The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-02-07
upon the gravel walk; key turned in the
lock of the front door.
AT IA ha % rnurnIired Hanriaffa

| lock OF the front door.
at Is hei" murmured Henrietta.
Suzanne held her arms clasped still more
| tightly around her mothers waist 1t was
| Roger Laroque. Henriette knew his step,
and hastily put out tho lamp, leaving only
tho night light burning, and, staggering to
| her door, locked 1t. She trembled lest he
should come into her presence. They listened
with bated breath to the steps coming nearer,
and which stopped at last before their door,
and in the midst of the death like silence they
| heard distinctly his breath, coming in heavy
| gasps as il he had run until almost breathless.
| They heard his hands as he felt about trying
the door, and they heard him knock softly,
| and voice said:
@Henriette, Henriette; are you asleep?"
The mother and child stood together
clasped in wild embrace, their eyes riveted
on that corner of the room as il death had
awaited them there. They took care not to
make sound, and even the mother placed
her hand upon the child's lips. Roger, think
ing that they were asleep, retired softly, care
full not to awaken them. Opposite to that Of
his wife and at the other extremity of the
parlor was his own room, and he entered it.
Every sound ceased Everything seemed to
sleep. Only quarter of an hour ago these
two had been ON the balcony, happy and i'm
patient to see Roger And now three lives
were wrecked in that short space.
Midnight sounded, and at last / o'clock.
Henriette did not try even to sleep. She sat
silent and overcome in tho chair beside the
bed of her child, and at last, thinking that
Suzanne slept, she turned her gaze toward
her, and seeing the eyes closed thought that
the poor little thing had forgot her fear and
horror, at least for time.
"Oh, my God!" whispered she, shave pity
upon that poor innocent one"
She then rose softly and crept to the door
and opened it slightly ard listened. There
was no sound. She crept like a shadow into
the parlor and took a few steps forward, but
suddenly stopped behind the piano, as she saw
that Rogers door was wide open, and by the
light of a lamp she could sec him seated, pale
and distressed, with his head leaning upon
his hands. His face was convulsed, his eyes
fixed and his hair and beard in wild disorder.
Roger was 80 years old; at this instant he
looked so. On the bureau, within reach of
his hand, lay q small revolver, the revolver
which had triumphed over the last agony of
M. Larouette. And the lamp burned on with
its steady flame, giving this spectacle to the
watching wife.
Henriette looked, absorbing every detail of
tween her locked fingers a cold little hand,
and turning found that Suzanne had arisen
from her bed and that she, too, was watching.
Hidden thus behind the piano they did not
lose sight of Laroque an instant.
All at once, as if his thoughts were too
dreadful to bear, he rose and began pacing
his room with uncertain, staggering steps.
Often, even, he took hold of something to
keep himself from falling. At last he stopped
before the bureau, and hid his face in his
hands. One would have thought that he
wept. Was 1t remorsel
Then he let his hands fall and reached and
took the revolver, cooked 1t and held it ready
in his left hand, while with the other he I'M
buttoned his redingote, threw aside the cape,
opened his vestments, leaving bare his breast.
Then, without tremor, he placed the muzzle
of the pistol to his heart and with his finger
on the trigger stood an instant, but he dared
not complete his impious act, and he threw
the pistol back on the bureau.
And then Roger threw himself into chair
and continued his train of thought, while
Henrietta caught Suzanne as she tainted and
carried her hack into her room, and he heard
nothing. The night passed thus. Henriette
did not go to bed. Suzanne lay in her cot,
but without sleeping, for her eyes remained
wide open until morning, keeping always
their expression of horror.
About o'clock Henriette dressed herself,
and afterward disordered her bed, the pillows
and all, to not awaken Victoria's suspicious,
and to cause her to believe that she had
slept. She must dissemble. She could not
do otherwise. She would be obliged to leave
her room and meet her husband, speak to
him, smile even, that he might not suspect
that she had witnessed his crime. And even
while dressing Suzanne, she felt q force I'M
known, superhuman, which obliged her to go
out on that fatal balcony, and look towards
that little house with green blinds. The win
dows were still open; there lay the rigid
corpse of Laronette beside tho secretary.
which had all the drawers open.
She heard Roger come out of his room,
traverse the parlor and knock at her door. 1t
was ended; she must meet him. One last kiss
she gave to Suzanne and then opened the
door to her husband, who entered smiling
He was not dressed as he had been the day
before, but in black.
Roger Laroque was tall, wore all his beard,
which was jet black, and his face was expires.
sive and sympathetic, though it indicated
more man of action than a dreamer. This
morning his face was ashy pale, his eyes
sunken and his forehead wrinkled, and he
showed traces of an anxiety which he tried in
vain to hide, and though he smiled on his
wife that smile was forced. He took her hand
and bent to kiss her, saying in his tender and
sweet voice:
SHOW uneasy you must have felt last night,
my dear, hur could not help it. ! had very
impu,'' -. which so nccl ';i1d me
thar &" tcIeSrap'. -
- ,.t aIr.! had
q.
yell. reIeao ana - - had
shru Instructive /. lent of
hor,
AZ ~" said he, apparently hurt
by Ia, exc
Anu t-aus he first he noticed her ex.
tremc troubled m!en 70 receive
cares az tnat man, after what she had
seen j. ".lS more than she could bear Yet
she must IelSn. Nothing" said she "noth-
Ing Why should there be anythingq And
with her whole soul in revolt she received his
caress, which treasured him, and he said,
gayly:
"Last night when l came in knocked at
your door, but you were asleep O ily few