Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-04-04

what l would like to know is, who's got
that locket, for he's the murderer. /
examined the old mans neck and found
/ the mark OF fingers. He was strangled
to death"
That night the arrests were made as
promised. But further facts than those
already obtained by the detective were
never developed.
To ''write up" the discovery, such as it
was, occupied the reporters time so that
he was obliged to postpone until next
morning his visit to Bordello's studio.
CHAPTER V.
The attic was deserted on the occasion
of that second visit. On the table lay
| letter addressed to Harry Weston. He
opened it, and found it written in French,
and in a cramped hand. He deciphered
it with difficulty. 1t read as follows:
81 have seen tonight the spectre of Lag
arus Stein. I have felt the cold fingers OF
the dead at my throat, and gazed upon the
f, implacable hatred of dead eyes. This is
! imagination, but it is more dread to me
than reality. and the horrible reality has
pursued me all my life. [ shall tell you,
for you have right to know my secret. and
the events that led me to the threshold Of
crime.
| st is sitting me here and must write
quickly, but not altogether incoherently,
/ hope. Have you ever heard of irresistible
I impulses of attraction and repulsion among
! humans? have been Swayed all my life
! by an unreasonable and irreconcilable
! hatred. an ineffaceable aversion. Lazarus
Stein and were boys together in a village
of Alsace hated him from earliest youth.
He was the bad angel of my life. 1t was
my destiny to kill him, for the world was
/ not wide enough for both of u.s. Three
I times we met, twice he escaped me; the
/ third time | left him dead.
! I'VE were rivals in youth. l was the
! favored one. | need not tell of our simple
! village life. He did me no harm, but the
! consciousness of his existence embittered
/ the world to me. was early left widow
/ er, with one child. One night a vague
alarm seized my soul that all was not well
| with her who was dead. 1t was dark and
almost midnight when sought the little
graveyard by the church. AS approached
/ the grave | kneW-it was marked by a lit
/ tie wooden cross, according to the peasant
! custom; for with US in Alsace deaths are
many and monuments are dear-a dark
! figure rose to meet me and stood motion
] less. A scurrying cloud let the bare moon
light shine upon him for an instant. and
| saw the malignant face of Stein. All the
! folklore about vampires that had Shud-
dered to hear in childhood when sitting at
! the warm and cheerful hearth rushed to
! my mind and l recoiled in terror. But be-
! fore l could recover myself he had gone in
! to the darkness and, as | fondly hoped, out
of my life.
'But was mistaken. I met him again
| in the late war. 1t was after one of the
| bloody frontier engagements between our
! troops and the PruSSianS. My sOn-in-law,
who was of noble family, fell in the en-
| gagement 1t was dreary task, search
! ing for the dead through the driZzing
rain. Many poor fellow l helped carry
! to the ambulance Almost in despair of
| finding the body of Chevalier Duyerne l
fastened on alone into the gloom outstrip-
! ping my companions. In my haste almost
! stumbled over dead man. Yes, and a
! living one, too: for there fumbling at the
! breast of the corpse was a man, | flashed
| my lantern i'll his face. 1t was Lazarus
Stein! He was robbing the dead. I saw
! the glitter of gold chain in his hand, and
/ I knew that to it was attached a 1ocket
| containing my daughters picture. With
q cry of rage, [ sprang at him, but again he
| eluded me. drew my pistols and shot
into the darkness. but only caught a
! glimpse Of his vanishing figure Then
| removed the body of my son-in-law, which
had been .despoiled only to the extent of
| the locket.
81 came to America with my grand
! daughter. There was nothing for me to
live for in .Alsace. But strange doubts
took possession of me. Why was Stein at
my wife's grave? Why did I find him
stealing from the dead the portrait of my
| child? What was he to my wtfef What
to my child?
'Godl There was one possibility that
! made me laugh-that crazed me as I
| weighed it through the slowly passing
yearsl My grandchild may have thought
! that [ was cold to her, but | was not neg
lectful. 1t was this thought that untitled
me to be near her, blackening my life so
that its very shadow would bot the sun
shine of hers.
1.-THE longing to meet Lazarus Stein
again grew into a passion; for I not only
desired to recover the locket but to force
from him the confession that I feared
The lOcket contained in secret chamber
my sOn-in-law's will leaving to Estelle all
| right to an ancient family property in AL
SAGE, the restoration of which he expected
in view of his services to the Empire
But, poor France, what could she restore
after Sedan? So, although | tried to per
| Suade myself that it was the locket [ wish
ed, [ knew that the hunger that possessed
me was to meet the man Ihated. omeet
him, to ask him one question, and that
81 found him-found him after fifteen
years, and without being obliged to cross
| the sea. lie had almost been my next-door
! neighbor for [ know not how many years,
and had not suspected it. So large Is this
world, and yet so small!
cit was Saturday night The happy
! crowds were filing your busy streets load
ed with Christmas gifts and all the good
! things that represent so many generous
! thoughts and so much innocent Joy. The
selfshness of brooding grief in my own
! breast was penetrated by the sense of
brotherhood. Never since my boyhood in
| AlSace did | feel myself so near to recon
| Citation with humanity. And at that in
slant one face in the crowd froze my blood.
| 1t was q face that was old, withered, ma
| Ggnant, but [ knew it-LaZarus Steini He
did not see me; I turned and followed him.
He looked feeble, ragged. abject. but l felt
no throb of pity. I forgot that I was old
and infirm- Ny hate had given me the
strength that strong liquor gives to some,
rage gives to others. | followed him down
South Clark street, to Sherman, and saw
him enter the shabby tenement which was
all he knew of home. 1 listened till the
weary steps were silent. Then l went out
and saw his light, thus making certain of
| the room.
81 crept up the stairs-up-up-sosl slowly
that it seemed as If the precious night was
! gallOping away from me. But at last |
was at the head of the second flight and
| saw his door. The light shining through
the chink showed me that it was not lock-
ed. pushed it open.
"There he stood, my lifelong enemy,
wretched, decrepid miser. He bhnked at
me like an owl, but as I went towards him
| there came into his eyes q look of terror
! that told me that he knew me. At lastl
He tottered and would have fallen, but
caught him-caught him by the throat and
| dragged him toward the bed. | do not
| know what I said, but ! asked him with
| the blood in my veins, if not with words
! the question that had been bursting my
| heart for years. And he answered, or !
| though he did with his eyes. One glare Of
know not what did. forgot that he was
! old. l flung him on the bed and bound
| his feet. | seized his hands, feverishly
| tying them together, when / looked up
and saw the glazed eyeballs and the fallen
| chin. I cast myself upon the body; Speak,
! T chrial -o6. Init ba eli hot no HQy1t in,