St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-22
TRANSLATED for the Cincinnati Enqui

Translated for the Cincinnati Enquiter from
the French by {. G. Waggener.
lit was brilliant scene," began De
MontOrOn, despite Its sadness, that
cemetery full of officers. 1t had posi-
lively the air of lowered field, with
its kepis and red breeehes, the stripes
and the gold buttons, the sabers and
shoulder knots of the etats majors, the
gimps and braids of the chasseurs and
and hnSsars passing and posing in the
midst of the tombs, whose white or
black arms of iron, wood or marble
spread proteetingly above the peace
full dead.
''1eS. a very brilliant though SORROW
full scene, for they were burying the
wife of their chief officer, NJ. lie General
de LimouSin, who had been drowned
Just two days before this while taking
her daily bath. Well, it was ended
now. The clergy had finished their
sad duties and taken their departure,
but the escort Of soldiers, and the
general himself, supported by two sol
diers. remained erect beside that hole,
at the bottom of which he still seemed
to see the box of wood that held, al
ready decomposing, the body OF his
young and beloved wife.
HE was nearly an old man, this Gen.
de Limousine tall man, thin. angular,
with white mustache, who had married
SEINE three years before this date the
daughter of a cOmrade, left an orphan
by the death of her father, Col. Sorts.
And when the captain and the lieuten-
ant, upon whom their chief leaned.
would have drawn him from that sad
contemplation he still resisted them, his
ewes full of tears that he Strove in vain
to represS, and he murmured low and
brokenly:
Not yet, my friends, not yet-a little
lOnger!''
land he continued to stand there. his
legs bending beneath him at the edge
of that ditch which seemed to him,
without bottom, like hideous abyss
into which had fallen his heart and life
and all that remained to him of happi-
ness or hope The shades of night had
begun to fall when at last he yielded to
persuasion and returned to his deSOlate
home.
when Gen. de LimOuSin, on his re-
turn from the cemetery, opened the
door of his silent dwelling and entered
for the first time since his wite's death
his private office, he saw before him.
living upon his work table, an unopened
letter. A wOman's letter evidently,
and it fell from his hand again in his
agitated surprise as his eyes rested upen
the inscription.
ALETTER FROM THE DEAD.
''It was letter addressed to him; the
writing was that of his dead wife; the
envelope bore the stamp of the daily
post and the date of the same day. He
tore it open and read:
This said De MOntorOn, pauSlng
for moment as if to collect his thoughts,
is the exact text of that letter, which
shall always remember-nO matter why
yes. as tell you, Gen. de Limousin
tore it open and read as follows:
MY HUSBAND: Permit me still to
call you this, as in other times, for when
YOU receive this letter | shall be no
more; shall be dead, and more than
that. under the earth. Knowing this,
perhaps you will be able to forgive me,
though l do not tell you this to move
YOU or to extenuate my fault. L simply
desire to lay before you, for reason
that | shall tell YOU later, and with all
the sincerity of woman who in one
hours time is going to kill herself, the
complete truth.
"tWhen YOU married me through gen.
erosity gave myself to you through
gratitude. | loved you. but with the
heart of a child, pure heart and pure
love. the love with which | would have
loved father. and which, in truth, one
dav when sat beside you L involun-
tarily called you. 1t was cry from the
heart instructive, spontaneous, andyou
laughed and told me TO continue to call
you father that you liked it:
fAn- hiz haf
came to this city, and that pardon me
again. my husband, for it is only the
truth that | must tell yOu-that l, l say,
knew what it was to really love. How
hard and how long, for nearly two whole
years | struggled against it before
Welded, before | admitted this love OF
mine aud before the alternative and the
moment arrived that showed me that
l must kill myself.
g To kill myself? Yes, to take my
own life, for no other way is left for
me. You will see it, you will realize 1t,
when you hear the story.
GAS for the name of the man L loved
and love. you must not, and you Will
| not ever know it. l am very tranquil
about this, and very certain OF it. for
the reason that there was always a
| crowd of officers about me, that kept
| about me purposely, and whom you
| careleSSly called my constellation. DO
not even seek to know his name; what
| use would it be to you now? And DO
| not hate him: he loved me as l loved
/ him, with all the heart, and it is why l
kill myselfrather than-but stay-listen
| to the details.
'.sOne day, then, six months, per-
| haps, from the moment when ac-
knowledged my love for him, gave
| him a rendezvous on the Isle deS BecaS-
ses. the little island-you remember 1t
well,at the side of the mill, where daily
| went to take nv bath. and where he
was to await me hidden in the bushes.
and to remain there until evening that
| none should see him with me or see him
| 90. | was there at the appointed time;
! he Joined me, and just at that moment
| the branches parted and Philippe, your
orderly, stood before us. He had fol-
| lowed and he had surprised US.
Believing that we were lost L cried
! aloud. and would have thrown myself
| then and there into the water, but my
lover quieted me, told me to go on and
| battle as usual and leave him to deal
with this man. Obeyed. Wnat else
could | do but as he told me? Then L
returned to the house to you, and there
| l waited for knew not what, but surely
something frightful.
Nothing, however, occurred. Every
thing was tranquil as before. and an
hour later Philippe stood before me
with a respectful bow and murmured:
~ am at the orders of madame al
ways-should she chance to have let
| ter
"a letter? l comprehended instantly.
| Philippe had been for sale, and my
lover, for my sake, had purchased him:
| All, well, it was the same old story, and
lasted perhaps for three months more;
We had confidence in Philippe, and
forgot the fact that be once sold himself.
You, too, had confidence in Philippe.
| Now see how he repaid it:
A sCoUNDLEL's THREAT.
"The service he rendered us went Oh
as | tell you some three months longer,
then one morning on that same island,
when l had gone as usual to my bath.
this time, however, alone, l found your
orderly before me. Your orderly. yes.