The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-03-18
THE WHITEHEAD MIND.

Translated for the AfFonant. from the French Of
Guy de Maupassant by Annie Lake Townsend.
There was quite crowd around Mr.. Bsr.
muticr. the great criminal lawyer, rs he dis.
ouss, d the mysterious 81 Cloud affhir. For
a month this inexplicabic crime was the
sensation OF Paris Nobody could make
anything out Of u.
Mr. Barmutier, with his back 10 the frc-
place. arrayed proofs and cited different
opinions, but drew no conclusion.
Several ladies had risen and drawn near
him, aud remained standing. with their eyes
fixed upon the smoothly shaver mouth Of
the attorney, whence fell such wcighty
words. The women shiycrcd, chilled by
their inquisltiye fright, by that Unsuitable
hunger for the dreadful. which haunts their
souls. One Of them, paler than the rest, cI-
claimed;
at Is frightful. II approaches the super
natural. II will never be cleared up"
The great lawyer turned toward her:
"Ycs, II will probably always rrmain
mystery" he klid but the word supcr-
natural. that you used, l. hardly called for.
Tho matter we arc discussing Is clcyerly
devised, ciescrly executed crime, ~ cnvci.
oped la darkness that We cannot discntanglc
the impcne trable network 81 circumstances
that surrounds a. but confess that ] was
once called upon 10 follow case which
really seemed 10 have some hunt " tho fan
tastlc nboutit. We were In fact, compelled
TO give u up for wnnt 81 data on which TO
proceed"
All the women cried with ono voice:
'Oh, tell ne about ill.,
Mr.. Bcrmuticr smiled graycly. A. great
ucd;
II do not myself s.lmit that there can be
any such thing M asupcrhuman agency. ]
should substitute the word incxplicable'
| for supcrnatural.'
'In thc story am going 10 tell. Il was the
surrounding OF preparatory circumstances
that impressed me The facts were ~ fol-
lows Al the time speak Of. I was exam
lining magistrate al Alaocio. My business
was principally the prosecution Of cases Of
vendetta. In Corsica. a. we all know, this
sort oi family vengeance has given rise 10
supcfbly dramatic, highly heroic incidents
| FOR two Year, ! heard - little beside the
Aycngrr 0f blood-tho Conican code that re-
vengrs murder on the person who commits
u, or his descendants and relatives, had
seen old men. children. alid distant cousins
mAssacrcd; my head was hlled With such
doings. !,
n heard one day that an Englishman had
rented q villa on the gulf for several years
lIo had a French servant engaged AZ Mar
| stiles. on his way 10 AjacCio. Soon the
whole pilcc was taking an interest In this
| odd individual. Who lived alone, nnd only
went out 20 shoot or fish. lie spoke 10 no.
body. never came 10 town, and prnciioed
shooting NJ a marx every morning Tor an
hour OF Two.
ss,orlcs bcran 10 be- told about him. II
was aid that he was n man ~ high birth
who had fed his country for political rca-
sous then rumor nm that he was IN hiding
on arcount of some dreadful ur'me he had
committed. of which specially horrible do
tails were given.
"As examining magistrate. desired 10 oh.
tain some Trustworthy information about the
man, hut could learn nothing. He gavesir
John IlOwell NJ bis name.
II had him watched, but nothing suspi-
cious about him was reported.
"Still NJ gossip about him grew more
general aud mofe extraordinary, deter
mined 10 zee him for myself, md took TO
hunting IN the ncirhborhood Of bis estate.
'srhe occsdon presented itsclf upon my
KILLING q partridge under. the Ensl.hmans
very no-r one day. Ny dcr brought me The
bird, which NJ once presented 70 sir john
Rowcii. nIpioElring fof my intrusion. I've
wns lnrrr ,nan with rrd hair aud -ocnrd,
tall and slnun, a placid. polished Hercules.
ile had nrse Of the - CHILLED british Stiffness