Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-01-14

some papers and they seemed caught With his penknife he tried to loosen them and in so doing he touched 9 spring somewhere. and . narrow secret drawer flew open, and in it was photograph of Q handsome, noble look ing man.
 Tho photograph was clean and in every other way in good condition, except that where the heart of the man would be was a 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:
 aThe 28th of July 1872, at Il 80 p. m.
 aThe 3Oth of July, 1872.
 aThe 14th of August, 1872"
 What was thiss Why these three dates be- hind the picture of this unknown in his mothers writing, and besides. who was this man? 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, be 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 Q 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 disfiguring 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 his mothers writinga She must have known Laroque well, but why had she never men. tioned his namea All the afternoon and until late he remained in the woods, entering at night somber and silent.
 "What is the matter with you, my boyi Are you ill?"
 "No, only my head aches O little from fumbling over those dusty papers,"
 As soon as dinner was over, when he ata next to nothing, he went at once to his room. And then he again examined the photograph, and the more he studied it tho more certain he grew. Doubt was impossible. sus, picion came into his minG which gave him mortal chill. He knew that there was a wo- man mixed mysteriously up in that crime; he
 
 he found led him straight to his own motherl
 This thought kept him awake almost the whole night, and the first light of the morn ing found him up and ready to take the train for Paris, where he had business to transact during the day. Before leaving he was alone Q few minutes with his mother, who said:
 "Do you feel better today, my sons Are you quite wells"
 "Yes; slept well all night"
 "I thought heard you up very early"
 "I have for a long time wanted to put my fathers papers in order; you know how they were thrown into the closet and your desk. That reminds me, I found photograph among those papers with three dates written across the back, by you if am not mis- taken"
 And he handed her Roger Laroque's photo graph. The effect was stunning Pale as death itself Julia had hardly time to reach @ chair before she sank down without strength to move. At the first glance she had known Rogers face, and the card fell unheeded to the floor, and she looked at Raymond more like Q hunted animal than human being. In vain she tried to regain her coolness and surmount the horror-which this sudden re- turn of ghost of the awful past rose up be- fore her. Her horror, her fear and the ner- vous shock were too much, and she abandoned herself completely to her emotion.
 Mother! mother!'' cried Raymond, not less agitated than she. His terrible suspicious returned more pressing, more convincing. It seemed to him as if the heavens were crum- bling about him and there was no solid foun- dation to the earth. There was but a bound less and bottomless space about him, where were engulfed all his beliefs, his hopes and his plans And his mother said no word. He had reached q stage where he would have even welcomed @ transparent lie, so much he wanted to be treasured. At last she under stood what was passing in her best loved sons soul, and she tried to smile.
 "This heat has overcome me-"
 He went and opened the windows, letting in the cool breath of morning, which seemed to relieve her little.
 tsWhat were you saying just now about a photograph?"
 He picked it up and gave it to her. This time she looked at it and said:
 "Oh, yes How could this have got lost there? It is that of an old friend of our family who married cousin of mine Those dates. Yes, they were his marriage, the ac- cidental death of his bride in two days and of his having become insane about two weeks later. He died soon after, too, believe" Raymond breathed again. This seemed reasonable story, and if it wero a true one all his suspicious fell to the ground. He took the photograph from her hand, which still trembled, and placed it in on album. As he did so, he remarked:
 "It is curious that the picture seems to be pierced by knife there by the side of the heart. Do you notice ita"
 "It has likely been pushed against Q nail in moving" said she.
 When Raymond had gone, Julia sat for hours with her eyes fixed upon the album. The portrait seemed to draw her invincibly, 1 and at last she rose and, apparently thinking with its destruction she could chase away the ghostly thoughts that crowded in her mind, 1 she removed it and burned it to cinders, which | she scattered to the four winds. l Fifteen days later Raymond returned tc l Mefidon, and almost his first movement was l to look in the album. The photograph was | gone.
 Why" said he. surprised, Sit is not there "What, my sona"
 stThe photograph"
 1 "Ah, yes. It awolze sad remembrances l so burned it."
 Raymond felt his doubts and fears return. TO BE CONTINUED. The Boss Father.
 What is your father, Nellie McGlues l My fathers furrier, sir, to you. l And what is your father, Bessy McQuade?