Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-12-18

After my encounter with the three men IL
the Rue Dauphine, / rushed on aimlessly
through the snow, down one street, along n
other, not caring whittier l went. l was fol
the time incapable Of thinking commercially
No friendship could have been closer thar
that between Raoul and myself. Since om
first meeting, four years ago, we had literally
lived our life in common. He was in most
things my superior, but he himself did moi
think so. Our confidence in one another ha(
been perfect; I thought l knew him to the
bottom Of his soul. Now that l was forced tt
believe him a criminal, a murderer-can yoC
wonder that it should have seemed to me al
most as if the world had suddenly come TO on
end-as If agreat, black gulf had yawneG
open at my feet, and all the joy and beauty
Of life lay now and forever behind me7
Again the thought came to me, had / done
my duty TO ny frierd2 was doing it now
Raoul was guilty; it seemed impossible t.
doubt it. But still, he wa my friend. HG
had killed this man, but did I know the
provocation Ee might have received Whai
had l intended in placing the money and the
warming paragraph on the table, that hi
might zee them when he awoke2 1t had beer
a way Of saying, ely, escape, hide yourself
while thefe is time; / cannot bring myself t.
look you IN the face, but this much I have
done for your But was that enough2 Should
not / have gene to him and Spoken
and urged hin to fly? Should ]
not have helped him out Of his danger
Might not Che warning I had given be il
vain2 Night it no5 have come too late3 Grea'
heaven, it had been too latel That man who
had stopped me as l fed from the house.
had rot realized the truth at tho time, MOI
till low-that man wns IN agent of police
now that I thought Of it, he had said SO
Already Raoul was arrested, and through
my fault Idespised myself; I execrated my
~cowardice; l felt like the murderer of my
friend. At once, without a moments hesita.
tion, | turned on my steps and hastened bacE
to the Rue Dauphine.
"Here is the key of M~onsieurIo cried
Pierre after me, as l hurried past his door
"M. Girard has gone out"
"Gone outF' ] repeated, mechanically.
eyes, with a gentleman who called for hin
"a stout gentleman, a friend of N. Girard's
hesaid. He was upstairs with N. Girard foi
some time; then they went out together, moi
ten minutes ago"
Ibid not need to hear more. Sad at heart
went upstairs and entered our garret-room
On the table stood tbs dinner from Magny's
the two bottles of wine untouched. Beside
the tray, just where I had placed them, lay
the evening newspaper and the little pile Of
money. The drawers Of the bureau l no
ticed were half pulled out. ] looked into
them. My papers had been left; Raoul's
were all taken away.
The fire had gone out, but I did not thinh
Of rekndling it. / did not want comforts
which Raoul could not share. For long l sat
at the table, a prey to my wretched thoughts,
until the sudden leaping up Of the expiring
candle warned me Of the lapse Of time. NY
snowdrenched clothes made me shiyer il
every limb; / hastily undressed and threw
myself into bed There, from sheer fatigue
Of mind and body, / must have slept; since ]