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THE HESPERIAN
had taken to drink and late hours and was
soldora seen at home. This was mysterious.
Neighbors pried but could find naught to
criticise in the management of the house
hold. So the world cast its just censure
upon the young man.
But it never suspected, this prying world,
that he could tell another tale, could show a
picturo on the side of the canvas turned to
the wall. Still the world would not have
changed its opinion much, if it had seen
what ho saw. The picturo would have been
meaningless to it. If the world had known
that the young wife's eyes shone with a
light that had belonged to dark, gloomy
ones; that her graceful movements wore like
those of another form a sorpont-liko form;
that her clear musical tones held the silver
of another's voice, and her laughter some
times seemed akin to the howl of a hyena
if the world had known all this it would not
havo understood. It would have wondered
a little more and censured the young man
just as much. But ho saw and recognized
and ho knew what the picture meant. So
ho took to drink and late hours.
One night returning late to his home, he
found his wife awaiting him as was her way.
She spoke. As usual he turned gruflly
away. Again she called him. This time
the ring of her voice, a soft, sad voice,
caught his attention. Ho turned to her
quickly. Could it be? Instinct rather than
reason answered. Yes; there was the same
old smile and the same old light in the eyes,
tho same face ho know and loved long,
long ago, it seemed. Yet how changed 1
Though tho smile and tho fair, sweet face
and the light in iho blue uyuo wore the mime
as of old, yet now each hold tho trace of a
groat pain, of a long and torriblo suffering.
"Laura!" ho cried. "My Laura!"
Ho clasped her in his arms and clicking
sobs for a while silenced both.
At last sho spoko. It was a strange,
wierd talo that she told him. "How it
came about I do not know," sho said, "but
on our wedding day my will passed from
me; a pressure as of a serpent's coil seemed
to constrict my brain; a death-like numbness
held my soul aB if petrified; I was helpless
a prisoner in my own body over which I had
no control. But I could see and feel all. I
could know what 1 seemed to bo. All that
you suffered all your pain and sorrow were
mine also. But as one tight bound I could
make no sign; only watch and feel dumb
agony." Her soft voice trembled and the
pain of a great horror camo into her eyes as
she continued: "But that was not the worst.
One day there suddenly camo to my prisoned
soul its master, and I was a slave. Oh, the
agony of that! The long, slow torture! No
boaton slave ever suffered more than I. My
body and soul were dominated by another
a cruel, dark spirit who hold mo in an icy
grasp that paralyzed and who stung me to
spasmodic life as might an adder. Since that
evil ono onslavod me, 1 have soon how you
shunned and hated me, but I know that it
was not 1 whom you hated but sho who
lives through mo, who has crowded her life
into my body and rules there. But tho pain
of it tho terrible pain of it!" Sho shud
dered. "It wore bettor to die far bettor
to dio and bo free," sho wont on, "but I
could not die. She held me. Tonight she
is gone. Once before sho wont, but camo
back again. It was not long and you were
not hero so 1 could toll you nothing. I
thought sho had gone forever but sho camo
back. It was part of tho torture. And sho
will come again. But I muBt not bo hero
You must kill mo my body. If sho finde
mo hero, I am her's and you can do noth
ing. I cannot be so again. It is hell. You
must sot mo free."
She was sobbing now, and all hor slondor
form was shaken by her sobs.
In tho husband's eyes was tho light of a
tondei pity and a groat love. "100." Laura,
my poor Laura, you shall bo free," ho said.
"Wo shall both bo froo. Free from that
she-devil! Froo to lovo and bo together!
Free, and forever!"
When tho morning light stolo softly into
tho chamber, drawing asido tho kindly voil
of Bhadow, it revealed two motionless forms
claoped in a last embrace Thoir lovo had
sought fruition in tho eternal silence. Thoy
wore froo. II. B. Alexander
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