St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-14
THE NAKED ASSASSIN.
Story of Careful Crime Translated From the French Of
Jean Riehepin for Current Literature by Alice
Ballard Macdonald.

N11llOli
of twenty-five be had been sentenced to
fifteen years. Imprisonment for burg
larv-cOmmitted in the house where ne
served as valet dc chambre. In prison
he rad learned to make tags for shoe
strings. This trade was useless to BIN
in the small provincial town where the
surveillance of the police forced him to
live. A return to domestic service was
impossible. Pierre Lurier stared INTO
the future, and misery and hunger
stared complacently back at Pierre Lu'
rier.
Then he reflected. 80
BY dint of hard daily labor, il indeed
fee was fortunate enough to secure EN-.
ployment of any kind. he might, OF
course, drive the wolf each night, from
the door. But by committing some new
crime. he might. at single stroke,
satisfy present hunger and insure future
prosperity! For this man, there was no
hesitation.
What crime should he commit?
Ah yesi But this was not the most
IL portant consideration. Pierre LnrIer
i; d learned a lesson in prudence. First
all, he must fly the eye of justice.
1
2'nng the high road straight before him.
He knew not whittier lie was going.
He had no papers-nO money.
He begged from door to door.
He slept beneath the stars.
When storms came he crept into a
stable, and when none watched, he stole
10 the farm house door and lifted the
latch. But this was not too often! lie
took no chances He waited ever for
his opportunity, and many times when
it smiled seemingly upon him he tuTT ed
his face from it and went further lest
the risk be too great and the profit too
small.
For six months he led the life of a
VagabOnd, and prowled about society
like the wolf about the farm yard
watchful, wary, sneaking, skulklng,
famished-but determined to endure
until the end was sure and he might de-
Vou~ the coveted prey in security.
''rOr one must be prudent" said
Pierre Lurier. and he thought OF his
1ftet II years in prison.
Que Gay he found himself in his own
.Oui ,ry-in the piovinceOf Champagne.
\ first he was terror stricken What?
TO ave stumbled into hornets nest!
To nave walked into q trap! To have
tut his head into moose! And pant
In with fear. he turned to retrace his
st4pS. Then he paused and reflected,
s-nsibly.
What had he to fcar-recOgnition?
And who should recognize him? he
left his home a rosy, blonde lad of
tWelve-he returned 20 it Wrlnkled,
grizzled criminal Of forty. He seated
himself by the roadside and took his
head between his two hands. There
we're other things to be considered. For
six months he had patiently awaited his
golden opportunity. How many times
had it passed him by? Who could tell:
He had wandered among strange places
and people. He knew nothing of their
ways. He had not dared TO stay to spy
upon strangers, and he had gone on anG
on and fortune had never seemed qHit6
near enough to his hand, not neal
S&Ough or sure enough-tOr Pierre JIu-
Tfer was not one to take risks. Here
all was different. He glanced about
him. He knew his ground. There
might have been some changeS-things
may change in thirty yearS-yet every
thing about him seemed famlliar-the
trees there by the TOad-aRd the road
led straight on for about ten leagues tC
EiZy-le-Comte.
-Nizy-le-COmte?
There lay his opportunity
He must think-he must remember!
And Pierre LuTier busted himself
with his memory.
At Nizy-le-Comte lived the couple Der
lOt-Yery rich and without children
The peasants called them Count Pence
Pierre had known them well. For I
little while he had beena servant there
They paid but little and hired, always
some peasants lad-WhO would work
for two meals day and a few sous a
the end of the week.
He could remember them perfectly
the couple BerlOt-and the house ant
their ways.
There was, for example, all arount
the garden a high stone wall, witt
barred gates of iron-lIke the gates of +;
prison. On the top of the wall werl
sharp, iron spikes, and, for further pro
lection, piles of broken glass. But, in
side the wall. grew tall trees whose
branches spread out over the top of thu
wall with its spike Of iron and its pile;
of broken glass, and if one were agile
one light spring up from the road int
these branches and so enter the garden
And at night the great doors of thu
house were strongly bOlted and barred
and the strongest bolt of all was on tn,
kitchen door which opened on the gar
den. But the walls of the laundry Wer'
lightly built OF bricks, aud if one Weri
strong one could displace few of thes
and SO enter the IaGndry. Ono,
in the laundry, it was but th,
lifting of a latch to fnd ones sci
In the kitchen. Then it was but anOthe
step into the great hall where the Ike!
of the back staircase hung on the wal
under the old clock. At the head of thii
staircase was the broom elOset-withil
the broomS stood in a row against TIN
wall-Pierre used TO place them there il
order, and he remembered that from hi
closet door led into the sleeping apart
ment Of the couple Berlot. Here, to b.
sure, he had never entered, but he hat
stood many times in the broom close
and peered through the half cloSet
door. He could vaguely remember tn
huge, dark bed away at the other en'
Of the room, and beside il a solid pres
Of oak with hinges of copper. Here
without doubt. lay the treasure ownel
by the couple Berlot. and coveted b.
the criminal, Pierre Lurier.
As. one by one. these details returne
to his memory so. step by step, h
planned his course. Here, indeed, wa
the golden opportunity! Here wa
neither risk nor uncertainty Of course
iio MOulU udNt 10 IeCCUUOilef ana lax
every precaution-eyen though the wa
seemed SO clear. And perhaps, toe
there had been changcs-One woul
have to look to that.
NlZy-le-COmte lay ten leagues beyond
After two nights steady tramp Pierr
LuTier reached the place. For an entir
day he concealed himself in the wood:
He hunted through the brush until h
found a place far from the path wher
there was sort of grott0. 1t was dam
there, aud he lay with his feet in tn
water and he had no food. But, 9
least, no one had seen his face.
At nightfall he made his way to th
Berlot place. In the lane behind tn,
garden he found patch of carrots. Ii
ate some of these greediIy, and, su.
tanned by the fever of hope, he creI
along by the base of the wall until h
stood beneath a tree whose branehe
hung lower than any of the other.
With one prodigiOus bound he reache
stout limb, and swinging himself owe
the wall, dropped into the garden
Softly as he fell upon the earth. he mad
sufficient noise IN rinse some yyatchdo