Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-03-08

aoupleu Enc rancnr une genaarme pore ru.
In vain did Laide make her gentle demand
upon her husband to forget his worries and
that wicked smuggler and to think only of
his little wife. Alcides promised for forms
sake, because he was able to refuse her
nothing, but he remained not less decided to
take upon the first occasion decisive revenge
for his endless vexations and Notifying dis
comftures.
Six months passed away, six months that
would have been Paradise for the brave
marechal if from time to time he had not
seen in the cabaret of his father-in-law his
nightmare Antoine regarding him with
hooking smile. Once even, on Sunday, he
had surprised him talking to Laide in the
kitchen corridor.
"What was he saying to YOUR he demanded
of his wife, s'that clown?'
Begging me to get my father to furnish
him work. Smuggling" she added, laughing
little, doesn't pay now; he wishes to re-
nounce it," !
''Humphl' grumbled Alcides, yet without
suspicion; "a beautiful resolution, but it
would astonish me greatly if he put it in
practice"
Indeed, it was hardly a week from then
when the chief Of the customs sent him COM
mand to arrest Antoine at once and on sight.
This time he was sure Of him. one of his COM
rades had squealed, and Antoine would pass
the frontier that very night about 2 O'Clock
league and half from tho village, and with
full and valuable load.
The eyes of Alcides sparllled with pleasure.
At last he was to be disembarrassed, and for
long time to come, of his pest At 10 pre-
cisely he took the road with his four men,
posting them from distance to distance, SO
that Antoine would have no chance to escape.
That night was black and moonless, but
mild and perfumed. Spring was reawaken-
ing and mellow langour pervaded all ma
ture. Alcides, pacing from side to side with
his horse well in hand, watched at the inter-
section of the mountain path and thought Of
his wife, whom day by day he loved more
madly. Tears came to his eyes as he pictured
that darling little creature, who was his all
his, and who was thinking of him doubtless,
below there in that tiny chamber.
The nightingale sang with abandon in the
trees of the valley; the ring doves cooed in
the thickets; the screech owls crooned their
amorous plants. For the first time in his
life Alcides cursed the service. Suddenly a
distant clock sounded IL slowly. Two hours
more to wait. {
Then the desire seized him to pass away the
time in galloping to his home-it was only
the affair OF fifteen minutes-to reawaken
Laide with some tender kisses which would
borrow additional charm from their unusual
hurry, and to return to his post again re-
freshed by that moment Of lightness. Who
was there to find fault with him for ita The
service would lose nothingl
Nevertheless, he still hesitated. But all at
n Of Joo11 no
saw floating there beneath him on the plain
white feminine form which extended its arms
to him! He held out no longer-in the twink
ling of an eye he was in the saddle his saber
and revolvers Gathering in their holsters
under the precipitato bounds of his horse.
Twelve minutes later he had fastened his
horse to the hedge some fifty feet from his
dwelling, glded the key into the lock- and,
burning with love and Impotence, assembled
the stairs. AS he reached the landing the
chamber door opened brusquely and-was he
mad or dreaming Piou and Ladie
were before him-Antoine, his enemy, and
Laide, his wife-terror stricken, rigid, after
the first cry of horror, as the figure that
stood like stone barring their way.
Like stone, did | say? Yes, but for a Sec
! end only then there was thesepert of pis-
tol-six of the1n one after the other!
All, well, twas soon ended !-Autematically,
without disturbing himself further about the
two corpses, one upon the ather.in a spread
ing wave of blood, Alcides lifted the light
that burned upon the chimney piece and
descended again, to the office this time, to
write out in his great sprawling fist the paper
for the proces-verbal and inquest !
Today he began, to-day, the Esd of May,
49,, before US, Alcides Gastebois, mareehal des
logis of gendalmerie and the commandant of the
frontier post of X, do hereby declare of my
self and in my own presence that have killed. at
twelve O'Clock and eighteen minutes by shots
from revolver, Adelaide nee Fournainl, my law
full wife, and also NJ. Antoine Piou, contrabandist,s
whom have surprised at q time and place that
permitted no doubt of their guilty relations.
''In faith of which have written out this process
verbal and recognize it correct and in con-
for1nity with the facts in the case
"[Sgned] ALcIDEs GAsTEccJs." /
This task finished, Alcides got up and pre-
pared to resume his horse, not to take up his
sentry again, but to go to the city and deliver
himself prisoner to justice. As he opened
the door, with last backward glance upon
his paradise changed to hell, there was a sud-
den fierce growl, a bounding body that seemed
to have been crouching at the threshold, a
leap and plunge against him. He slipped, fell
against the railing under the unforeseen as
sault, and rolled to the ground.
When the gendarmes who had awaited him
returned in the morning he lay where he had
fallen, his breast and throat torn to shreds by
savage teeth.
He had been dead for hours, and above
stairs Etranne, with bloody jaws, whined
lamentably upon the breast of his MASTER
Translated from the French of Nazim for The
New York Mercury by E. G. Waggener,