The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-03-08


each time With this capital you then
engaged in railroad speculation. Be-
fore week had passed you found
yourself a rich mau."
''All that is very true. sir, but"
Just wait awhile. Let me finish. /
need hardly tell you that your sudden
acquisition of wealth was the result of
your letter to the mysterious and pow
erful being whom you invoked in your
hour of distress"
'.Well, sir, what about it?"
just this, NJ. de Roquefeuil. In 4S
houHs hence your tenth year will have
expired"
s'Well, and what then?"
''In 48 hours you will belong to me.
| am the devil"
One would naturally imagine that
Fernand and his six friends would only
burst into fit of laughter at this
strange declaration from this unex-
pected visitor. To-day We may be
sure he would be told to carry his
transparent joke elsewhere. But this
happened some time ago, when his
Satanic majesty figured prominently
in romantic literature. In the first
place the fantastic writings of that day
had great number of readers on ac-
count of the stories of Theodore Hoff-
man, then largely scattered through
out France. Again, Frederic Soulin,
still living, had made his sable maj
esty quite fashionable by the recent
publication of the memoirs of the
Devil"
Nevertheless, Fernand and his COM
rades laughed in chorus, one of them
remarking:
'.Mons Satan as this is the first time
we have had the pleasure of your dis
tinguished presence, you will do US
the honor of accepting glass of cham
pagne?"
"My ordinary beverage is human
tears" replied the king of terrors,
'but / suppose | may MAKE one excep-
ton. Pour out the wine!'
He emptied his glass with apparent
zest, bowed gracefully and retired,
saying, as he withdrew, to Fernand:
Monsieur Roquefeuil, l expect to
have the honor of calling on you to-
morrow"
With that not very encouraging re-
mark he withdrew.
SO soon as he had gone the young
men laughed heartily, but the supper
came to an end, and at about three
o'clock in the morning all retired to
their homes.
At noon the following day, just as
Fernand was about to rise, servant
entered his room and handed him
three letters and card. This last was
duplicate of the card of the evening
before.
'Ah, indeed! The devils card!"
muttered Fernand. at seems Satan
does not intend to give me much re-
spite"
As for the three letters, they were
anything but pleasant reading.
The first announced that the bank
er, Isaac H, with whom Fernand
had deposited the greater part of his
fortune, was suddenly ruined by fall
in stocks, and, having secured all the
money he could, had fled to America
on Havre packet.
The second letter-anonymous, of
course-informed him that Nine. de
Lucay, the charming young widow
whom he was to marry in a day or
two, had given him the slip, and was
about to wed one of his most intimate
friends-one of those six gallants who
were seated at the table with him the
evening before. OF course, a man of
honor should not be annoyed at any
thing contained in an anonymous let
ter, always written by a coward; nev
ertheless, he found such precise details
of things that he knew to be true, and
which he thought to be unknown to
others, that he could not help give
credence to the whole letter.
The third letter contained a steno-
graphic account of conversation that
recently occurred in a. club, of which
Fernand de Roquefeuil was a promi-
nent member. 1t was sort of run
ming commentary of the principal
members of the club on the merits and
character of Fernand himself. The
latter was by no means iattered; on
the contrary, he was regarded as the
most significant of men.
''Well, these are odd series of coin
cidences," exclaimed the undeceived
Fernand, as he proceeded with a sad
air to complete his toilet Just think
of it! Fortune, friendship, social con-
sideration, all gone. Not thing left
me. Oh, yes, | had forgotten. have
still got the devils card"
The idea then struck him to look at
the card again and to scan it more
closely than he did the evening before.
The signature was still illegible, but
few words traced with a pencil in
first rate French told plainly enough
that Satan was man about town.
This is what Fernand read under the
redoubtable scratch:
FERNASD; THE Devils Part will be
played this evening at the Opera Comique.
Come there at O'clock; knock at the third
| box. You will be sure TO find me there Your
Oldest friend, THE DEVIL.
Was this a mystery or was it a
freak? Fernand reflected a moment.
ITO go there would be childish" he
unused.
"And not to go there win give the
idea that | am afraid"
He decided TO go.
About O'clock in the evening he
entered the theater, and, come what
might, walked straight for the third
box, as directed. To his unspeakable
amazement he found himself in the
presence of lovely young girl. Seated
in front of the box, she was dressed
with the most exquisite good taste, and
gracefully toyed with fan in her
hand. Strangest of all, the face was
the same as that of the devil who ap-
peared to the six young men in the
| cafe on the boulevard the evening be-
fore. But why should Satan present
himself this time under the semblance
of daughter of Eve? There was some
new mystery here.
On seeing him enter the young lady
rose with a sort of unconscious eager
ness, and as soon as the door was
closed she began:
Monsieur de Roquefeuil. you see
me to-day under my real form. My
name is Ophelie de Brevames. l am the
only daughter of that friend of your
fathers, for whom you were generous
enough to sacrifice your entire fortune.
Do not be surprised, then, at seeing me
offer you a restitution. l am rich,
and wish to ranau tho 1oSsoS Won Suf-