Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-03

poor 1rlk.' He pointed to chair op-
posite him, at a small table, and /
sat down, feeling greatly perturbed.
However, I ate few prawns and the
wing of a chicken and drank half a
glass of tokay, which he had himself,
he told me, brought from the Konigs-
berg cellars Erik did not eat or
drink. 1 asked him what his nation.
atty was and if that name of Erik
did not point to his Scandinavian
origin. He said that he had no name
and no country and that he had taken
the name of Erik by accident.
After lunch, he rose and gave me
the tips of his fingers, saving he
would like to show me over his fiat;
but l snatched away my hand and
gave a cry. What had touched was
cold and, at the same time, bony; and
1 remembered that his hands smelt OF
death. oh, forgive mel he moaned.
And he opened a door before me.
This is my bedroom, If you care to
see it. 1t is rather curious His
manners, his words, his attitude gave
me confidence and l went In without
hesitation. I felt as If I were enter
ing the room of dead person. The
walls were all hung with black, but,
instead of the white trimmings that
usually set off that funeral upholstery,
! there was an enormous stave of music
with the notes of the Dies Irae, many
( times repeated. In the middle OF the
room was a canopy. from which hung
! curtains of red brocaded stuff, and,
under the canopy, an open coffin.
That is where l sleep said Erik.
Zone has to get used to everything
in life, even to eternity The sight
upset me so much that l turned away
my head.
Then I saw the keyboard of an
organ which filled one whole side OF
the walls. On the desk was a music
book covered with red notes. I asked
leave to look at it and read, Don
Juan Triumphant Yes he said, L
compose sometimes. l began that
work twenty years ago. When l have
finished, shall take 1t away with me
in that coffin and never wake up
again You must work at it as sell
dom as you can said. He replied,
I sometimes work at it for fourteen
days and nights together, during which
live on music only, and then l rest
for years at time Will you play
me something out of your Don Juan
Triumphant 1 asked, thinking to
please him. You must never ask me
that he said, in a gloomy voice. =
will play you Mozart, if you like
which will only make you weep; but
my Don Juan, Christine, burns; anC
yet he is not struck by fire from
heaven Thereupon we returned t
the drawing-room. l noticed tina
there was no mirror in the whole
apartment. l was going to remark
, upon this, but Erik had already sa
down to the piano. He said, 'Yol
. see, Christine, there is some must
that is so terrible that 1t consume
L all those who approach it. Fortunate
h ly, you have not come to that must
yet, for you would lose all your prett
> coloring and nobody would know 20
L when you returned to Paris. Let u
Q sing something from the opera, Chri:
! tine Daae.' He spoke these last word
aS luOASA Ao "SLC OIL
at me-"
+ What did you do?'
l. 81 had no time to think about tn
5 meaning he put into his words. w
at once began the duet in Othello an
already the catastrophe was upon u
Il l sang Desdemona with a despair,
% terror which l had never displaye
1t before. AS for him, his voice thu
q dered forth his revengefuI soul {
every note. Love, jealousy, hatret
IS burst out around US in harrowic
q cries. Erik's black mask made N
d think of the natural mask of the Moo
of Venice He was Othello himsel
Suddenly, l felt need to see beneat
. the mask. l wanted to know the fac
% of the voice, and, with a movemer
which l was utterly unable to contro
y swiftly my fingers tore away tn
u mask. Oh, horror, horror, horror!"
d. Christine stopped, at the thought {
u the vision that had scared her, viii
s. the echoes of the night, which la
s. repeated the name of Erik, now thriC
II moaned the cry:
ID Horror! Horror!
e Horror"
10 Raoul and Christine, clasping eac
rs other closely, raised their eyes to ii
III stars that shone in clear and peac
e. full sky. Raoul said:
u Strange, Christine, that this calr
H. soft night should be so full of plaintiN
Is sounds. One would think that it W;
Ut Borrowing with US"
50 When you know the secret, Raou
l your ears. like mine, will be full
u lamentations"
u She took RaouPs protecting hant
pc in hers and, with a long SILVER, co
7u tinued:
III Yes, if / lived to be hundred,
Ie should always hear the superhumi
u cry of grief and rage which he l
cred when the terrible sight a
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