The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1915-05-22
cHAPrER XIX.
The Voice Of the Wind.

The Voice OF the Wind.
Hours afterward Brood sat alone I'm
the room where the tragedy occurred.
Much had transpired in the interim to
make those hours seem like separate
and distinct years TO him. each hour
an epoch In which vital and memoir
able incident had been added to his
already overfull measure OF expert
ence Underneath all was an ever
present sense OF insecurity. as IL the
whole order OF life had been suddenly
deprived OF foundation or support No
matter where he looked, there was not
the slightest ray OF light In the dark
ness thai enveloped his understand
ing Something tremendous had hap
pened. aside from the visible, phys
ical incident that had stunned him
temporarily at the outset OF the tragic
era, something that was beyond com
prehension and intangible and which
continually loomed up before him as a
specter that had neither shape nor
substance and yet was as completely
positive as anything else that had
transpired. lie could account for the
shooting. the emotions preceding that
unhappy occurrence. the intervention
OF fate that saved Yvonne from death
and laid low the substitute, the sense
OF horror that ensued. the sudden rev
citation that came to him as he looked
into Frederics face with fits closed
eyes, and the agony OF suspense that
now consumed him. but a cloud stilI
hung over him that his intelligence
could not penetrate nor his physical
being dispel, no matter how hard he
struggled 10 clear way TO the open.
He had seen vision. Its effect on
him had been overpowering. The for
titude OF lifetime had been shattered
I'm n single instant OF contact with the
Influence that had at last made itself
felt in physical manifestation after ALI
these years OF spiritual attendance. He
had never been completely free from
the vague notion that Matilde was
near him In spirit, that there was an
actual Identity to the presence that
filed his dreams and denied him the
boon OF forCetfulness for single in
slant OF the hours when he was awake.
He lad never tried to Danish her from
his memory He wanted TO forget her.
to put her out OF his thoughts alto
gether. for obvious reasons. but the
fact that she remained the dominant
figure In his present despite the past
was proof, even TO him, that she was
and always would be the controlling
force Ina his mind III not In his heart
Now he was ordering himself TO face
new complexities. He was confronted
by the most improbable OF hallucina-
tons. II was not an intangible shadow
that he now had TO contend with but
something definite, something that
took shape and mecked him. In his
bitter indictment against circum.
stances, he argued that his brain was
momentarily unbalanced following the
shock caused by the shooting. and that
In It's disordered state he had pictured
things that did not exist. IL was only
reasonable TO assume that he had suf-
fered from the effect OF startling,
vivid hallucination, and yet there was
strange. insistent voice somewhere
In his clearing mind that persuaded
him against his will that he had actual.
ly seen the face OF Matilde.
Admitting that he had been deceived
by a trick OF the imagination. there
still remained certain indisputable
facts TO confound him First Of all.
the absolute conviction that Yvonne
had the power TO preserve the life that
hung so precariously In the balance
He could not overcome the ,nrnaxingI
belief that she. and not the skilled
surgeon. would check the sure proeress
Of death Something told him that she
represented force even mishtierI
than death and that she would prevail
no matter what betide.
He had refused 10 zee the newspaI
per men who came. Doctor HodderI
wisely had protested against secrecy
Murder will OUT he had said fretl
FULLY. little realizing how closely the
rite old saying applied TO the sItua-
lion. He had accepted the statements
'f Yyonne and Ranjab as to the acct.
dental discharge Of the weapon, but
Tor some reason had refraincd from
asking Brood single question. AZ
hough he knew him TO be witness
q the shooting
fvonnc saw the reporters and later
IA an Inspector Of police Ranisb told
lis unhappy story. lie had taknn the
weapon from a hook on the wall for
he purpose Of cleaning H. II had been
4nnvirp thrra fUr Vrara "a ~ -