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| Ht £be JBal-flDasque. .' ****************** *SB as ♦ jt 21 Weird anO powerful Cale ♦ T ? of tbe Supernatural, Crans= ♦ «» lated Jfroni tbe tfreneb . . . . ♦ 5 > ®®*******,***********3l IT WAS at a masquerade at Galinberti’s studio, in one of the old Roman palaces ; there was music, the tripping sound of dancing feet, laughter, and the unintelligible hum of conversation mingled in a gay medley. Carson, an American, a new arrival in the city and a stranger to that colony of sculptors and painters, had been accident ally separated from the friend who brought him, in the crowd, shortly after his entrance to the ballroom. He was wandering listlessly among the merry maskers, quite regardless of their gibes and laughter at his expense. Tired at length of his aimless peregrinations, he turned aside from the glaring lights and heat to the shade and coolness of the bal cony. The wide casements at the end of the room were open and gave an unob structed view of the kaleidoscopic scene within. A divan near the balustrade offered a place for repose, but it was not until he was seated that he was aware of the presence of a lady. She occupied the further end of the divan, and was par tially concealed by the drooping tree-ferns and palms with which the balcony was decorated. She moved slightly in her nest of tri-colored cushions, and her fan fell with a slight clatter upon the stone floor. Carson picked it up and gave it to her with a courteous bow. She thanked him, speaking in English, with just the slightest Italian accent. “1 fear that 1 am intruding, signora,” he said. “Not so. The balcony is free to all who come. There can be no intrusion.” She reached up her hand as she spoke, and pushed aside the feathery branches that swayed between them. Then he saw that she was young and very fair to look upon. Her face was decidedly En glish. She wore an indescribable swath ing garment of soft texture that was gathered up closely about her neck and fell to her feet in long, clinging folds— strongly suggestive of a Bernhardt cos tume. Two beautifully shaped arms were bare to the shoulder, and the small hands that lay in her lap looked as though they had been modeled in wax. She leaned back, resting her head upon the stuccoed pillar, her fan waving languidly to and fro. “Permit me,” said the American, tak ing the dainty lace-and-ivory trifle from her hand and fanning her gently. She smiled a gracious assent, and then began talking. It was so warm in the ballroom, and one grew so tired dancing, she said. Did the gentleman dance? Perhaps he was not acquainted with many ladies —a stranger in Rome. Was he an artist or a sculptor? “Neither, signora. 1 am an attache.” “From what country—England?” “No; America.” “America! Ah, that marvelous land!” GRANT & JOHNSON, 28 SOUTH BROAD STREET, NEGOTIATE LOANS ON REAL ESTATE AT LOW RATES. ’PHONE 427. She chatted on in an open, friendly manner, until a bevy of tired dancers invaded their retreat. Among them was his friend Tarro. “Great heavens, Carson ! Where have you been ? I have looked everywhere for you. Everybody is unmasking, and it is time for supper. No doubt you are starving. Come, I have secured a table, and you are to meet some charming women. What have you been doing here all alone ? It was exceedingly stupid in us to get separated.” “I have not been alone,” replied Mr. Carson. He glanced around, but the lady was gone. “Not alone? Why, who was with you?” “The lady. Did you not see her when you came?” “A caprice, my dear boy. 1 saw no lady. No; you sat there mooning, star ing in a most sentimental manner at that Moorish lantern hanging over there. Come along, they are waiting for us.” They lingered long over their supper. There was merry, high-pitched talking and much laughter, but Carson was not in a state of hilarity. His restless, bored glance wandered over the assembly, and once he started and turned sharply in his chair at the low voice of a woman who, with her escort, passed close beside him. Tarro tried to rally him on his abstraction, but his brow contracted fretfully, and he nervously fingered a spray of flowers that lay by his plate. He was not sorry when the ball was over and he found himself on the pavement outside of the palace. A cab was waiting; but, without know ing why, he declined to accompany his friend, saying he preferred to walk to his hotel. He sauntered along slowly, with bowed head, absently staring at the dim shadows cast by the waning moon. As he was passing across the Piazza de Far nese, he heard a low voice speaking: “So we meet again !” He halted. She, his new acquaintance, was beside him. “Signora! You here at this hour, and alone ! Where are your friends ?” She smiled. “You will walk with me to the street below, will you not ?” “Certainly; but your friends? Their carelessness is criminal.” They walked through the square and down several streets almost in silence. Presently she stopped before the entrance of a house. “Here, signor,” she said. Almost simultaneously she swayed for ward and caught his arm, at the same time uttering a smothered cry. “You are hurt!” he exclaimed, anx iously. “You have twisted your ankle on these wretched stones.” “1 fear so.” She pressed her hand upon her bosom and looked into his eyes with mute appeal. “You can not walk.” He stooped and gathered her up into his arms. “1 will carry you. Which floor?” “The fourth,” she replied, her face flushing as the light of the early day fell upon it. A drowsy janitor answered his ring. He ascended the first flight of stairs with- The IsjKing out pausing, carrying her as a nurse might a child, happy at the delicious touch of her bare arms against his neck as she clasped him. On the second flight ascent was not so easy. Her weight grew heavier, and the head that had now fallen on his shoulder pressed like a ball of iron; her arms were relaxing their clasp and lay against his neck with startling coldness. She seemed to be letting herself go, and at each step grew heavier in proportion. He was no longer carrying a lissome maiden, but something burdensome and horrible something that was bearing him down and suffocating him with a sensation as though his chest was bursting. On the third landing he felt her slip ping. “Signora,” he faltered. He sought to renew his hold, but the burden, now a dead weight, slid from his arms, and she fell with a heavy thud to the floor. “What noise is this?” called a mascu line voice in Italian. Carson began a hasty explanation to the man whose head protruded from a partially open door. The man came forward and bent over her. “She does not belong here,” he said. “She is a stranger. She is pale as death. Unfasten her clothing, she must have fainted. Where is the janitor? The fool —he never is here when he is needed. Call him, signor, and send for a physi cian.” His hasty hand broke the knot of ribbon that confined her bodice. With a wild exclamation he instantly loosened his hold on her dress and started backward. The full throat and white bust where exposed. There were deep bluish-purple bands around the throat and a gaping dagger-wound, dark with coagu lated blood, on the snowy bosom. Their cries aroused the janitor, who hastened to call the police. Presently he returned, panting up the stairs, accom panied by an officer. Carson drew aside the curtain, and the bright light of day fell upon the body. “Holy Virgin!” cried the policeman, as he saw the dead women. “Can you identify her?” asked Car son. “Yes,” returned the man; “she is the woman who was found murdered on the Corso night before last. How came she here?” CAPITAL CITY LAUNDRY Does the best class of work in the city. I want reliable agents in other towns. B. M. Lovejoy, Prop. 6o N. Broad Street. Only About 15 Hours More To get a Dainty Xmas Present in Gold, Silver or Cut Glass, but A 12TTT I WEEIf * n to select that New Year A rULL Week Gift Weopena 10tofnew goods for the occasion, so come early Monday and get a choice of the most extensive stock of Jewelry, Gold and Silverware to be found in Atlanta. WE HAVE JUST WHAT YOU WANT. SKaier & S&erkele, 31 'Whitehall St. That Box of* Cigars. You have all day yet in which to get that box of cigars for “Pa,” “Bubba,” or “Honey.” So come to us, ladies, and get pure Havana goods. We warrant every cigar we sell to be the best procur able for the money, and if the recipient is not pleased he can exchange them. Next week is the time to buy that New Year gift, and you can do nothing better than to start him off smoking a good cigar on the year 1898. Gate City Cigar Factory, 42 S. Pryor Street. £, A tk ‘7 } <], MERRV XMAS J) and may the New Year find you happily buying- your groceries from TAPPAN & CO., 66 Peachtree St. ....’Phone 762. $ ™ $ ATLANTA, Dec. 24, 1897. $ a I Cbe Publics ? 8 of Atlanta: f 8 S ® We beg to take advantage of this ™ Jr? occasion to wish you a Merry Christ- m mas and a Happy New Year, and also n ® to thank you sincerely for your past y! patonage, and hope that it has been ¥ sufficiently satisfactory to you to jus- $ ® tify your continuing through the en- ™ W suing year, and advising your friends Jw of your intention. jnj ® Assuring you that we shall always endeavor to sell only the very best W of meats, vegetables and kindred 'A lines, and trusting another coming w? year will be to you a most prosper ous one, we remain Respectfully yours, 8 I Atlanta market Co. » ® 14 North Broad Street. w ’Phone 753. W Che Southern Tire ins. Co. Is a sound home institution, with SIOO,OOO Capital. When you want Insurance, see... W. W. HASKELL & CO., Agents, 7% Whitehall Street Good Agents Wanted Throughout State. 5 Resolution, If a good one, may mean untold benefit to you. Therefore resolve, now, to consult (free of charge) Dr. Hathaway & Co., 2210 S. Broad St., before the New Year dawns and have them treat that malady of yours, so that before the next New Year rolls around you will be a well man in full posses sion of the faculties with which God endowed you.