Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-02-02

actcr of the sacristan soon suggested one.
He determined to carry the body to the
house of the most noted beauty of Rouen
and leave it on the doorstep; so that all
suspicion of the murder might fall upon
the shoulders of some jealous husband.
The beauty of Martin Francs wife had
penetrated even the thick walls of the
convent, and there was not a friar in the
whole abbey of st. Anthony who had not
done penance for his truant imagination.
Accordingly the dead body of Friar Gui
was laid upon the monks brawny shout |
ders, carried back to the house of Martin
Franc, and placed in an erect position
against the door. The monk knocked
loud and long and then, going through
lane. stole back TO the convent.
troubled conscience would not allow
Martin Franc and his wife to close their
eyes but they lay awake lamentng the
doleful events of the night. The knock
Mt the door sounded like death knell i'll
their ears 1t still continued atintervals,
rap-rap-rap with low dull sound
as if something heavy were swinging
against the panel for the wind had risen
during the night, and every angry gust
that swept down the alley swung the
arms of the lifeless sncristan against the
door. At length Martin Frame mustered
courage enough to dress himself and go
down, while his wife followed him with II
lamp in her hand !; but no sooner had he
lifted the latch than the ponderous body
of Friar Gui fell stark and heavy into his
arms.
"Jesu Maria !" exclaimed Marguerite,
crossing herself there's the monk
again! !"
eyes, and dripping wet, as if ho had
Just been dragged out of the river !"
"Oh, we are betrayed !" exclaimed
Marguerite in agony. ,
| .tTbo, tba la-il l,;.selr la, betrayed
us, replied Martin Franc, disengaging
himself from the embrace of the sacris
tan for met not n living being the
whole city was rs silent as the grave.
"Saint Martin defend us" continued
his terrified wife "Here, take this soap
ulary to guard you from the Evil One ;
and lose no time. You must throw the
body into the river or We are lost Holy
Virgin How bright the moon shines y
Saying this, she threw round his neck
n scapulary, with the figure of II cross on
one end aud III image Of the Virgin on
the other and Martin Franc again took
the dead friar upon his shoulders, and
with fearful misgivings departed on his
dismal errand. He kept as much MS pos
sible in the shadow of the houses, ana
had nearly reached the quay, when he
thought lie heard footsteps behind him.
He stopped to listen it was no vain I'M
agination; they came along the pave
ment, tramp, tramp and every step grew
louder and nearer. Martin Franc tried
to quicken his pace. but in vain his
knees smote together, and he staggered
/ against the wall. His hand relaxed its
grasp, and the monk slid from his back
l and stood CHASTITY and stnight beside
him, supported by chance against the
shoulder of his bearer. At that mohent
: man came around the corner, tottering
beneath the weight of a huge sack. As
his head was bent downwards he did not
perceive Martin Franc till he was close
upod him and when, on looking up, he
, saw two figures standing motionless in
the shadow Of the wall, he thought him
self waylaid, and. without waiting to he
assaulted, dropped the sack from his
shoulders and ran off ut full speed. The
sack fell heavily on the pavement, and
directly at the feet OF Martin Franc. In
the fall the string was broken, and out
came the bloody head, not of Il dead
monk, rs it first seemed to the excited
imagination of Martin Franc, but OF n
dead hog When the terror and sur
prise caused by this singular event had Il
little subsidized, an idea came into the
mind of Martin Franc very similar to
what would have come into the mind of
almost any person in similar circum-
stances. He took the hog ont of the
sack, and putting the body of the monk
into its place, secured it well with the
remnants of the broken string. and then
hurried home with the animal upon his
shoulders.
He was hardly out of sight when the
man with the sack returned, accompanied
by two others They were surprised to
find the sack still lying on the ground,
with no one near it, and began to jser
the former bearer, telling him lie had
been frightened at his own shadow on the
wall. Then one of them took the sack
upon his shoulders, without knowing the
change that had been made in its con-
tents, and all three disappeared
Now it happened that the city of Rouen
was at that time infested by three street
robbers, who walked IN darkness like the
pestilence, and always carried the plum
der of their midnight marauding to the
Tete-de- Bnuf, little tavern in one of
the darkest and narrowest lanes of the
city. The host of the Tete-de-B8uf was
privy to all their schemes, and had an
equal share in the profits of their nightly
excursions. He give helping hand, too
by the length of his bills, and by plum
dering the pockets Of any chance travel
Ter that was luckless enough to sleep I'M
der his roof.
On the night of the disastrous adven-
ture of Friar Gui, this little marauding
party had been prowlinS about the city
until n late hour, without finding any
thing to reward their labors. At length,
however, they CHANGED to spy hog,
hanging under shed in butchers yard,
in readiness for the next days market
and as they were not very fastidious in
selecting their plumber, but, on the con-
trary, rather addicted to taking whatever
they could lay their hands on, the hog
was straightway purloined, thrust into a
large sack, and sent to the Tete-de-B Huf
on the shoulders of one of the party,
while the other two continued their noe
turnal excursion. 1t was this person who
had been so terrified at the appearance of
Martin Franc and the dead monk and
as this encounter had interrupted any
further operations of the party, the dawn
of day being now near ut hand, they all
repaired to their gloomy den in the Tete-
de- Bout. The host was impatiently
waiting their return and, asking what
plumber they had brought with them,
proceeded without delay to remove il
from the sack. The first thing that pre-.
scented ITSELF on untying the string, was
the monks hood.
"The devil take the devil - cried tn,
host as he opened the neck of the sack
"what's this? Your hog wears n cowl !"
"The poor devil has become disgustct
with the world and turned monk T. sal,
he who held the light, little surprised
Mt seeing the head covered with coars'
gray cloth.