Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-02-22

{, touch one OF tls children. the mother, shud-
dering, wishdrew IT hastily to her own arms;
if shs spoke % the adult sick, The wan EYER
the fesbls voice would mutter words in a patois
sne could not understand. But always came
the Nne word ssBruocolaque."
IL was the same at home. II she wanted to
90 any little at Of kindness to the Child Aaele
Ps0aonateiy refused her. Once she Asnstchcd
MIN ruaeiy mon her arms, saying rs she did 80,
luxurious oroucolaque! before my very eyes,"
husband and proposed to make him cup Of
beef-tea fAnglaise, the doctor looked at her
as would hare looked her through. and Adele
hot tear we're in her eyes-..Is il not fast
enough for YOU madame. Not faster unless
you kill me frst."
To all of which Fanny replied nothing; think
ing only that the doctor vas very rude to stare
50 fixedly at her, and that Adele was horribly
cross; how unlike an English housekecper
Monsieur Cabanel, when he was told Of the
little scene, called Fanny to him. and said in a
more caressiug voice than he had used TO her Of
late: Thou wOuldst not hurt me, little wife,
t was love and kindness. not wrong, that thou
'WrOne? What wrong could 1 do?" an
swered Fanny, opening her blue eyes wide.
what Nh but love should give to my best and
"And I am thy friend then to thy mind?
Thou lowest me, desr?' said Monsieur Cabanel.
'Dearl Jules, who l. 81 dear? who 80 near"
she said, kissing him; while he said fervently:
The next day Monsieur Cabanel who was a
little better. was called away on urgent bust
ness He might be absent for two days, he said,
young wife was left alone in the midst her enc
mics, without even such slight guard as his
presence might prove.
Adele was out. 1t was dark, hot summer
night and little Adolphe had been more fever
ish and restless than usual all the day Toward
evening ne grew worse; and though Jeanette
ilad strict commands not to allow madame to
of the boy; and when madame came into the
small parlor which Adele called her own to
oher her assistance, Jeannette gladly abandoned
. Snarge mat was too heavy for her, and let the
Sitting there with the child in her lap, cooling
10 MIN Low, soft nursery song in English, the
Or his pain seemed to her to pass and
had bitten both his lip and tongue, and the
blood was now Oozing from his mouth He was
pretty boy, and his mortal sickness made him
bent her head and kissed the male: st,ll face
ana tne blood that was on his lips was trans
ferred to hers.
While she still bent over him. her woman's
heart touched with mysterious force ami pre-
vision OF motherhood, Adele followed by old
Martin and some others of the village rushed
into the room.
"Behold her!" she cried, Selling Fanny bv
her arm, and forcing her face inward by the
chin-s.b behold her in the act! Friends look AT
my ehild-dead, dead in her arms, and she with
ms blood ON her lips. DO you want more nroofso
Vampire that she is, can you DENY the evidence
Of your own senses"
"No! no. roared the crowd, hoarslv, "she
- vahPire-a creature cursed by God, and
tne enemy Of man; away with her to the nit,
She must die as she has made others to diet"
what Is the meaning Of all this?" said Ma
aame Cabanel, rising and facing the crowd with
the true courage Of an Englishwomen ..What
harm have I done to any of YOU that Won sbouj.j
come about me, i'm the absence of nv husband.
win these angry looks and insoIent words.r
what harm hast thou dOne?" cried old Mar
tih SOrceress, as thou art. thou hast be itche,i
our good master, and, vampire as thou art thou
hourishest myself on our blood. Have we not
PROOF OF that at this very moment? Look at thy
nonth-cursed broucolaque; and here lies thy
victim. who accuses thee in his death -
Fanny laughed scornfuily. 81 cannot conde-
,eend to answer such folly; she said, lifting her
head "Are Won men or children"
we are men, Madame" said Legres. the
miller; land being men we must protect our
weak ones. We have all had our doubts and
who more cause than I, with three little ones
taken to heaven before their time: and now we
are convinced
"Because l have nursed diving child. and
lone my best 10 soothe him said Madame Caf,-
aneI, with unconscious pathos.
10 more words - cried Adele, holding her
by the arm she had never let 20. ssTo the rit
with hcr, my friends, if you would not see all
LegrOs' have died?''
A Kind of shudder shook the crowd. and
groan that sounded in itself curse burst from
TO the pitt. they cried. '.Let the demons
take their Own!'
Quick as thought Adele pinioned the strong
wnIe arms, and before the girl could utter more
man one cry, LegrOs had placed his brawny
hand over her mouth. Though this destruction
of a monster was not the murder of human
pe,ng, IN ms mind, or in the mind of any there,
SUN they did not care to have their nerves dis
turped by cries that sounded so human as Ma
dame Cabanel's. Silent then, and gloomy that
dreadful cortege took its way to the forest, car
it had been a corpse, among them. Save with
Adele and old Martin, it was not 80 much per-
sonal luminosity as the instructive self-defepce
Oh rear that animated them They were execu-
TONERS, not enemies and the executiOners of a
more righteous law tnan that allowed by the
national code. But one by one they dropped of
till their numbers were reduced to Six, of whom
Dnlv sister, another.
., The pit was more than an English mile from
the maison Cabanel. 1t was dark and lone
some spot, where not the brayest man of ali that
assembly would have dared to go alone after
nightfall, but multitude gives courage, said
Old Martin BriOlic, and half dozen staiwart
men, led by such a woman as Adele were not
AFRAID OF even lntins or the white ladies.
AS swiftly rs they could for the burden they
bore, and all in utter silence, the cOrtege strobe
over the moor one or two Of them carrying rude
was not without its natural dangers. Nearer
Anu nearer they came to the fatal bourne, and
heavier grew the weight of their victim. She
had long ceased to struggle, and now Law as il
uead IN the hands of her bearers. But no one
spoke OF this or Of aught else. Not word was
between them.
Tie way got darker, the distance between
them ana the place OF execution shorter. and at
last they reached the border OF the pit where
this fearful monster, this vampire-pOOr inno-
cent Fanny Cabanel-was to be thrown. As
they lowered her the light of their torches fell
on her face.
"Grand Diea!"' cried Legros, taking of his
cap, ''she is dead!"
"A vampire cannot die unless the evil spirits
take her, or she is buried with stake thrust
tiously.
81 don't like the look of it, said Lesros, and
so said some others.
They had taken the bandage from the mouth
OF the poor girl, and as she lay in the Pickering
light, her blue eyes half open, and her pale face
white with the whitencss of death, little return
OF human feeling shook them as if the wind had
passed over them.
Suddenly they heard the sound of horses hoofs
Numbering across the plain. They counted two
four. SIX, and they were now only four unarmed
men, with Martin and Adele to make up the
number. Between the vengeance of man. and
the power and malice of the wOOd-demOns their
courage faded, and their presence of mind de-
serted them LegrOs rushed frantically into the
darkness OF the forest, Lesouef followed him,
the others fled over the plain, while the horse
man came nearer and nearer. Only Adele and
Martin Bri0lic stood their ground, Adele hold
biob al harh hos foe