Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-05-10

f.
For Twenty.Four Hours Lay In Wait
for tho Monster to Appear.
the boat. chuckling 80 horribly that l
could not help trembling.
VERY old and worn, my dear
chandelier! 1t fell OF itself!
1t came down with a smash!
And now. daroga, take my ad-
vice and 60 and dry yourself, or
you'll catch cold in the head! 4.
And never get into my boat again.
And, whatever you do, don't
try to enter my house; I'm not al
ways there daroga! And I
should be sorry to have to dedicate
my Requiem Mass to you!"
So saying, swinging to and fro, like
. monkey, and still chuckling. he
pushed off and soon disappeared in
the darkness of the lake.
of penetrating into his house by the
lake. That entrance was obviously
too well guarded, especially since he
had learned that knew about 1t. But
l felt that there must be another en-
trance, for had often seen Erik dis
appear in the third cellar, when
was watching him. though could not
Imagine how.
Ever since I had discovered Erik
installed In the opera. lived in a per-
petual terror of his horrible fancies,
not in so far as l was concerned, but
dreaded everything for others. And
whenever some accident, some fatal
event happened. always thought to
myself, Il should not be surprised II
that were Erik" even as others used
to say, Its the ghost!" How often
have I not heard people utter that
phrase with smile! Poor devils! II
they had known that the ghost exist
ed In the flesh, l swear they would
not have laughed!
Although Erik announced to me
very solemnly that he had changed
and that he had become the most vir-
tuous of men since he was loved for
himself-a sentence that. at first. per-
picked me most terribly could not
help shuddering when thought OF the
monster. His horrible, unparalleled
and repulsive ugliness put him with.
out the pale OF humanity; and 1t often
seemed to me that, for this reason.
he no longer believed that he had any
duty toward the human race. The
way in which he spoke of his love.
affairs only increased my alarm, for
foresaw the cause Of fresh and more
hideous tragedies in this event to
which he alluded so boastfully.
On the other hand, soon discov.
cred the curious moral traffic estab.
lished between the monster and Chris.
tine Daae. Hiding in the lumber.
room next to the young prima donna 8
dressing-room, listened to wonder.
full musical displays that evidently
flung Christine into marvellous &c.
stasy, but, all the same. would never
have thought that Erik's voice
which was loud as thunder or soft as
angels voices, at will-could have
made her forget his ugliness. I un.
derstood all when I learned that
Christine had not yet seen him!
had occasion to go to the dressing.
room and, remembering the lessons
he had once given me, had no diff
Guilty in discovering the trick that
made the wall with the mirror swing
round and I ascertained the means
Of hollow bricks and so on-by which
he made his voice carry to Christine
as though she heard 1t close beside
her. In this way also l discovered
the road that led to the we'll and the
dungeon-the Communists dungeon
and also the trap-door that enabled
Erik to 20 straight to the cellars be.
low the stage.
A few days later, what was not my
amazement to learn by my own eyes
| and ears that Erik and Christine
Daae saw each other and to catch the
monster stopping over the little we'll,
in the Communists road and sprink.
ling the forehead of Christine Daae
who had tainted. A white horse, the
horse out OF the Profeta, which had
disappeared from the stables under
the opera. was standing quietly beside
them. l showed myself. It was ter
rible. saw sparks fly from those
yellow eyes and, before l had time
to say a word. received a blow on
the head that stunned me.
When l came to myself, Erik,
Christine and the white horse had
disappeared. felt sure that the poor
girl was prisoner in the house on
the lake. Without hesitation, re-
solved to return to the bank, not
withstanding the attendant danger
For twerty-four hours, lay in wait
for the monster to appear; for ! felt
that he must go out, driven by the
need OF obtaining provisions. And. In
this connection, may say, that, when
he went out in the streets or ven
tured to show himself in public, he
! wore q pasteboard nose. with q mus