The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-03-29

manEleu DOdy the chaln, the lOcket
and the image for Marie. The ghastly
horror of the task battles description.
but for safety l put the chain round
my own neck and wore ii there during
the rest of the war.
The Servo-Bul garian campaign Of
'S5 and SO terminated, as you know.
rather suddenly in the spring of the
latter year, and as my mother, the only
person Interested in my movements,
had received continual news of me
through the editor of our paper and /
had no sweetheart longing for sight
of me. beiore returning TO America /
went to Paris and from there took the
train to Douai to perform the commits
sion of poor little Maxine Durand- !
arrived there on an exquisite spring
morning and on my way passed the
sign of "Larreze Restauratcur. Here.
thought /, is where Maxine dined the
night he came to say goodbye l went
in and while breakfastiug engaged tho
old Breton in conversation Could he
direct me TO the house of Nicholas
Sterelle, l asked Certainly, but Nicho-
las was dead; his daughter, however,
Nine Dufoure, lived next door to
where Nicholas Sterelle had died, and
no doubt l should like to see her. L
asked who she was. 1t seemed that
she had been engaged to a young
Partisan journalist, d war correspond
ent, who had deserted her brutally.
He had run away and had not returned.
They did not know what paper he
served or they would have inquired
about him ut its Office Meanwhile.
Marie Sterelle had married his rival.
| rose and sought Marie and found,
as Maxine had told me, little
narrow street, towards the top OF
which the name of "Sterelle" was in
scribed over a shop whose shutters
were closed Next door to it a mil
liners store inscribed "Dufoure'' was
brilliant with Paris novelties of two
seasons ago. I went in to buy some
cr1CdteS, and, whilst was being served
by a brisk and certainly, most attract
i've little Freuchwoman, / said:
Have 1 the pleasure of addressing
Nine. Dufoure, nee Sterelle?" She
answered in the Affirmative your
name, Madame" said /. ..has been
mentioned to me by NJ sieA Durand.
whom l met recently in the ESst."
She grew very white and a hard
look settled over her features Us she
answered.: -.
'-Ah, you knew Maxine Durand,
who went out to the war He has
stayed there, understand"
Yes 1 replied, ''he has stayed
there" p. ..
1 found some difficulty in inducing
her to permit me TO talk about Max
ime at all When I said that he had
once spoke TO me Of her it seemed only
TO anger her the more. Finally /
said, with American bluntness: You
did not return Maxime's regard, his
Affection" = -.
Il do not know" she interrupted.
"whether he Is q friend OF yours, but
for four years, N'sieu, i was devoted
to that man; he was to have married
me when his position on his paper,
Of which do not know even the name
(for he never told me about himsel),
would justify him in doing so, but
when his position became 4 good one
and would have enabled him to marry
me. he flung me aside like an old
glove. -
And though the little woman's bos-
ON heaved with rage, the tremor Of
her lip told me that she was not so
callous about It as she would have me
believe / asked her If 1 might he so
indiscreet as to ask her the history of
this event as l had met Arsieu Du-
rand and did not wish to have q false
opinion of him She told me that
when Maxine had been ordered 20 the
front he had come over trom Arien-
ton, where ho was then staying, and,
instead OF coming 10 see her, had ell
gagged himself in a drunken bravl in
the cabaret of Pere Larreze. that
Pierre Dufoure had been present and
had seen him exhibit and read aloud
her last love-letters to him. There
was no doubt about this, for 81. Du-
fOure, whom she had since married,
had quoted to her long passages there
from, which left no room for doubt.
lie had never written to her or made
any sign, and she had crushed him out
of her heart and married NJ. Dufoure.
True, NJ Dufoure was rather old. and
he himself, unfortunately, played part
IN the drunken brJ.wl with which
Maxine Durand had celebrated his
farewell to Douai- This was his one
fault, excepting, perhaps, a certain
moroseness of tomper. But she was
his wife now, and it was not for a few
days few weeks, few months, a
few years, but for all her life, and so
she had sufficient seif-respect to make
the best OF it. Yes, she admitted that
she had loved Durand. but he had
treated her shamefully, and she would
not let the thought of him spoil her
life
Atthis moment n ascur-looking, black
haired man entered the shop and said
N sharp, coarse tones: Madame Du-
foure, beg that you Will attend to the
business Of the shop instead of stand
ing chatteriug with strangers of whom
you know nothing"
So this was her husbandi The poor
little woman. cowed by his manner,
returned TO her compton and l looked
AZ the husband. 10 whom / remarked
that had finished my purchases 1
thought for a moment-this is her
husband, and she is doing her best 10
steer the frau bark of her happiness
through the quicAlsands of a terrible
future Shall / leave her thus.
strengthened in her attempt TO do her
duty by her belief in u dead mans per-
fdy, or shall render her life one long
dull regret by telling her the truth
and turn her respect for her husband
into hatred by recital of what has
evidently been his hclIish treachery?
/ thought for an instant, and then l
came away
/ took the next train to Paris, where
sought out his sister, his only sur
viving relative, the wife of a jeweler
in the Palais Royal. To her, under