The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-27

manded, in q hard, q Y tone.
Bauderet laughed sardonically and
pulled lazily at his cigar, meantime
Struggling his shoulders as if the matter
were Of light conseou ence to him.
II think the best way to settle it Is to
go to bed ard sleep ii Off, he remarked,
with half yawn.
"Scoundrel, villain. murderer" ex-
claimed Verot, permitting for the mo-
ment his Indignation to master him,
"you shall answer to me now!'
"Oh, certainly, if You WISH" said
Bauderet calmly. My sword room is
but a step from here. Follow me if
you're not afraid"
Verot followed, but not without a
strange sense Of insecurity. 1t was as
if some treachery were about to be
sprung upon him at every step while
they passed through two or three dim
rooms and along a low, narrow passage
between damp brick walls, then into a
bare, windowless little room.
''See here" said Bauderet, stepping
close to one of the dismal walls, this
doesn't look like door. does it,"
He fumbled moment about a certain
spot, pressed hidden spring and pushed
open a low shutter. disclosing another
cell like apartment. dank, grimy and i'll
smelling. Into this Verot followed him.
They halted and faced each other, a
little lamp carried by Bauderet lighting
up their drawn and ghastly faces.
1--WE can settle our little trouble here
without the s!ightest~rear ot being inter-
rupted. This is where, az I have heard,
one of my reckless kinsmen, who former
ly owned the house, used to confne
stolen slaves what time he was awaiting
a chance to run them off. Nobody liv-
ing save myself knows that this room
exists"
He smiled cynically, and lifting the
lamp gazed around at the slime on the
reeking bricks. Then he made a little
petulant motion and said:
THE swords-the rapiers-I have for
gotten them. Hold this lamp a moment,
please"
Verot mechanically accepted the prof
fered light; but as he did so something
in Bauderet's look, or in his movement,
put him on his guard, or rather startled
him little.
You'll not be afraid to stand here
moment while l go fetch the swords,
will your"
He placed peculiar accent on the word
afraid" and Verot felt his blood Jingle
in response to the insinuation.
"You shall soon have yoelr test of skill
as well as of courage" he responded;
"but if you are going back after weapons
you'd better take the lamp. l can wait
without it."
"Thls is not a pleasant waiting ROOM"
sneered Bauderet, again letting his eyes
slowly sweep the loathsome little cell.
He was still smoking the smoldering
black cigar, and the pale rings of fra
GRANGE slowly strayed in the chill, damp
air.
Don't stand there like that" said
Verot savagely, "or III stamp you into
the floor"
"a coward would 90 that" retorted
Bauderet, taking two or three light back
ward steps ard pausing in the little door,
way. Il have some doubts of your
honor, or ought to have"
Fetch the rapiers, sir" was all that
Verot said. His terrible anger was mas
tering him.
Bauderet retreated one more step,
then with a fiendish leer laid his hand
on the heavy shutter
"You command, but shall take my
own time to obey" he remarked in a
tone of constrained excitement. "How
should you like to wait in this little bou-
doir until your bride comes to you:"
Like flash the meaning and the pur-
pose of Bauderet's words and movements
leaped through Verots mind. Already
the door was slowly swinging shut.
So frightful was the thought, with its
infinite suggestions of horror, that the
tall Partisan stood for a single moment
paralyzed.
"Good night forever, Augustin Verot.
May your dreams be sweet" said Bau-
deret.
Slowly, steadily, the door, which was
in reality hinged section of the massive
wall, swung round.
Verot let fall the lamp. which, clang-
ing brazenly on the brick floor, remained
suffering and burning there with a
strange, fantastic light Something like
a death chill shivered through the air.
One long bound the Partisan made, ut
tering low, harsh cry of rage and ter
ror as he was caught between the clos
ing door and the jaw of the doorway.
There was a struggle like the fighting
of wild beasts, the men growing and
painting in the extremity of their brutal
straining and tearing.
Presently a body was heaved and
flung. 1t fell in the center of the cell,
and lay CHASTITY and motionless beside
the fast dying lamp fame. Then the
ponderous door went to with a dull
thump and sharp click of the hidden
spring.
One Of the rivals stood on the outside
of the cell painting and quivering, the
white froth clotted on his lips; the other
lay limp and lifeless within.
The 1rvrtery, which for nearly fifty
years had hung over the ola Bauderet
homestead. was cleared up when the
house was torn down. The laborers
came in the course of their work TO
low, narrow, hidden room. damp and
repulsive, in the middle of which lay
skeleton clothed in rotten garments.
This was the body of Charles Marot
Bauderet, whose sudden disappearance
about the time of the marriage Of Isobel
Des Champs TO Augusun Verot had given
rise 20 so many wild stories. In fact, so