St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-04

upon a black mantilla. And at inter
walls, through the silence that relgned
over everything, the bells rang out and
mingled their lugubriouS tollingS with
the whistling of the wintry wind.
1t was the evening of the TOussaint,
the evening dedicated to the commem-
Grafton of the dead, when the living
give themselves up to the memory of
those who are no longer with them with
tears and piouS tributes of prayers.
Cities. 1lamletS, palaces and cabins all
have their dead, their collins and their
names, and on the night of the Tous
saint the night of the dead, signs and
Sobs roll from echo to echo and from
tomb to tomb.
Nevertheless, night of the dead though
it was, every one i'll Chalon was not
signing or saying prayers. for in the low
hall of smoky cabaret, that had no
other sign than sprig of holly fastened
above the Intel, a group of drinkers
still Surfeited themselves with wine and
cups of homemade brew, and Stammer-
ing laughter Mingled with refrains of
bacchanalian songs, which score of
voices repeated in chorus.
-'Ayw cried Jacques Perron, known to
be as wicked and impioUS as he was
hard drinker. Zone has but little
while to live, and should pass life gayly.
More than that" he added with a
drunken hiccough, 'swhat's the good of
all this ringing of bells and all those
prisons with which they deafen US good
liyers? Is it that they think the dead
can hear them? Bah! when one is dead
one is dead forever" and he continued
to roar out his stupid sarcasms, inter-
rupted from time to time by roarS of
laughter.
All at once the cabaretier insisted
that he should stop.
at is wrong, Jacques, very wrong"
said he, to jest thus; one should always
speak respectfully of the dead"
''They should, should they? Parbleu!
| mock at one and both of them. Say
the word, old croaker of misfortune,
and promise me an extra half-pint, and
I'll go this very minute and drink it in
the depths of the cemetry in the midst
of the dead, and to the health of all
gOod-liverS."
Surely not, jacques; surely not
man; thou wouldSt not dare!"
Il wouldn't dare Do you think it?
And what should | be afraid of? Give
me the bottle; you'll see if Pm afraid!''
and he got up staggeringly, ready for
the start.
But, alas, Jacques was very drunk,
and he fell heavily to his chair again
amidst the laughter of the other drink
erS.
Thunder" he grumbled, 81 appear
to be going; but fill UP, comrades, fill
up, fill up! Another one, and my legs
will be as steady as the cures. Fill up,
say!' and he emptied his glass at a
swallow.
The orgie was nearing it's ends. The
lamps were going out one by one, sending
forth with their last reflections an acrid
fume; and in the cabaret itself silence
was broken only by the snoring of the
sleeping drinkers,
Soon, however, under the influence of
the fixed idea that at that moment al
ways dominates the brain of a drunk
ard, and i'll this case was assisted by
foolish bravado, Jacques Perron rose
up, swaying on his legs, stumbled to
the door, fumbled it open with tremb-
slowly and carefully he felt his way in
the direction of the village cemetery,
climbed the wall that surrounded it,
and wandered for while among the
tOmbS, to stop at last before one whose
stone was freshly placed.
''It's here" he murmured; sits the
right one; remember it WE'LL" and
Selling the forgotten pick of grave
digger resting against the side of it, he
commenced the sacrilegious task of
opening a tomb. Under his heavy blows
the stone yielded. glided a little and
turned backward with Sullen thud.
Continuing his work, the violator soon
reached the coffin, wrenched it open.
and saw before him, under the shrOud-
ing winding sheet, the outlines of a.
human fQrm.-----------
Breathing heavily, with burning eyes
and hand grimed with dirt, Jacques
PerrOn Wiped the moisture from his
brow, drew aside the cloth that wrapped
the body, lifted it in his arms to get the
light from the stars that were beginning
to shine, and with single careless pull
tore from the neck the band of gold that
encircled it. The body. cold and rigid
as marble, fell anew into the ritied
ditch, and jacques climbed to the path
again.
They'll believe me now" he NUT
tered. with an oath of satisfaction,
they'll believe me now." and he placed
the necklace i'll his pocket.
At this moment midnight began to
sound as slowly as a knell, and
scarcely had the last strokes died away
when Jacques saw the Sepulchers open
ana a HOrue Oh pHdlJOlllS anu Skeletons
come forth and surround him, phantoms
that pursued and threatened him and
sought to draw him in their funeral
round. But he fought them. he pushed
them back, he tore himself from their
clutches and darted away wild with hor-
Tor and terror.
He ran and ran, and at last crossed
the threshold Of the howell that served
him as dwelling, and GREATNESS, suf-
located fell upon his pallet When he
had regained his senses a little he
thought of the necklace that he had put
in his pocket, the trnket that was to
prove that he had kept his VOW.
He drew it forth, but, horrors of hOr-
rors! as he held it up suspended across
his fingers, it was the head of corpse
that hung before his eyes, the sockets
of the skull glowing like ardent fur
naces, while from the tongueless mouth
came voice deep and frightful, which
heaped upon him shame and maledic-
tiOnS:
'sMisery will come of it," this voice
cried to him. ''misery to you who have
failed to treat the dead with respect
that is their due. Curse upon you, vile
profanator of the grave! Prepare to
meet your chaStisement, for when the.
hour of one shall sound, you yourself
will be numbered with the dying!"
AS the words came from its depths the
skull eshedteand Jacques, prey to
Understandable rrOr, got up. and, light
ing the lamp, regarded the clock hooked
to the wall. He had only few moments