The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-02-12
She came back looking frightened

"She came back looking frightened.
AZ have called she said, and rung
his bell many times, but he does not
answer
81 knew where his sleeping room
was. Kearny and l pushed by her and
went to it. l put my shoulder against
the thin door and forced it open.
In an armchair by a great table COW
cred with maps and books sat Don Ra-
fael with his eyes closed. | touched
his hand. He had been dead many
hours. On his head above one ear was
a wound caused by a heavy blow. 1t
had ceased to bleed long before.
Il made the old woman call a mozo
and dispatched him in haste to fetch
Herr Bergowitz.
HE came, and we stood about as if
we were half stunned by the awful
shock. Thus can the letting of Il few
drops of blood from one mans veins
drain the life of a nation.
Presently Herr B~ergowitz stopped
and picked up a darkish stone the size
of an orange which he saw under the
table. He examined it closely through
his great glasses with the eye of sci
ence.
"A fragment said he. of a detonat-
ing meteor. The most remarkable one
in twenty years exploded above this
city a little after midnight this morn
ing
The professor looked quickly up at
the ceiling. We saw the blue sky
through a hole the size of an orange
nearly above Don Rafael's chair.
Il heard a familiar sound and turned.
Kearny had thrown himself on the
floor and was babbling his compendium
of bitter. blood freezing curses against
the star of his evil luck.
"Undoubtedly Phoebe had been femi-
nine. Even when hurting on her way
to fiery dissolution and everlasting
doom the last word had been hers"
Captain Malone was not unskilled in
narrative. lie knew the point where a
story should END. l sat rerelfng in his
effective conclusion when he aroused
me by continuing:
"Of course" said he, eur schemes
were at an end. There was no one to
take Don Rafael's place. Our little
army melted away like dew before the
sun.
"One day after | had returned TO
New Orleans l related this story to a
friend who holds a profeSsorShip in
Tulane university.
when | had finished he laughed and
asked whether l had any knowledge
of Kearny's luck afterward. | told
him no; that l had seen him no more.
but that when he left me he had ex.
pressed confidence that his future
would be successful now that his IN
lucky star had been o~verthrown.
"'No doubt said the professor. he
is happier not to know one fact. If
he derives his bad luck from Phoebe,
the ninth satellite of Saturn. that ma
lieiOuS lady is still ENGAGED in over
looking his career. The star close to
Saturn that he imagined to be her was
near that planet simply by the chance
of its orbit. Probably at different
times he has REGARDED many other
stars that happened to be in Saturn's
hSi- uiOi liObu us Ills tNll ole. Iuc real
Phoebe is visible only through a very
good telescope
About Il year afterward.n continued
Captain Malone. Il was walking down
a street that crossed the PoydlaS mar
ket An immensely stout, pink faced
lady i'm black satin crowded me from
the narrow sidewalk with a frown.
Behind her trailed a little man laden
to the %gunwaleS with bundles and bags
of goods ana vegetables.
ut was KeArny-but changed. |
stopped and shook one of his hands.
which still chung to a bag of garlic
and red peppers.
How is the luck, old companero?'
| asked him. | had not the heart TO
tell him the truth about his star.
"'Well,' said he, I am married, as
you may guess.
FRANCIS, called the big lady in
deep tones, are you going to stop in
the street talking all day?'
~ am coming, Phoebe, dear said
Kearny, Fastening after her."