Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-05-24

were turned, it would hop .
and with it many members OF the h,l.
man race! There was no doubt but
that the grasshopper controlled an
electric current intended to blow up
the powder-magazine!
NJ. de Chagny, who seemed to have
recovered all his moral force from
hearing Christmas voice, explained to
her, in few hurried words, the stu
alton In which we and all the opera
were. He told her to turn the scor-
| pion at once.
There was a pause.
christine" cried, where are
you?"
by the scorpion"
Don't touch it!'
The idea had come to me-for !
knew my Erik-that the monster had
perhaps deceived the girl once more.
Perhaps 1t was the scorpion that
would blow everything up. After all.
why wasn't he there? The five min.
utes were long past and he
was not back. Perhaps he
had taken shelter and was waiting for
the explosion! Why had he
not returned? He could not
really expect Christine ever to con.
sent to become his voluntary preyl
Why had he not returned?
Don't touch the scorpionl" said.
Here he comes!" cried Christine.
II hear him! Here he ISL
We heard his steps approaching
the Louis Philippe room. He came
up to Christine, but did not speak.
Then / raised my voice:
ERIK! It is I! Do you know met"
With extraordinary calmness. he at
once replied:
$50 you are not dead in there7
Well. then, see that you keep quiet. -
tried to speak, but he said coldly:
mot a word, daroga. or shall blow
everything up" And he added, THE
honor rests with mademoiselle. F.
Mademoiselle had not touched the
scorpion'-how deliberately he spoke!
-"mademoiselle has not touched the
grasshopper'-with that composure!
but 1t Is not too late to do the
right thing. There, open the caskets
without q key, for am trap-door
lover and I open and shut what I
please aud as 1 please. open the
little ebony caskets; mademoiselle.
look at the little dears inside. Aren't
they pretty? If you turn the grass
hopper. mademoiselle, we shall all be
blown up. There is enough gun
powder under our feet to blow up q
whole quarter of Paris. II you turn
the scorpion, mademoiselle, all that
powder will be soaked and drowned.
Mademoiselle, to celebrate our we'd
ding, you shall make very hand
some present to a few hundred Pari-
SLAMS who are at this moment ap-
plauding poor masterpiece OF Meyer
beers you shall make them
q present of their lives. For,
with your own fair hands, you shall
turn the scorpion. And mer-
rily. merrily, we will be married."
A pause: and then:
If, in two minutes, mademoiselle.
you have not turned the scorpion, l
shall turn the grasshopper =. +.
and the grasshopper, tell you, hops
Jolly high"
The terrible silence began anew.
The Vicomte de Chagny. realizing
that there was nothing left to do but
pray, went down on his knees and
prayed. AS for me, my blood beat so
fiercely that l had to take my heart
In both hands, lest it should burst. At
last, We heard Erik's voice:
1.-THE two minutes are past Z.
Good-by, mademoiselle. Hop.
Erik" cried Christine, do you
swear to me. monster, do you swear
to me that the scorpion is the one to
turn? :"
Yes, to hop at our wedding"
"Ah, you see! You said, to hop!
"At our wedding, ingenious child!
The scorpion opens the ball.
But that will do! You
won't have the scorpion2 Then I turn
the grasshopper!"
Erik"
Enough"
l was crying out In concert with
Christine. NJ. de Chagny was still
on his knees. praying.