Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-02-08
= Setial Sturp.
ROGER lARoQUE.
ADAPTED AND TRANSLATED FROM THE
FRENCH OF JULES MARY.
BY OLIVER HARPER.
Copyrighted by the American Press Association.
CHAPTER XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.
Raymond returned to Meridon farm. His
mother did not need to question him; she had
noticed the traces Of sorrow and trouble on
his mobile face on his departure; she saw JOY
and hope when he returned.
Something pleasant has happened, my
sona"
He smiled, but only said:
u can tell you nothing, mother-yet"--
GWell2n
Il ann happy and wish you to share ! my y,
joy."
4And her refusalT"
aWas not on her own account. There was
an obstacle between US"
HHow many mysteriesi and the obstacle
has ceased to existp
mo"
sAnd your marriagep
aSoon, I hope. It depends on certain
things, which I am not at liberty to toll, but
Ihope soon."
1Pray God you have your wish, my dear
boy. ask no more to render my own hap
piness complete" said this mother, who was
so blind. Afterwards they both remembered
this wish. Her face cleared and she grew
quite cheerful in the knowledge that her
favorite son was to be happy. Not one COM
miserating thought did she bestow upon her
elder SON, whose heart lay like lead in his
bosom, and who had no idea that Raymond
was his successful rival
From the Gay he saw Suzanne last Ray
rnond had but one desire and one preoccupa-
ton, and that was to discover the mystery in
the affair concerning her father.
At Paris, at police headquarters, he found
no difficulty in getting all the facts be de-
sired. The Laroque affair was not forgot
ten, and with the exception Of Henriette and
Lucien all those who had been especially in
terested in it were still alive, and he thought
he could easily find them.
The days passed in q minute reconstruction
and copy of all the testimony, and, though
he could not see his way clear to prove it, he
saw clearly how justice had followed up
Roger Laroque upon a preconceived theory
of his guilt given BY M. Lecroix, and thus
they had never made any movement toward
the discovery Of the real criminal. He studied
the testimony Of Suzanne and her mother, of
Roger and Victoria, and noticed that not one
Of them varied. He did not wonder that an
innocent man was tried and condemned on
such evidence; indeed, he wondered more
how he was not sentenced to death.
One mystery appeared in all Rogers an
swers. Had Lucien penetrated ita Perhaps
he had. Was it not possible that among the
papers relating to this affair might be found
some mention of it! At any rate he could
look. In large closet at Meridon farm there
was an immense quantity of paper, books and
briefs, which had belonged to his father, and
he was quite certain that he should find them
undisturbed, with the accumulated dust Of
all these years upon them.
This would have been painful task, to
open and search all these traces of his bril-
liant fathers ambitious talent, under other
circumstances. Now it seemed pious labor,
and as he worked among them he thought
with regret Of that honorable, loyal life SO
nobly spent and lost.
Until evening he worked without finding
anything; then he at last came upon the
notes which bore upon the assassination Of
Larouette. Little by little he found the pa
pers which made up the file. and finally he
found the notes and most Of the final speech
which Lucien had given. He read it with
heart beating high with conflicting emotions,
and with tears standing in his eyes, The
eloquent passages fairly spoke even now, with
the dust of age upon them. At nearly every
page Raymond found few words as mar
ginal notes, such as: "What is this mystery
Of the money!" aWhat Internal part has this
woman played in Rogers life, that be will
not confessp u see woman's hand in this"
ard @Who is this woman9"
"My father was not deceived" said Ray
mond. "Thers was woman, but who is
shea"
At lastj the desk in the closet was empty,
and there remained but few papers. This
desk had belonged to Julia, but in removal to
the farm it had been placed in here and all
the other papers with and upon it. AS there
were still apparently two or three leaves Of
the brief missing, Raymond took hold Of.
some papers and they seemed caught. With
his penknife he tried to loosen them and in 30
doing he touched q spring somewhere, and a
narrow secret drawer flew open, and in it
was photograph of handsome, noble look
ing man.
The photograph was clean and in every
other way in good condition, except that
where the heart Of the man would be was
cut clear through the paper, as though done
with some sharp instrument. Idly turning it
in his hand, Raymond saw written on the
back, in his mothers delicate but peculiar
handwriting, the following dates:
1.-THE 2Sth Of July 1872, at 11:30 p. m.
1.-THE 30th Of July, 1872.
GThe 18th of August, 1872"
What was thisa Why these three dates be-
hind the picture Of this unknown in his
mothers writing, and besides, who was this
mona He felt that he had seen him some
where.
Finally, prey to vague uneasiness, Ray
mond placed the photograph in his pocket
and went out Of the house. He walked, he
ran, he threw himself on the ground, but
wherever he went he was haunted by that
face in the picture, and also those dates in
his mothers writing. He looked again and
with groan Of agony hid the face, then
again he looked, this time as one faces
forlorn hope, and doubt was no longer pos
sible; this was, without even one sole little
possibility Of doubt, Roger Laroque as he was
before this awful accusation fell upon him.
To be sure, the hair and beard were dark, the
face was young and care free, and that awful
disiguring scar had not destroyed the SYM
metry Of the left side Of his face; but the
same great dark eyes, high forehead and gen.
eral cast Of features were there. William For
ney Of today and Roger Laroque of old were
one. Then why these three dates in hi:
mothers 'writing2 She must have known
Laroque well, but why had she never men.
toned his naue2 All the afternoon and until
late he remained in the woods, entering at
night somber and silent.
"What is the matter with you, my boyl
Are you ill9"
"No, only my head aches little from
fumbling over those dusty papers,"
AS soon as dinner was over, when he ats
next to nothing, he went at once to his room.
And then he agaitfe1amined the photograph,
und the more he studied it the more certain
he grew. Doubt was impossible. A sus.
picion came into his mind which gave him O
mortal chill He knew that there was wo-
man mixed mysteriously up in that crime; he
searched for traces of her, end the first one
-.-l-A L.