The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-07-09

SOmetn1ng tnat- he stopped SNORT
his lips parted
She waved her hand In the direction
Of the Buddha Have you never peti
| toned your too solid friend over there
to unravel the mystery for you? II
| the quiet of certain lonely, speculative
hours have yru not wondered whert
you had seen me before-long, lone
before the night In London? In all the
years that you have been trying te
convince yourself that Frederic is not
your son, has there not been the vision
Of"
What are you saving to me? Are
you trying to tell me chat you are Ma
tilde?"
IF not Matilde, then who am l.
pray?" she demanded.
He sank back, frowning 1T cannot
be possible. l would know her thou.
sand years from now. You cannot
trick me into believing But, in
Gcd's name, who are you?" He leaned
forward again, clutching the edge OF
the table. by heaven, l sometimes
think you are a ghost come to haunt
me, to torture me. What trick, what
magic is behind all this? Has her
soul, her spirit, her actual being found
a lodging place in you, and have You
been sent to curse me for"
She rose halfway out of her chair.
leaning farther across the table. Eyes,
James Brood, represent the spirit of
Matilde Valeska, if you will have it so.
Not sent to curse you, but to love you.
That's the pity of it all. / swear to
you that 1t is the spirit of Matilde that
urges me to love you and to spare you
now. 1t is the spirit of Matilde that
stands between her son and death. But
it is not Matilde who confronts you
here and now, you may be sure of that.
Matilde loved you. She loves you now,
even in her grave. You will never be
able to escape from that wonderful
love of hers. If there have been times
and heaven knows there were many,
l know-when l appeared to love you
for myself, l swear to you that was
moved by the spirit of Matilde. Il
am as much mystifed, as greatly puz-
zled as yourself. / came here to hate
you, and / have loved you-yes, there
we're moments when ! actually loved
you"
Her voice died away into whisper.
For many seconds they sat looking
into each others eyes, neither pos
sessing the power to break the strange
spell of silence that had fallen upon
them.
mo, it is not Matilde who confronts
you now, but one who would not spare
you as she did up to the hour of her
death. You are quite safe from ghosts
from this hour on, my friend. You
will never see Matilde again, though
you look into my eyes till the end of
time. Frederic may see, may feel the
spirit of his mother, but you-ah, no!
You have seen the last of her. Her
blood is in my veins, her wrongs are in
my heart. 1t was she with whom you
fell in love and it was she you married
six months ago, but now the curtain is
lifted. Don't you know me now, James?
Can your memory carry you back |
years and deliver you |
rom doubt and perplexity? Look |
closely, say. l was six years old |
hen and"
Brood was glazing at her as one |
'tupefied. Suddenly he cried out in a
oud voice: Heaven help me, you
are the little sister? The
little Therese?"
She was standing now, leaning far
'ver the table, for he had shrunk down
INTO his chair.
1.-THE little Therese, yesi Now do
rou begin to see? Now do you begin
o realize what came here to do? Now
% you know why married you? Isn't
clear to you? Well, / have tried
o do all these things SO that l might
reak your heart as you broke hers.
anne to make you pay!" She was
peaking rapidly, excitedly now. Her
dice was high-pitched and unnatural.
Ter eyes seemed to be driving him
eeper and deeper into the chair, fore
lg him. down as though with giants
and. 1.-The little, timid, heart-broken
herese who would not speak to you. !
or kiss you, nor say good-by to you
hen you took her darling sister away !
ON the Bristol in the Kartnerring
lore than twenty years ago. All, how
loved her-how l loved her! And I
DIV l hated you for taking her away
ON me- Shall ever forget that wed I
ng night? Shall / ever forget the I
lief, the loneliness, the hatred that t
welt in my poor little heart that f
ght? Everyone was happy-the '
hole world was happy-but was L? l
was crushed with grief. You were s
king her away across the awful sea v
and you were to make her happy, so t
ey said-ai-e, SO said my beloved, v
yous sister You stood before the t
tar in st. Stephens with her and 4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS every b
ing. l heard you. / sat with my b
other and turned to ice, but l heard 8
u. All Vienna, all Budapest said that b
u promised naught but happiness to n
CHI other. She was twenty-one. She Il
IS lovely-ah, far lovelier than that Ii
etched photograph lying there in a
mt of you. 1t was made when she Il
S eighteen. She did not write those it
rds on the back of the card. wrote H
more than a month ago, be- Fl