Omaha daily bee., 1889-10-20

everything. God, in His goodness, has
only yelled my sorrows. | remember,
tell you, and have seen her, the child
thief, woman, Carrying in her arms
struggling burden. another child
gone, NJ. lie Prevot, l know, swear itl'
"Bahl" cried the Prevot, who was
hungry and wanted to finish his tea,
your struggling child And see the
mud, the water you've put upon my
noorl Hans! Hansl ! say" shouting
forhi servant TO come, "take, take her
at once, and turn her 10 the street i'm
mediately-vto the devil with all OF you,
and the place OF Prevot itr particular"
Hans obeyed, but obeyed with gem
tleness and care. Christine was one Of
God afflicted. He put her upon the pave
ment, it is true the master ordered it, but
his heart was heavy, and he listened
sadly to that sorrowful cry, once more
rising through the rainy night:
"Deubechel Deubeche! Where art
thou, Deubechep"
Tha, same old mournful cryl Ay, the
wall of a broken heart at first, and now
a broken hope that wrapped anew in
blackest night the feeble, newborn
| reason.
Meanwhile, as tins scene was passing
| in the dining hall of the Prevot
| Schwartz, a carriage descended to the
| Rue de l'Arsenal, and decended so rap
| Idly, the horses going at a gallop aud
| covered with foam, the sentinel before
his pile of cannon balls had only time to
recognize it as the eQuipage of Compile
| Diderich Hilbourighausen, colonel of
| the grand dukes imperial regiment. 1T
| passed him before he could even salute
| 1t. whirled into the Rue de l'Homme de
IL.
| Christine had just been elected.
In fact Hans was still upon the
| Threshold, the lugubrious cries of the
| mad woman still in his ears, as the col
| onel threw himself from the vehicle,
| aud as Christine had done before him,
| entered the prevot's presence without
waiting TO be announced. His face was
white, his lips twitching, and he roared
| like lion under spur of pain and an
| ger.
"Your police, NJ. lie Prevot," he cried,
"your police are worthless. An hour
since / stopped at the cathedral to
| await the angelus. The Comtesse Hill
| bourighausen was descending the steps.
| / got out to call her, when l turned
| again, my child, my three-year-old boy
| who sat beside me had disappeared; the
| door of the carriage next the square was
| open; he was gone, gone, say M. lie
| Prevot, and we can not find him."
The agitation of the colonel was
| fMghtful: his eyes shot flames, his hand
| closed savagely upon the hilt OF his
| saber. The prevot was speechless, dunn
| founded! The child-stealer againl
| This time he'd be forced to listen, and
to start afresh. perhaps upon researches
that invariably ended in nothing! To
| the devil with the place of prevOt and
| to the devil with all its worries!
| "Yes" pursued the colonel, Il repeat
| it. your police are worthless; but you,
| NJ. le Prevot, you who are here for the
public safety, you shall answer to me-
to me, say, if anything should happen
to my darling! You and you alone are
tend to your duties! Do you hear me,
| NJ. lie Prevot, do you hear me?"
Hear him? Mon Dieu! that bowling
madman with black and flashing eyes
bent upon his face in a. glance that
seemed to freeze his soul! The sweat
broke out on Schwartz's brow and he
stammered chokingly;
| But the thieves, Nj. lie Colonel, the
| thieves. you see, they-they are more
| skillful than my agents"
More skillful than youragents?"
| At these impudent words the colonel
| fairly leaped with rage: his hand con-
vulsively closed upon his weapon and
| he advanced upon the trembling Official,
seeming for moment as If in truth he
meant to kill him. Kaspar recoiled be-
| fore him.
Calm yourself. NJ. lie Colonel. l be-
seech you, calm yourself and give me
| time. | know nothing-nothing. / tell
| you: not word-but stayl Christine
| Evig."-his memory refreshed by ply
sical terror-''she was here awhile ago,
1 Il VII.
| struggling burden! Hans, Hans, | say;
| find her. find her at once and bring her
| to me!n
| There is no need NJ. lie Prevot,"
| Hans answered from the threshold,
mo need: she still is here; she has
never even gone away. She crouches
now upon the doorstep; Ill bring her
| to YOU"
And he left the room to return imme-
| diately, Christine clinging to his hand.
her tatters sodden and dripping water,
| her lips wreathed as of old with their
| meaningless smile.
But in vain did they speak and plead
with her; in vain seek to recall to her
| the facts of which she had spoken to
the Prevot: the soul of the poor mother
was wandering again in the sorrows of
the past: she remembered nothing,
and responded only with vacant gaze
or plaintive sighs.
The anger and excitement OF Colonel
Diderich in presence of this cruel
check is beyond description.
You are rascal!'' he thundered to
the trembling Prevot, "a rascal whom
| myself will kill like dog if you find
me not my child and instantly! You
who reduce me to despair, for know,
feel it, something tells me 1t is true,
that child whom Christine Evig came
to tell you of-that child was mine
mine, repeat 1t, and you answer for its
safety with your life
He stopped abruptly in sheer astonish-
ment. The clock of the quarter was
striking 8. aud as the last vibrations
died upon the air Christine Evig. stand
ing like statue in the middle of the
floor, suddenly darted to the door thre W
it wide open and fled like the wind in to
the storm and night. Nay, faster tina n
the wind it seemed te Diderich Ailbou-
righausen, as he ran after the start
and pause OF astonishment, close at her
heels,
Yes; at her heels but not without
final shake and whirl of the frightened
Prevot that sent him ,reeling from his
hands. He ran thus because sudden
hope had risen within him-a wild i'm.
| n1Nal n la ~ L.