Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-11-26

fastenings; hut vain hope, that door OF
oak was capable Of withstanding far
ruder assaults than any he could make
with his delicate muscles. Bewildered,
staggering and desperate, the unfOrtu-
nate poet sought refuge as far as possible
from that human wreck which filled him
with such loathing and rcpugnance.
Cuhappily he had not, like women,
the resource of fainting. In spite Of his
terror he retained the clearest perception
of everything about him.
At last a clock in the neighborhOOd
struck: alas, il struck but 2-the night
was far from ended
At times il seemed to him that he heard
a rustlng in the straw Of the mattress,
as il the dead had reused from its immO
bility aud was coming toward him. This
friend of Rivarul, this favOrite of skep-
teal and mOCklng society, tremJled like
a COwardly child. Perhaps it was foolish
it certainly was human.
On the other hand. fears less Chimeri-
cal added 10 the excitement of his nerves
and imagination. The corpse of the man
concealed in this pavilion was doubtless
the victim Of foul play, and the Bavarian' S
mission was to inveigle unsuspecting
travellers into the trap.
Every instant Lemierre expected to see
the murderer enter who would first de
spoil him of his watch and jewels, and
then toss him into the we'll beneath The
leaves. What a cruel fate it would he to
die SO young, scarcely twenty years of
age, and with long and brilliant future
before him.
Slowly the terrible hours dragged on.
lnGt f.al,la hf lifylt ,rliinI
through the window. and. faithful to her
promise, the servant arrived TO release
her prisoner. She rccOiled in astOnish-
ment before the spectacle which met her
eyes. the bed and the pillows heaped
upon the floor and the dead lying upon
the mattress, far less liyid and ghastly
than the living bling Crouched in the
corner with Gilated pupils, haggard face.
convulsed lips and HAIR aS white as snow,
hlanched by the horror OF that tragic
night.
The wretChed servant. uttering scream
after scream, fed rapidly TO the house,
and in few minutes the pavilion was
filed with a thronG of frightened people.
Burning with fever and "a prey to delirium
the unfortunate Lemierre was unable to
give any explanation of the scene before
lItttl HIlltLttl at lllt CltISt " illtH a
few hours had wrought the general called
the innkecper and demanded an explain
alton Of him.
At first, confused and uncertain what it
was best to say, the man ended by eX-
planning that Just the day before the
travellers had arrived one of their board
ers, a landscape painter from Berlin, had
died. Travellers did not like to meet with
such things, and s0, to rid himself of an
inCunveuicnt guest, he had comfortably
laid him ont on the bed Of the pavilion
chauber. No one could foresee that for
the pitiiul sum of Louis dor the miser-
able Gretchen would invade the sanctu-
airy of the dead
But You should not blame me-" said
Gretchen boldly: II was only trying &c
obligc the poor young man: he was ready
to drop with fatigue Besides, 1t is all
his own fault; if he had let the bed
alone he'd have slept happily enough and
known nothing about it NOtwith-
standing this ingenious system of defense,
the BaVarian was sent TO ten years i'm
priSOnment.
As for Lemierrc, he was for two months
dangerously i'll at the inn of Rothenberg
But even when he returned to France his
friends scarcely recognized him. for the
flower of his youth had been left in Ger
many. That old man, thin, pale, wria-
kled, with hair as white as snow, pain
fully dragging himself along by the help
of Il cane, was but the shadow OF the bril-
liant secretary of NJ. Dupin.
The first time that he showed himself
Mt the Coincide Franchise one of his
friends said 10 gentleman near him.
The old gentleman ove- there very
strongly resembles friend of mine, Ar
mand Lemerre. 1t is doubtless his
grandfather" Translated for the Gin
cinnatI Enquirer.