Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1912-05-17

quiet nat, with ordinary doors ana
windows and a wife inside 1t, like
anybody else! A wife whom I could
love and take out on Sundays and
keep amused on weekdays. i.
Here. shall show you some card.
tricks? That will help us to pass q
few minutes, while waiting for eleven
o'clock tomorrow evening. My
dear little ChristineI Are you
listening to me? Tell me
you love me! No, you don't
love me but no matter. you
will! !. Once, you could not
look at my mask because you knew
what was behind. And now
you don't mind looking at 1t and you
forget what is behind! One
can get used to everything II
one wishes. Plenty Of young
people who did not care for each
other before marriage have adored
each other since! Oh, don't know
what l am talking about! But you
would have lots of fun with me- For
instance. am the greatest ventrilo-
quist that ever lived, l am the first
ventriloquist in the world! {.
You're laughing. Perhaps you
don't believe me? Listen"
The wretch, who really was the
first ventriloquist in the world, was
only trying to divert the child's at.
tention from the torture-chamber; but
It was stupid scheme, for Christine
thought of nothing but us! She re-
peatedly besought him, in the gentlest
tones which she could assume:
Put out the light in the little win.
dow! Erik, do put out the
light in the little window.
For she saw that this light, which
appeared SO suddenly and of which
the monster had spoken in so threat
ening voice, must mean something
terrible. One thing must have paci-
fed her for moment; and that was
seeing the two OF us behind the wall,
in the midst of that resplendent light.
alive and we'll. But she would Ger.
tainly have felt much easier If the
light had been put out.
Meantime, the other had already be-
gun to play the ventriloquist. He
said:
Here, raise my mask a little.
Oh, only little! You
see my lips. such lips as haveY
They're not moving! My
mouth is closed-such mouth as |
have-and yet you hear my voice.
Where will you have It? In
your left ear? In your right ear? In
the table? Listen, dear, it's
In the little box on the right OF the
mantelpiece: what does it say? Shall
I turn the scorpion" And
now. crack! What does it say in the
little box on the left? Shall l turn
the grasshopper? And now,
crack! Here 1t is in the little leather
bag. What does it say. I am
the little bag of life and death!' !.
And now. crack! 1t is in Carlotta's
throat. in Carlotta's golden throat, in
Carlotta's crystal throat, as l live!
What does 1t say? 1t says, It's l,
Mr.. Toad, It's singing! l feel with.
out alarm-co-ack--with its melody
enwind me - co-ack! And
now. crack! 1t is on a chair In the
ghosts box and 1t says. Madame Car.
lotta Is singing tonight to bring the
chandelier down. And now,
crack! Aha! Where is Erik's voice
now? Listen. Christine, darling!
Listen! 1t is behind the door OF the
torture-chamber! Listen! It's my.
self in the torture-chamber! And
what do I say? 1 say. Woe to them
that have a nose, real nose, and
come to look round the torture-cham.
Der! Aha, aha, aha!"
Oh. the ventriloquist's terrible
voice! 1t was everywhere, every.
where. 1t passed through the little
invisible window, through the walls.
It ran around US, between us. Erik
was there, speaking to us! We made
q movement as though to fling our.
selves upon him. But, already, swift.
er. more fleeting than the voice OF
the echo. Erik's voice had leaped back
behind the wall!
Soon we heard nothing more at all,
for this is what happened:
Erik! Erik" said Christmas
voice. you tire me with your voice.
Don't go on, Erik! Isn't it very hot
here?"
ooh. yes" replied Erik's voice. the
heat is unendurable!"
But what does this mean? {.
The wall is really getting quite hot!
The wall is burning! :"
I'LL tell you, Christine, dear: 1t is
because of the forest next door,"
We'll, what has that to do with it?
The forest?'
"Why, didn't you see that it was
an African forest?"
And the monster laughed so loudly
and hideously that we could no longer
distinguish Christine's supplicating
cries! The Vicomte de Chagny shout
ed and banged against the walls like
a mailman. could not restrain him.
But we heard nothing except the mon.
ster's laughter, and the monster him.
self can have heard nothing else. And
then there was the sound of body
falling on the floor and being dragged
along and door slammed and then
nothing, nothing more around us save
the scorching silence of the south in
the heart of a tropical forest!
ITO be continued}
Escapes an Awful Fate.
A thousand tongues could not express
e