San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-06-05
The Treasure Of Franchard.
By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.


annoyance about CasimirS incivility, would
long ago have been forgotten. AS it is, they
prey upon him like disease. He loses flesh,
his appetite is variable, and, on the whole,
impaired. keep him on the strictest regi-
men, 1 exhibit the most powerful tonics;
both in vain"
Don't you think you drug him too muchT
asked madame, with an irrepressible shudder.
"Drug?" cried the doctor; ~ drugl Ana
stasie, you are madr'
Time went on, and the boys health still
slowly declined The doctor blamed the
weather, which was cold and boisterous. He
called in his confrere from Bourron, took a
fancy for him, magnified his capacity, and
was pretty soon under treatment himself-it
scarcely appeared for what complaint He
and JEAN Marie had each to take medicine at
different periods of the day. The doctor
used to lie in wait for the exact moment,
watch in hand. "There is nothing like regu-
larity," he would say, fill out the doses, and
dilate on the virtues of the draught; and if
the boy seemed none the better, the doctor
was not at all the worse.
Gunpowder day the boy was particularly
low. 1t was scowling, squally weather.
Huge broken companies of clouds sailed
swiftly overhead; raking CLEANS of sunlight
swept the village, and were followed by in
tervals of darkness and white, flying rain
At times the wind lifted up its voice and bel
lowed. The trees were all scourging them
selves along the meadows, the last leaves fly
ing like dust. The doctor, between the boy
and the weather, was in his element; he had
a theory to prove. He sat with his watch
out and barometer in front of him, waiting
for the squalls and noting their effect upon
the human pulse. "For the true philosopher"
he remarked delightedly, "every fact in ma
ture is toy" A letter came to him, but as
its arrival conceded with the approach of
another gust he merely crammed it into his
pocket, gave the time to Jean-Marie, and the
next moment they were both counting their
pulses as if for a wager.
At nightfall the wind rose into tempest
It besieged the hamlet, apparently from
every side, as if with batteries of cannon; the
houses shook and groaned; live Goals were
blown upon the floor. The uproar and terror
of the night kept people long awake, sitting
with pallid faces giving ear.
1t was IL before the Desprez family retired
By 80, when the storm was already some
what past its height, the doctor was awak-
ened from troubled slumber, and sat up A
noise still rang in his ears, but whether of
this world or the world of dreams he was not
certain. Another clap of wind followed 1t
was accompanied by sickening movement
of the whole house, and in the subsequent
lull Desprez could hear the tiles pouring like
a cataract into the loft above his head He
plucked Anastasie bodily out of bed.
Run" he cried, thrusting some wearing
apparel into her hands; ''the house is falling!
To the garden!"
She did not pause to be twice hidden; she
was down the stair in an instant. She had
never before suspected herself of such activ-
ity. The doctor meanwhile, with the speed
of piece of pantomime business, and unde-
tered by broken shins, proceeded to rout out
Jean-Marie, tore Aline from her virgin slum-
bers, seized her by the hand and tumbled
down stairs and into the garden, with the
girl tumbing behind him, still not half
awake.
The fugitives rendezvoused in the arbor
by some common instinct. Then came bulls
eye flash of struggling moonshine, which
disclosed their four figures standing huddled
from the wind in a rattle of flying drapery,
and not without considerable need for
more. At the humiliating spectacle
Anastasie clutched her night dress desperately
about her and burst loudly into tears The
doctor flew to console her; but she elbowed
him away. She suspected everybody of
being the general public, and thought the
darkness was alive with eyes.
Another CLEAN and another violent gust
arrived together; the house was seen to rock
on its foundation, and, just as the light was
once more ecipsed, crash which triumphed
+ba ~ tbo ind Sc
fall, and for moment the whole garden was
alive with skipping tiles and brickbats One
such missile grazed the doctors ear; an
other descended on the bare foot of Aline,
who instantly made night hideous with her
shrieks.
By this time the hamlet was alarmed,
lights flashed from the windows, halls
reached the party, and the doctor answered,
nobly contending against Aline and the
tempest. But this prospect of help only
of terror.
"Henri, people will be coming" she
screamed in her husbands ear.
81 trust So" he replied.
"They cannot l would rather die she
walled
my DEAR said the doctor reprovingly,
you are excIped. gave you some clothes
What have you done with them!"
"Oh, l don't know-I must have thrown
them away! Where are theyF she sobbed.
Desprez CROPPED about in the darkness.
"Admirable!" he remarked; ''my gray vel
veteen trousers! This will exactly meet your
necessities"
''Give them to mel" she cried iercely; but
as soon as she had them in her hands her
mood appeared to aiter-she stood silent for