Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-03


dreaded to have French speaking alien in
his house, would have been hard to guess.
With that politeness which never deserts a
man of his class, however, he accepted Or
toms choice and spoke the language of the
place.
"This is your room, Monsieur, your house,
it belongs to you as long as you will stay, |"
he said with that soft cordiality and perfect
sincerity of voice and manner impossible to
initiate or describe, Whatever you want
call for it, everything is yours"
Orton thanked him as best he could; but
it was hard to get word ready before the
adroit Garcin would pour out another and
another food OF flattering welcome.
Victor snatched a glass of wine then after
short, hurried consultation aside with the
host, bade Orton au revoir, promising, ac-
cording to contract, to bring the Zozo around
again at the end of a month so that if he
should wish by that time to leave Bay St.
Louis he could do it.
Remember, Victor" said Orton, shak-
ing his sailors little dark hand, "not later
than the 10th of April; shall expect you
to be prompt. 1 couldn't think of embark
ing in any other craft than the schooner
Zozo."
compliment to his little vessel, which was
most embraced the artist while he said:
Certainly; exactly on that day 1 will
come if the wind is fair, certainly, Mo'sieu,
the Zozo she brought you here, she will take
you away, certainly"
"And. by the way, was about to forget
my letter." exclaimed Orton, taking from
his pocket a sealed paper package upon
which, besides the address, he had drawn
his monogram in fanciful India ink
sketch. Here, don't fail to send this by
the first vessel. 1t is very, very important,
Victor. Will you forget it?''
"Mo' dieu, how can 1 forget it, Mo'sieu?
1 shall think of it all the time" and he
fairly snatched it from Orton's hand. 1t
was addressed to General Hora ce Orton,
New York City.
Victor could not refrain from sending an
eager glance over the bold superscription,
nor did his ewes fail to rest for a moment on
the puzzling monogram before he bestowed
the package safely in his pocket. Then he
gave Garcin quick knowing look, as if to
say: "There what did tell you'll This is
proof of my words.
-Orton did not notice this scarcely per-
ceptible expression of unusual interest, nor
did it strike him as meaning anything
when Garcin excused himself and followed
Victor down to the wharf on the BAYOU
a whisper as he and the host went down the
sandy path under the vines. "He is come to
get Mo'sieu Rochon. He is secret officer,
1 am sure of it, and he has no fear. The
Government, Mo'sieu Garcin, the Govern
ment has sent him."
"But mon Dieu, how do you know? in
qaired Garcin eagerly.
81 was knowing it all the time, but
now, and her Victor, tapped on his pocket
to indicate the letter, "now it is certainly
so."
''The letter." whispered Garcin.
eyes, the letter, q" responded Victor.
The men halted at the edge of the dock
and looked at each other quizzically.
she writes to General Orton, at New
York, do you understand, Mo'sieu Garcin?
General Ortoni" exclaimed Victor, lifting
up his shoulders and spreading his hands
out before him with great energy. The en-
phasis placed on the word general was
tragic in the extreme.
Garcin was vivaciously silent and thought
full for few moments, then, with sudden
earnestness he inquired:
'But how do you know that-that it Is
only old Rochon that he is after?''
Victor smiled a queer little smile, and
shook his head knowingly. "Don't be
afeard, Mo'sieu Garcin, certainly he has not
come for you" }" he said with a patronizing
intonation in his whisper, 81 told him about
you, and he thinks you great gentleman.
Certainly he'll not suspect you, Mo'sieu
Garcin, never"
They went down the rough steps of the
wharf and Victor entered the skiff
Garcin leaned over tie gunwale and said:
''But if he finds outfit he finds out?"
bah! don't be. calf, Mo'sieu Garcin.
he is gentleman and he is in your house.
Certainly you must treat him well and have
him to like you. Don't you see? You're
safe enough. It's the old man that he's
after"
Victor furtively slipped forth the letter so
that Garcin could see the monogram and
superscriptIon. Both men sighed with the
suppressed excitement of the occasion as
their vivid imaginations illuminated, with
a light that never was on sea or land, the
purport of that mysterious package, so
grand and official looking and addressed to
his swarthy cheeks and Victor smiled his
gentle Creole smile. He replaced the letter
and made ready to row away down the
bayou.
'Goodby, Mo'sieu Garcin," he said, ct
hope you will have pleasant time with
Mo'sieu Orton. Goodby."
"But you will return in Just a month.
eh?" Garcin called after him as the skiff
was gliding swiftly from the shore. "I
must expect you, then?"
Certainly, certainly" came back the
musical answer. Surely Victor had very
sweet voice, almost as sweet as that of the
mocking bird singing yonder on the live
oak.
Garcin stood awhile gazing after the now
fairly galloping skiff, then with his hands
Trah Sc a%a h.
back into the house.
The wind had come to be trife sharp
and chilly, as it always does when it blows
from the Northwest A negro started fire
on the hearth in Orton's room, a fire of
round wood with splinters of fat pine be-
tween, which flung forth cheerful light,
making the dark furniture CLEAN and caus-
ing the curious old pictures Oh the walls to
look still more stiff and dusky.
The artist examined his surroundings
with great interest It was difficult to
reconcile the costly moveables with the rude
structure in which they appeared so out of
place and with the extreme isolation of the
region Through partly opened door he
could see that an adjoining room was fur
nished even more sSrikingly and expen-
sively then his own. Some heavily bro
caded curtains, a high-backed richly cush-
loneu cIan anu Inree-ieggeQ splnet were
in the line of his, vision. He noted that the
spinet's feet were exquisitely carved to rep
resent serpent heads, mouth open and
fangs extended, and that the keys were of
ivory and ebony curiously inlaid. Over a
corner of the instrument hung an India
shawl of rich design, and upon this lay
jaunty hat of some fine straw trimmed with
scarlet velvet ribbons These things, set in
such rough encourage, appealed with
great force to the artists taste for the un-
common and the picturesque That ram
bling cabin of the coarsest architec-
ture, the room of which wore