The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-06-26


he threw himself down beside the body
on the floor. The revolver as IL
dropped, was caught in the nimble
hand of the Hindu. who took two long
swift strides toward the woman who
now faced him instead of her husband
There was a great light in his eyes as
he stood over her and she saw death
staring out upon her.
But she did not quail. She was past
all that. She looked straight into his
eyes for an instant and then, as If
putting him out of her thoughts entire
ly, turned slowly toward the two men
on the floor. The man half raised the
pistol. but something stayed his hand
something stronger than any mere
physical opposition could have done.
He glared at the half-averted face,
confounded by the most extraordinary
impression that ever had entered his
incomprehensible brain. Something
strange and wonderful was transpir-
ing before his very eyes-something
so marvellous that even he. mysteri-
Gus seer of the Ganges, was stunned
into complete amaZement and unbelief
That strange, uncanny intelligence of
his, born of a thousand mysteries, was
being tried beyond all previous exac-
| tions. II was as if he now saw this
woman for the first time-as if he had
never looked upon her face before. A
mist appeared to envelop her and
through this veil he saw face that
was new to him-the face of Yvonne
and yet not hers at all. Absolute won
der crept into his eyes.
AS if impelled by the power of his
gaze, she faced him once more For
what seemed hours to him, but in
reality only seconds, his searching
eyes looked deep into hers. He saw
at last the soul of this woman and it
was not the soul he had known as hers
up to that tremendous moment. And
he came to know that she was no
longer afraid of him or his powers.
His hand was lowered, his eyes fell
and his lips moved but there were no
words, for he addressed a spirit. All
the venom, all the hatred fed from his
soul. His knee bent in sudden submis-
sion, and his eyes were raised to hers
once more, but now in their somber
depths was the fidelity of the dog!
Go at once" she said, and her voice
was as clear as bell.
He shot swift glance at the pros
trate Frederic and Strengthened his |
tall figure as would a soldier under |
orders. His understanding gaze |
sought hers again. There was another |
command in her eyes. He placed the |
weapon on the table. 1t had been a dis
tinct command to him
One of us will use it," she said |
monotonously. "Go!"
With incredible swiftness he was
gone. The curtains barely moved as
he passed between them and the heavy
door made no sound in opening and
closing. There was no one in the hall.
The sound of the shot had not gone
beyond the thick walls of that pro-
scribed room on the top floor. Some
where at the rear of the house an in
distinct voice was uttering a jumbled
stream Of French.
Many minutes passed. There was
not movement in the pom. Brood.
beside the outstretched figure of his
unintended victim, was staring at the
graying face with wide, unblinking
eyes. He looked at last upon the fea-
lures that he had searched for in
vain through all the sullen years.
There was blood on his hands and on
his cheek, for he had listened at first for
the beat Of the heart. Afterward his
agonized gaze had gone to the blood.
less face. There 1t was arrested. A
dumb wonder possessed his soul. He
knelt there petrified by the shock of
discovery. In the dim light he no
longer saw the features of Matilde, but
his own, and his heart was still. In ,
that revealing moment he realized that
ne had never seen anything in Fred
cries countenance save the dark 6
never-to-be-forgotten eyes-and thew 3,
were his Matilde's. Now those eyes ,
we're closed He could not see them ;
md the blindness was struck from his :
own. He had always looked into the ;
boys eyes-he had never been able to ,
'eek farther than those haunting, in.
luirlng eyes-but now he saw the I
can, strong jaw. and the firm chin. J
ne straight nose and the broad fore v
lead-and none of these were Ma Q
lides! These were the features of a
han-and OF but one man. He was see a
ng himself as he was when he looked 4
nto MS mirror at twenty-one! II
All these years he had been blind. Il
III these years he had gone on ours. 4
ng ms own image. In that overpower. G
ng thought came the realization that q
was too late for him to atone. His "
aind slowly struggled out of thrall a
nat held it stupefied. He was looking h
MS own face-dead! He would look VI
Ike that! Matilde was gone forever "
ne eyes were closed-but he was
mere, going grayer and grayer of face O,
II the time. -
ne mad forgotten the woman. She a
'as standing just beyond the body N,
nat stretched itself between them. n
Ter hands were clasped against her Re
reast and her eyes were lifted heaven.
ard. She had not moved throughout G,
lat age Of oblivion. -,
He saw her and suddenly became n.
gid. Slowly he sank back, his ewes :
lstended, his jaw dropping. He nut .,
ut a hand apd souod L.-,. ~