The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-02-22
at the Boule Noire,

Capture at the Boule Noire.
a Story 81 tho Paris Secret Police.
The 18th Of March. 1882 at nine
O'clock in the evening, . cab stopped In
front Of the entrance Of the ball Of the
Boule Noire. A man stepped out Of the
vehicle; he was about thirty-fye years
old. tall, thin, with an intelligent and
bold face, slightly blonde mustache curl
ed MP and carefully tended, Jacket OF
black velvet, asoft felt hat q little on
one side Of his head, and Swedish
gloves. Another man had been walking
up and down ON the footpath for the
last quarter Of an hour. He had on o
frock.coat, buttoned up to the chin, a
dirty dollar, ragged black necktie, large
hat. heavy mustache, and whiskers cut
eauarely on his cheeks. He carried a
heavy The two men accosted
each other, and in . rapid tone ex-
changed these words:
f'This way, Dubrisart, this way"
"Marcou! Is ityou who sent for me7"
Yes; but there is too much light and
too many people on the footpath. Let
US cross the boulevard"
They crossed the street, and when
they were on the other side, leaning
against the wall Of q whitesmith's shop
that turns the corner OF the Rue des
Martyrs, Maroon, the man with the
frock-coat, took Dubrisart's two hands
in his and pressed them with efusion.
"Dubrisart, / am glad to see you again.
You come into quarters now;
you work in high politics; you go on for
elgn missions. | have been told of that.
And when l think you began as d little
auxiliary OF no account in my brigade! /
was your superior"
And you are still my friend, my dear
Marcou. / have had luck and protec-
ton"
And then you have education and
d~istinRuished manners. There is moi a
man at the prefecture who knows how
to dress as you do, not even the project
himself. YoI belong to an honorable
family. You speak English. SO you
were sentt 20 England under the empire
% see what was going on at Il-Toni-
were.n
"Twickenham."
"Yes, that's it. /, my dear fellow.
have gone on vegetating in paltry SER
vice. But tonight l have a rather Inn
portant affair on hand. In the course Of
the day q certain Agile Kipon came to
the prefecture. All! You don't know
her? She's q celebrity at the balls and
taverns about here. We were then
four or i've of rs-chatting around the
stove. The woman came into the office
furious, saying that she knew one of the
chiefs OF the commune1a man who had
pillaged, shot, committed arson and
done the whole thing in fact. Naturally.
we asked Mademoiselle Ripon to take a
Chair. She came to offer to give up to
us, this evening, at the Boule Noire,
Stafner. who had been an officer under
the commune
HStafner2 The man who stabbed me-
in q little cafe at Belleyille in 1902,
"fes; and it is berause I know the
story OF that stabbing that l asked you
to come. 1 don't know Stafner, and I
Thought that you would not mind help
ing e.,
not fear. He is to be at the ball to-
nightp'
Sat ten O'clock"
And Aglae Ripon??'
Three OF my men-Cervoisier, Pollat,
and Chaulet-afe going to bring her,
They ought to be here already. When
she had nude her declaration she want
ed togo away, but / did not lose the
young lady. l know what wonan's an
ger is-lt goes up and down in five min
utes, She had only to find her lover to
lee! a moments remorse, to warn him,
mt our little plan would have been
spolied- She had a rendezvous with
stataer at ten o'clock this evening, and
that was all | wanted. | told her that
the government would pay for her din
yer and q CAD to go to the ball; | ut that
she would not be allowed to go home
until she had served us up Stafner. Bhl
probably there thev are. The cab ia
stopping on this side ofstt,e boulevard"
The door OF q cab opened a few s ems
from Dubrlsart and Marcou. Out
Oft came, accompanied by three po-
liremen in plain clothes, a tall girl in a
Woelen dress. q cape of gray cloth, and a
black hat with a big bunch of red roses
hanging from the left side. One of the
men came up to Maroon. while the two
others kept a watch on the woman, who
looked around her with an air OF alarm,
Monsieur, !" said the man, ''you ought
to speak to the girl. She alarms me.
She would not eat any dinner. She has
been crying in the cab. For certain,
she regrets what she has done, and IS
afraid of what remains for her to do"
'IIltalk to her," said Marcou; and he
went5up to the woman.
Listen he said to her, stno nom
sense, you know. You have your rec
ord at the Prefecture. / nave been
glancing over it to-day. There are
some bad things in it, and if we wanted
six months, we should not want pre-
texts. You know the house,"
lyon are wrong" sad Dubrisart to
Ma~cou; You must never be brusaque
with q woman. Lee me talk to her"
And approaching Aglae Ripon. he said:
Listen to me, my pretty maid. If you
sre reasonable, we will take care OF your
reputation, and no m shall know that
you gave up Stsfner. We shall take YOU
into the bad and you shall sit at a table
by the side of the orchestra, near the
little door that leads into the garden.
You will remain there with these three
gentlemen, and drink MS much smu.gled
wine and smoke as many c~irarettes as
you like. The government will pay.
This gentleman and myself will be in
the garden. When Stafner arrives you
will go up to him; if You try to lead him
toward the street door our men will
seize him, but they will NOS touch you;
they will tell every body that you be-
ttayed our man for fifty francs. But
II you bring him quietly into the garden,
we will pack off the pair of you. There
will be nc disgrace for you; you will be
taken to the Prefecture; you will pc