-07
CHAPTER XTII.-continued.

tuink, my DrOInerS, Julb lS the Ante
which awaits you perhaps soon on go
ing away from here. Think OF the va
rious Illnesses and deaths by accidents
which await you. Contemplate the
magic spectacle offered by the Cabaret
du Squelette and remember that you
are dust and that to dust o must re-
turn. lake wisely this reflection
which the Intoxicated man made to
another man In like condition, but
asleep. And that is how / shall be on
Sunday While waiting, my brothers
and sisters, for nothingness, look al
the Standardization of your contem-
porary, IL you please"
The play OF lights, while the mar
was talking, began TO throw a greenish
palior and TO make spots at first trans
parent upon the orbits of the eyes;
then. little by little. the spots seemed
20 grow stronger. to blacken, TO en-
large. The features, lightly picked out,
appeared to change gradually. to a x
on gray and confused tints. to slowly
disappear as under O veil. a damp va
pof which covered, devoured, that race
now unacceptable! 1t has been said
that the manner In which this phenom-
enon was managed was a remarkable
thing. 1t is true. for this human body
seemed literally to dissolve before this
curious crowd, now become silent and
frightened, The work OF death was
" ACCOMPLISHING titFS quincy ~ ~
the Illusion of lighting. The iyid man
who smiled a few moments before was
motlonless, fixed; then, passing
through some singular changes, the
flesh seemed to fall from him in
Suddenly the play of lights made
him disappear ron the eyes or the
spectators, and they saw, thanks to
reflections made by mirrors. only a
skeleton. 1t was the world OF specters
and the secret of the tombs revealed
to the crowd by a kind OF scientific
magic lantern.
Bernardet did not desire to walt
longer to striks his blow-this was the
exact moment to do 1t, the ~psycholog-
tcal moment
The eager look OF the man in the
eombrero revealed a deep trouble.
Thore. was In this look something more
this the curiosity excited by a novel
spectacle. The muscles OF his pale face
twitched rs with physical suffering. In
his eyes Bernardet read an internal
agony. St."
.Ahi" thought the police oficer.
'.aThe living eye is a book which one
can read as we'll as a dead mans eye
Upon the stage the play of lights was
rendering ven more sinister the hgu-
rant who was giving to this morbidly
curious crowd the comedy OF death.
One would have now thought 1t was
OHt OIL luO6c hNGOCAOuH pdliititb6 tnduC
In the studios OF certain Spanish paint
ers In the putridero of a Wales Leal.
The flesh. by a remarkable scientific
combination of lights, was made, to
seem as IL falling off and presented the
horrible appearance or q corpse In a
state OF decomposition. The ~lugubrious
vision made a very visible shudder pass
over the audience. Then Bernardet.
drawing himself up to his full height
so as to get a good view of the face of
this man so much taller and approach"
Ing as near to him as possible-in fact,
30 that his elbow and upper arm
touched the young man's-slowly. de-
i~lberately dropped n by n these
one Words,
That Is about how M. Revere ought
to be now
And suddenly the young mans face
expressed a sensation OF fright. as one
sees In the face OF a pedestrian who
suddenly finds that he Is about to step
= upon a viper. m.k #
,or how he will be soon" added the
little mar, with an amiable smile.
Bernardet disseminated under this ami
ability and Intense joy. Holding his
arm and elbow I'm an apparently care
less n close to his neighbor as he
pronounced Rovere's name, Bernardet
felt his neighbours Whole body tremble
and give a very perceptible start. Why
ndu He Dcefl no QUICKLY moved Dy HI
name IL 1t had not recalled
to his mind some frightful thought?
The man might, OF course, know, as the
public did, all the details of the crime;
but, with his strong, energetic face. his
resolute look. he did not appear like a
person who would be troubled by the
recital Of a murder. the description OF a
bloody affray or ever by the frlghtful
scene which had just passed before his
eyes In the hall.
"A man of that stamp Is not chicken
hearted thought Bernardet. mo,
no." Hearing those words evoked the
image Of the dead man, Revere. The
man was not able to master his vioelnt
emotion, and he trembied as IL under
an electrical discharge. The shudder
had been violent. OF short duration,
however, as If he had mastered his
emotion by his strong will. In his in
voluntary movement he had displayed
a tragic eloquence. Bernardet had seen
In the look, in, the gesture. in the move
ment OF h mans head, something OF
trouble, OF doubt. of terror, as in a
flash OF lightning in the darkness OF
night one sees the bottom of d pool.
Bernardet smilingly said to him:
This sight is not q gay one"
mo" the man answered, and he al.
so attempted to smile.
He looked back to the stage, where
tue SOmDer play went on. LIZ
That poor Roverei" Bernardet said.
The other ma now looked at Bernar-
Diet as IL to read his thoughts and ia
learn what Specification the repetition
OF the same name had. Bernardet sus-
tained with a naive look this mute I'm
terrogation. He allowed nothing of his
thoughts to be seen In the clear, child.
like depths OF his eyes. He had the all
OF a good man, frightened by a terrible
murder, and who spoke OF the late vic,
tim as IL he cared for himself. HI
waited. hoping that the man wouIt
speak.
In some OF Bernardet's readings h,
had come across the magic rule appli
cable to love. Never co.; wait for tn,
other to come" (Ne ire, fac venire)-
Applicable also to hate, to that dnel o
magnetism between the hunted mar
and the police spy, and Bernadet wait
ed for the other to come :
Brusquely, after a silence, while ol
the little stage the transformation wa
still going on, the man asked in a DIR!
tone:
why do you speak to me of NJ. Ro
vere?p
Bcrnardet affably replied: 1? Be