Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-04-22
LOVERS RUsE.

A LOVERS RUSE.
Some years since, two wealthy bach.
elors lived in the vicinity of Paris
They had q young maid-of-all-wcrl
named Marie de In Font Marie was
. sweet. pretty girl and lively and pi.
quaint in her manners, although modest
in the extreme, and this was the reason
that the two brothers kept her in their
employ. They knew that she was fru-
gal, economical, and dressed in the
most moderate manner imaginable
One day Marie surprised her employers
by Informing them that . young artizan.
residing in Paris. bad asked her hanse..
They strove to dissuade her from ac-
cepting the offer of marriage, but she
told them she could not be happy un-
less that she became the wife Of her
dear Henri. So it was arranged that
she should quit the service of the two
brothers At the end of the coming
month.
One day during the interval the two
brothers sold some valuable real estate,
which they owned jointly, and tie sum
realized amounted to los, 900 francs.
1t was all in bills Oh the Bank of France,
and was paid too late for deposit the
same afternoon.
Night came, and as the old bachelors
seldom had such a large amount in the
house they were considerably concerned
lest robbers shouldattempt to rob them
Their fears were strengthened by the
numerous burg.aries that had recently
taken place in the neigLborhood.
The residence of the old men was some
distance from the main road, and stood
near the river Seine. 1t was lonely,
gloomy location, and on the night in
question the winds swept through the
tall larches surrounding the mansion
with doleful aud moaning cadence.
About midnight the old men retired;
scarcely had they fallen asleep wien
Marie raped at their door and i'll
formed them that robbers were 1T work
below.
Both the bachelors were terribly
frightened, and while one commenced
to bar the door the other began remov-
ing a tile from the hearth to hide the
bills.
"You have a gun," SAID Marie; stake
it and shoot the Williams"
But the two trembling men paid no
heed to her advice.
"Cowards - said the brave girl, scorn-
fully, Il wish l were man FOR just
five minutes"
just then there came heavy crash
from the apartment below!
The brothers crept beneath the bed,
where they shivered and cringed, una.
ble to apeak from terror.
"We shall all be murdered in our
BEDS" said the girl. I'VE will be
found by the police in the morning
with our throats cut from ear to ear.
Peste fools, give ME the gun"
She seized the double barrel gun
that laid upon the shelf, and started
down stairs; while the two frightened
men watched her without saving a
word. Presently, bang went the gun,
and groan was heard. Bang went
the second barrel, and a screcch of pain
resounded through the house that
caused the blood Of the brothers to run
cold.
A brief pause ensued, and then Ma
rie came tripping upstairs, but her
face wore determined, dissatisfied look
She asked for powder and ball to reload,
which were furnished; but before she
finished loading, footsteps were heard
retreating from the house.
No one in the house slept that nj ,,lt,
nor were they again moiestcd. But, at
early dawn, on going down stairs, a
pool of blood OH the hall foor showed
that one robber, at least, had been se-
riously, if not mortally, wounded; and
it was plain to see by the bloody path
in the earth that the victim had been
dragged to the river. Gore marked
the whole distance, and the police were
at once put on the alert for the arrest
Of the living thieves, and the recovery
of the body of the dead one.
But all efforts proved vain, and the
bravery OF the young girl was discussed
far and near.
The grateful bachelors were so over.
whelmed that they offered to give Ma.
RE dover.
"Ah messieurs," replied she affec.
tionately, chow can / leave you? You
NAV again be attacked BY robbers"
But We viii not, nevertheless, stand
between You and happiness" they re-
Piled. 'Here are thirty thousand francs
you have saved our lives, and richly
deserve the money. If you choose tc
live in this house with your husband
we viii repair the lower part for that
purpose, and you can also be hired to
keep our room neat lis at present"
Henri married Marie, and they &C.
cepted the dover and the house.
Years passed, aud recently the reaI
facts Of this Midnight robbery came tS
light. Both of the old bachelors wer,
dead, and bad willed Marie another
thirty thousand francs. The brave CIR
did not refuse it. 1t turned out, how.
ever, that the robbers were not plural
Henri acted as the burglar, the blooC
was from a lamb killed for the purpose
and the whole was but a ruse of til,
two lovers to open the hearts and Pur
ses of the two old misers.