The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-10-31

! business like prOposltIon?'
"rhat, being your gift, 1 should
much dislike to let it 60"
! "Of course that must have termi
mated the Conversations"
"Of course, but it did not though
1t became more pointed than ever
"Well, well; l am eager to learr
the denoument," said Henri. ''If
am not at fault in my surmis IS, some
thing will shortly grow out of this
affair that will interest a very wide
circle. Give me the exact particu
lars. What followed?"
"He said he was wealthy and die
not value money; and that he haG
contrived 80 strong a desire to pos
sess the cross that, wild as the ofFel
might seem, he would not demur a
giving 500 francs for it."
Give hundred, parbleu! The trim
ket is not worth five francs" sale
Henri, excitedly. "The man is eth
er lunatic or-what 1 more strong
| ly suspect him of being"
"And what is it possible for you
to more strongly suspect him of be
ing" asked Irene.
"a knave. In spite of the tempt
alton of 500 francs 1 see that yol
still bear your cross. l would have
thought the sum sufficient to buy NJ
all the crosses in Paris and all til,
women bearing them. How did yol
resistY'
"If l did not know that your slu
on women and their crosses was sale
more in. humor than in earnest,
would not give you another word o.
information. told the man the of
fer was very tempting, but that
could not possibly accept it withou
first consulting you"
"That was a noble reply my dar
ling" said Henri, dr0wing his wifi,
close to his side, bestowing on he
an eloquent glance and several pas
sionate kisses. thereafter l shal
consider you cheap at 10000 francs
What said old Cr@ssus to your price
less answer"
"At first he appeared much dis
comfitted. After awhile he said ht
was going into the country to re-
main one week; that he should re
turn this way, and if l concluded t.
part with the cross, he would max,
good the offer. And then he bad,
me a reluctant adieu, went to post
chaise that was waiting in the road
got in, and drove off rapidly toward
ChalOns.
"Finally, we have the finale of tn,
the first act" said Henri.
eyes, responded the musing Irene
toying with the object of so mucl
discussion, which was in reality O.
but little intrinsic value, and in nc
way remarkable, excepting from pc
culiarity of design. 1t was of a cleal
blood red cornelian, the upright pill
lar being carved to represent de
scending arrow, and the cross-piect
very finely wrought imitation o.
wings.
'What attraction this bit of 6
thing, which, aside from being your
gift, 1 look upon as worthless, car
possess to render it so exceedingly
precious in the eyes of the man,
cannot conjecture" continued the
puzzled Irene.
Il think can furnish you with &
clue to the foundation of this extra
ordinary interest" remarked Henri
What was his general appearance
That of a coarse, ill-bred person?"
Gar from that: He was quite tall
not over fieshy, well-dressed, and re.
fined in bearing and language. His
countenanoe betokened mucn illness
at some early period of his life, OF
excessive dissipation"
"Should your cross-enamored
friend call again, and 1 should much
doubt if he ever does" said Henri,
81 am the person with whom he must
deal"
"Why with you, dear?"
because the object he is so ex
tremely solicitous to possess has j
mysterious history known only to
myself"
"And that mysterious history af
fords a key to the solution to the
.seeminglyinsane offer of five hundred
francs?7
Il apprehend such to be the case
That cross was found upon q spot
where, but a few days previously, 8
revolving crime had been committed
If my surmises are correct, this Wis
itor of yours was the author of thai
crime. If so, he and that little red
cross are old acquaintances, and he
would readily sacrifice several times
the five hundred francs to compass;
its possession. Why? Simply be-
canse so long as it remains in Other
hands than his own, he is painfully
conscious that it may at any moment
rise up in judgment before him, anC
cost him the more irreparable sacri
flee of his head"
"And you have kept all this dark
mystery from me, complained Irene
81 have, but will no longer. have
.refrained from making you acquain
ted with the circumstances that are
associated with my finding of the
trinket solely from fear that The
knowledge might cause you to con
ceive q morbid dislike to it, and, 4:
it is really a pretty toy, like to SEE
you wear it. And now for the mys
terry. Do you remember the murder
six years ago, of a nobleman of the
name of Compte de St. Armande, il
the Rue de Germalne?7
"Distinctly, replied Irene" GAL
Paris was thrilled with horror at the
mystery and barbarity of the deed
But what association can this eros
have with that dreadful affair"
"An intimate association. Tha
cross was found by me on the iden
tical spot of the murder and but thre
days thereafter. If you will closel..
examine the underside, you will oh
serve a small drilled hole at each eX
tremity. From these holes l am LEI
to infer that it was worn by the un
known assassin on the fatal night i
question; and, furthermore, that wa
wrenched from its fastenings by tn
hand of the hapless Compile in hi