The Elbert County tribune., 1913-09-26

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which win only make you weep; bu,
my Don Juan. Christine. burns; and
yet he 10 not struck By fre from
heaven. Thereupon We returned tc
the drawfnG-room. l noticed that
there was no mirror In the whole
apartment was going to remark
upon this. but Erik had already sat
down to the piano. He said, You
see. Christine, there is some music
that is 30 terrible that 1t consumes
all those who approach It. Fortunate
~, you have not come to that music
yet. for you would lose all your pretty
coloring and nobody would know you
when you returned to Paris. Let us
sing something from the opera, Chris
tine Daae. He spoke these last words
a. though he were ninging an Insult
at me-"
What did you dor"
Il had no time to think about the
meaning he put into his words. We
at once began the duet In OtheIso and
already the catastrophe was upon us.
! sang Desdemona with despair. a
terror which l had never displayed
before. As for him. his voice thun-
dered forth his revengeful soul at
every note. Love. jealousy. hatred,
burst out around US in narrowing
cries. Erik's black mask made me
think OF the natural mask OF the Moor
of Venice. He was Othello himself.
Suddenly, felt need to see beneath
the mask. wanted to know the face
OF the voice. and. with movement
which / was utterly unable to control,
swiftly my fingers tore away the
mask. oh. horror, horror, horrorl'
Christine stopped; at the thought OF
the vision that had scared her, while
the echoes OF the night, which had
repeated the name of Erik. now thrice
moaned the cry:
Horror; Horrorl
Horror!"
Raoul and Christine. clasping each
other closely. raised their eyes to the
stars that shone in clear and peace
full sky. Raoul said:
Strange. Christine, that this calm,
soft night should be so full OF plaintive
sounds. One would think that It was
sorrowing with u.s."
When you know the secret, RaouI.
your ears. like mine. Will be full OF
lamentations" \
She took Raoul's protecting hands
In hers and, with long shiver, con-
tinued:
Yes. II lived to be hundred, 1
should always hear the superhuman
cry OF grief and rage which he ut
tered when the terrible sight ap-
peared before my eyes. Raoul,
you have seen deaths heads, when
they have been dried and withered by
the centuries. and. perhaps, II you
were not the victim of nightmare.
you saw his deaths head at Perros.
And then you saw Red Death stalk.
ing about at the last masked ball. But
all those deaths heads were motion
less and their dumb horror was not
alive. But imagine, II you can. HE'D
Deaths mask suddenly coming to life
In order to express. with the four
black holes of its eyes. Its nose. and
its mouth. the extreme anger. the
mighty fury OF demon; and not
ray Of light from the sockets, for, as
l learned later. you cannot see his
blazing eyes except In the dark.
Il fell back against the wall and he |
came up TO me. grinding his teeth, |
and. as fell upon my knees, he
hissed mad, incoherent words and |
curses at me. Leaning over me, he
cried: Look! You want to see! See,
Feast your eyes. glut your soul on
my cursed ugliness! Look at Eriks
face! Now you know the face OF the
me, eh? You wanted to know what /
looked like! oh. you women are SO
inquisitive! Well, are you satisfiedy
I'm very good-looking fellow, ehy
When woman has seen me,
as you have, she belongs to me- She
loves me for ever. | am a kind OF
Don Juan, you know! And, drawing
himself up to his full height, with
his hand on his hip, wagging the
hideous thing that was his head on
his shoulders. he roared. Look at me. |
am Don Juan triumphant And.
when l turned away my head and
begged for mercy, he drew 1t to him.
brutally. twisting his dead fingers into /
my hair"
Enough! Enough!" cried Raoul
II will kill him. In heavens name.
Christine. tell me where the dining
room on the lake isl l must kill
hint"
oh. be quiet. Raoul. II you want to
know."
Yes. want to know how and why
you went back; must know.
But. in any case. will kill him,"
"Oh, Raoul listen ustent
he dragged me by my hair and then
. and then Oh. II ia
too horrible!"
Well. whatf Out with i'll" ex.
claimed Raoul fiercely. '.out with IT.
quicki"
Then he hissed at me. .Ah.