The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-06-28 00:00:00

THE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

here before another ten minutes. How do you
think we have managed the business ?"
" Capitally. The idea of you and your comrade
disgmsmg as coachmen was excellent:"
"The real drivers looked precious queer when we
ordered them to'swop ' clothes with us; but the
witch woman swallowed the bait well."
_ _ _

Freneuse and Virginie Pion left M. l)rugeon to
sing the praises of the so-called Pigaehe, who was
neither more nor less than a superior officer of the
detective force, and hastened to the lodge where
Stella was detained.

She looked like a wild beast caught in the toils,
and when she saw the two witnesses, whom she
could not refute, appear before her, a flash of anger
lit up her whole countenance, but she did not move,
and disdained replying to the questions of the
artist, who coon grew tired of interrogating her.
He had just been to look for Pia when Pigache
arrived. That shrewd person had accomplished his
work in the Rue de la Soudiere, and Auguste
Blanchelaine, arrested in his own house by a com-
missary of four policemen, was now on the way to
the lock up at the Prefecture.
The entrance of Pigache brought on a scene.
The apparently deaf man had overheard the con-
versation between the woman and her associate, and
knew exactly the degree of culpability attaching to
both of them.

"Where Is the pin with which you assassinated
Bianca A strodi ?" he asked without preamble. "You
have it about you, and if you refuse to hand it to
me, the good lady who sat beside you in the omnibus
will be obliged to search you."
"Quite needless," answered the abandoned
creature in a hollow voice, "I will give it you. It
is here."

She had held it concealed in her glove since she
had been taken into the porter's-room. She now
closed her hand firmly upon it, and fell -- a
corpse. The murderous point had penetrated the
flesh of her wrist."

Bianca was avenged.
"She has spared the assize judges some work,"
remarked Figache, philosophically, as the two police
sergeants threw themselves forward to raise her
prostrate form. "I bet anything that poltroon
Piedouche will not have the courage to do as much
It is true he has some chance of getting off. I must
take charge of the pin, for in default of that piece
of evidence, now his companion has made away with
herself, no jury would convict him."
He picked it up from the floor and wrapped it
carefully in a newspaper.
The orange woman fled when she saw the fortune-
teller fall; at the entrance of the passage she ran
against M. Drugeon, who was talking to a person
whom no one expected to see there.
In a cab, driven this time by a real servant of the
company, were seated Monsieur and Mdlle. Paulet,
and the lawyer, who was passing up and down the
pavement, was not a little amazed to perceive them,
for but an hour before they had parted very coldly,
Monsier T'aulet having refused to furnish the private
agent's address.
As he was quite aware that Freneuse was acting
in concert with Monsieur Drugeon, what could have
brought him the painter's studio?
"I know the name," he cried, as he was getting
out of the carriage. "He is called Blancbelaine, and
lives in -- "

"The Rue de la Sourdi6re. lam aware of every-
thing," interrupted the notary. "He is undtr
arrest."
"Under arrest Good heavens! Then all is
true—he is steeped in crime! I call upon you to
itness that I brpught his address to M. Freneuse
directly I had found it. You had not been gone ten
minutes when I came upon it among my papers."
Monsieur Paulet did not feel at all ea'sy, for he
recollected the written agreement and the auto-
graph letter that would undoubtedly be seized by
the police at Blanchelaine's. Be had changed his
mind, and taken what precautions he could to avoid
being suspected of instigating the villain to commit
the crime And in coming to see Freneuse he was
careful that his daughter should accompany him to
give a colour to his visit.
"Let us go upstairs, father," said Mademoiselle
Marguerite. looking if possible more beautiful and
more imperious than ever. "Monsieur Freneuse can
explain all that has happened."
"I warn you he is not alone," said M. Drugeon.
"Ah ! well, so much the better," she replied.
"We shall learn everything."
She guessed the Italian was there, but she was not
a person to hesitate. she entered her house and her
father followed her.
"Don't look into the porter's lodge," cried Vir-
ginie Pilou.
They had no desire to do so, for the gentleman
was as anxious as his daughter to reach the painter's
studio.
There was no need to ring. The door stood half
open, and they came into the full view of an unex-
pected picture.
Pia was sitting in the same place whence Mdlle.
Paulet had driven her on a certain memorable after.
noon, but Pia was this time not in tears. Pia was
listening with a joy beyond all words to the vows
of Paul Freneuse, kneeling before her; Pia was
giving her hands to the artist, who was covering
them with kisses.

And Binos, facetious as ever, stood over them in
an attitude of mock blessing.
He was the first to perceive Monsieur Paulet and
his daughter arrested on the threshold, and had the
impudence to call out," Isn't this touching P Daphne
and Chloe, don't you know !"
Freneuse was on his feet in an instant, and walked
straight up to them.
Pia waited, pale and anxious. Her fate was trem-
bling in the balance.
"Come, father," said the proud Marguerite, drily.
"This is no place for me, since this gentleman har-
bours a creature who has robbed you of your brother's
fortune."
"You insult a being far superior to yourself !"
retort° I Freneuse, giving way to uncontrollable
indignation. "Begone !"
"And you, sir," he continued, addressing Mon-
sieur Faulet, "understand that Mademoiselle Astrodi
renounces the inheritance you covet. She will not
touch a penny belonging to a man who deserted her
mother. I hope that justice may not call you to
account respecting your scandalous acquaintatke,
and I trust never to see your face again !"
Father and daughter bowed their heads. Pia also
was avenged.

Mee months have passed. Blanchelaine, alias
Pi6dou( he, is to be tried at the next assizes. He
hopes to plead extenuating circumstances.
Pigache has obtained promotion; this affair has
brought him into notice. Ho will rise some day to
hold an important position in his profession.
Monsieur Drugeon has returned to his clients,
bearing the grateful benedictions of Freneuse and
Pia, who have gone into Italy. They are soon to
be married at Subiaco, and will not need the wealth
of Monsieur Francis Bozer to make them as happy
as the day is long. Freneuse has miEsed this year's
Salon, but his pre_ent felicity quite indemnifies him
for the loss.

In the absence of his friends, Binos consoles him-
self with unlimited hocks. Monsieur Paulet has not
been inconvenienced by the officers of law, and his
daughter is the possessor of an additional half-
million. But somehow she does not find a husband.
Everything is known in Paris, and the omnibus
mystery hal not by any means increased her happi-
ness.

TIIE END.

Majesty's Government would exercise the powers they
possessed for stamping out the disorder and thus pro-
tecting farming stock in other parts of England; and
whether he could give the House an approximate
estimate of the cost which would be incurred in this
instance by killing the diseased animals and selling the
carcasses.

Mr. Dodson, in reply, said the outbreak in question
took place among sheep within the limits of a large in-
fected area which had been declared on May 22 upon
the recommendation of our chief inspector, who had
visited the locality and held an interview with the local
authority in the last part of May in consequence of a
previous outbreak. The local authority made regula-
tions to restrict the entrance and exit of persons into
and out of the infected places, for the disinfection of
persons, for the isolation of the disease and infected
animals, and they employed the police to carry the
regulations into effect. It appeared to the Privy Council
that the measures taken by the local authority were suffi-
cient. We have since been informed by the inspector of
the district that the 338 diseased sheep have all recovered.
The estimated value of the sheep was from £llOO to
£l2OO, and the estimated cost that would have been in-
curred by slaughtering them, allowing for what might
be realized by sale of carcasses, from £5OO to £6OO.
The number of animals in Great Britain known to the
Privy Council as affected with foot-and-mouth disease
was for the week ending June 21 10 in five different
counties. The local authorities of these several
counties have power to slaughter and compensate, and
the Privy Council have written to each urging them to
use those powers. I have just heard that one of these
local authorities has slaughtered the two animals in
its district, thus reducing the total number in the
country, assuming that there are no concealed cases,
and no fresh outbreaks not reported on June 21, to
eight.