St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-14

| Tic idu Ills UlellOu. LlSOtus IlC WOt hCt
| alone. a man may trust HIMSELF said
he. He worked, always, on ground that
| he knew, but where none knew him, for
he said One may hide in darkness an |
| in shadow, but he should know of what
it is made And he worked naked. a
man cannot be caught by the color of
his skim said he."
Pierre Lurier thought of all this.
AlOne-On familiar ground-and with
out his clothes. Nothing simpler
Here he was in position to follow the
example of Feuille-de-Zinc, who escaped
without suspicion! He would follow
exactly in the footsteps of this genius.
He also would accomplish his purpose
and escape without the muir muir of suS
picion.
Nine o'clock sounded. The man in
the tree stretched his limbs and glanced
up at the upper windows of the house.
In the one where Mere BerloU had been
light burned but the curtain had long
since been drawn.
"Pere BerlOt counts gold" though
Pierre Lurier, and his palms itched ter
ribly.
Ten o'clock sounded, and he shook
himself. One can get terrible cramr
in the limbs. sitting for whole day in
the erutch of tree.
The light in the window was eXtin-
guished.
Eleven o'clock sounded. Pierre Lurier
dropped to the ground. He stood for an
instant, listening. Everything was
wrapped in profound silence. He went
straight to the laundry wall. and felt
carefully along the bricks until he found
a creviee between two of them large
enough to admit the blade of his knife.
He picked and scratched patiently, but
it took long time to displace the first
brick. The others came away more
easily.
He laid them, without noise, on the
ground beside him-twO-three--siX-
lve-6fteen-and the body OF
Pierre LurIeT passed through the wall.
Here, too, he stood for moment, ac-
customing his eyes to the darkness.
Then he felt before him for the latch of
the kitchen door. He lifted it-stepped
into the kitchen, stopped short. A sound
of heavy, regular breathing reached his
ears.
What?
All, yes! The child.
He slept here, then.
He must by quieted! That was sure.
Pierre Lurier stepped softly back into
the laundry. He Invested himself rap
idly of his clothing, tied it into a small
package and Slung it about his neck.
Guided by his memory. he went directly
to corner of the laundry where Pere
Berlot kept his garden tools standing
against the wall. Lurier felt them all
over carefully, and selected heavy.
shOrt-handled mattOck as best suited to
his purpose. A little higher Oh the
wall. Lurier remembered, there used to
hnf frrTT 1nr 1alI r~Io rra
lamp, with blind which could be closed
to Shut off the light at will. 1t was
there, in the old place. There was even
bit of candle within.
VERY cOnsiderate of Them" chuckled
Lurier. Everything was going so well
that he felt almost gay.
He returned to the kitchen, and, find
ing some matches on the dresser, light
ed his lantern. He only half closed the
blind. He did not fear to waken the
child, after all. Bah! A boy of ten-at
that age one sleeps through the thun-
ders of God himself!
"Stil, it is best to be prudent" He
went and stood over the little Pierre.
The child slept profoundly. The light
of the carriage lamp shone on his rosy
face and blonde hair. He smiled lit
tie in his sleep. The other Pierre lifted
the ShOrt-handled mattock and swung ii
high in the air. Then his arm dropped
to his side
bah! Of what use?"
And he turned away.
Why? Who can tell?
On his way to the hal The remembered
that without his clothes he had nowhere
to stow his gold.
81 shall find more than can carry
away in my hands," thought he, and
he smiled grimly.
He went back again to the laundry
and rummaged in the bin where the
feed was kept for canvas bag such as
the horses feed from. This he also
slung about his neck, and. thus
thoroughly equipped, he stole back to
the hall, found the key in its place
under the clock, unlocked the door lead
| ing to the back stairway, and began a
| cautions ascent. The wooden steps
creaked and groaned be meath his naked
| feet.
"Pig of wooden staircase" he NUT
tered angrily,and paused to hear if there
| came sound from above.
All was silent there.
He could hear the breathing of little
| Pierre in his cot in the kitchen below.
''rhe old do not sleep so WE'LL" he
| "
| two above! [ would rather have one to
do with" But he thought of the seven
threats cut in less than half an hour
and he went On-only more cautiously
than before.
Two Steps-now only one.
Here was the broom closet. There
| we're the brOOmS standing in row
| against the wall. and just beyond the
door leading into the sleeping apart
ment of the couple Berlot. 1t was
| closed.
| Was 1t locked?
He tried it with an easy pressure.
Oil but that door had a creaking
hinge!
And to hush it, Pierre Lurier mus
bend forward and stretch out the other
hand and forget to close the blind of the
lantern, so that ray of light shot out
and struck full in the awakening eyes
of Pere BerlOt.
But this one had not the time for q
| cry. With single bound Pierre Luriel
| SpIang through the open door across
the great room and stood beside the bed
Up swung the heavy, short-handled
| mattOck-
And when it came down, one would
not have in any way recognized Pere
| BerlOt.
The old wife was awake. Pierre
! Lurier thought she must have seen all
there was such horror in her eyes. One
would scarcely believe that eyes could
be so alive when all the rest was dead
| Pierre Lurier stood and looked into
those fearful eyes.
This is what he saw in them
IL lay here-I, Mere BerlOt-I have
| not been asleep. heard sound on the
stairs-but | cannot cry out 10 alarm my
good man. Then l heard a step in the
broom closet and / knew some one was
there-I thought God would give me
strength to speak-but he did not.
Then / heard the door creak on Its
hinges and knew it was being opened.
Then came a stream of light and my
good man sat up i'll the bed beside me,
but the light struck in his eyes and
blinded him. But it could not blind
mine ard out of the stream of light
~, I'LL