The morning call., 1890-12-07

budu cApTcSS 10 yOu n Idtuct' b lu01k0attOu al
the outrageous farce into which your miserable
vanity moved you to drag my daughters name
To think that SO honest q face should only be
PRAYED hearth Your letter to Monsieur Dumon-
tier has been read to me; wherein you congratu-
late yourself upon h having proved yourself a
and wherein you inform him that you have no
further use for the PEASANTS daughter. You
thought forsooth that the daughter of humble
peasant deserved no better usage at your hands.
All. could you but have witnessed the keenness
with which she felt my humiliation at thought
OF my daughters name banded from lin TO lin nv
gossips and scandal mongers mentioned only ~
be sneered at, believe that even your cruel
heart would have been touched. But the noble
son OF my devoted friend DumOntier, who never
suspected that your attentions to my daughter
were not pure and honorable, has taken good
care that my daughters maine shall be i'm
her his wife next week. AS for you, cir, re-
joice that your parents are not alive to be wit
aesses Of ; your shameful conduct From an In
olgnant father, MAITRE ZEPHYRE.
'Oh, that wretch Dumontier," cried Bou-
LANCER. beating his forehead with his
clencbed fist, ''that infamous wretch has
done all this"
"You are right, ANDRE" said GuiIlot,
family, land to think, too. that he should so
soon have forgotten his sacred compact with
me. An, why was so hasty, Andre2 Why
have thrown my life away like this? Why
did l not bide my time till the end of the
war, and first slay this miserable wretch,
who has so UNANIMOUSLY betrayed me? Oh,
what a mailman / have beenp'
Listen, my dear Armand" said Bou-
LANCER, tenderly, as he encircled the dying
mans neck with his arm and set his lips
close to Guillot's ear: "If you must die.
dear comrade, die in peace. Leave DumoD-
tier to me. When l get back to Paris. I'll
take the hrst train up to Yyetot and spit
him as would O rat"
"Will you. dear Andre?" exclaimed Gull
lot, as strange glare began to burn in his
eyes. "Will you Stay the wretch?"
Il swear IT., replied Boulanger Solemnly,
as he raised his right hand over his head.
But remember, ANDRE" whispered Gull.
Not even reproachful look at Madeleine"
and the young officer Tell back exhausted,
his breath coming in quick ana omin Gus
puffs.
"Hark. Andre" he whispered hoarsely /;
don't yon hear it! That's the chapel bell
all in white on the arm of Maitre Zephyre.
Isn't she beautiful, Andre? An, there
comes Dumontier, the wretch-the wretch.
Give me my sword, Andre; he shall not
have her. I'll kin him. FL kill him at the
very chapel-door. Quick, Andre. Helm.
eieine. wait for me-wait'-and with a
heart-rending sound of life ebbing away in
his throat, the young officer gaSped and died
sCdAE LEX Ill.
At the end of one years service in the
Tonquin War, Andre Bouianger, now Cap
tain Boalanger, applied for and was granted
SIX months leave of absence. He was
richly entitled TO 1t, not only on account of
the splendid record which lie had maze for
himself, bat for the reas on that the severity
OF The Climate had begun to tell upon him
and the Colonel Of his regiment recognized
the fact that the country could i'll afford to
lose such a brave and capable officer. With
out doubt, Guillots death had produced a
deep in oppression upon Boulanger. This
was more apparent at the mess table than it
was in the field. He fought as well as ever
but his fippancy and gayety had manitesily
suffered dlminution, and, above all, his
opinions of and conduct toward women had
undergone revision and suppression.
Briefly stated, he was not the same man.
and it was darkly limited at among his
brother officers that Gullot, in the hour of
death. had unloaded some terrible grief
upon Boulanger-a grief SO intense and alb
sorblng that to it, and not TO the effects of
the climate, was to be attributed the break
ing down OF his health.
Captain Boulanger himself quietly but
firmly repealed all attempts of his iuIfmates
to get at the true inwardness of the matter.
Leave that melancholy in PARISH
Come back to us with new liver and
new spleen. too"
" Remember that like cures like in love %
Such were some of the sood-humored bits
OF advice volunteered by his brother officers
when Boulanger parted with them.
once out OF the warm, moist atmosphere
of the East, Captain Boulanger's health
mended rapidly, and by the time he found
himself once more In The whirl OF Partisan
lie most OF the od-tme dash of manner and
ylgor OF action had returned to him.
He made but a short stay at the capital
however, for he loDggd to be where his
thoughts were, and within week after his
return TO France set out for the old city of
1yetot. 1t was the blossom time of year
when captain Boulanger reached his friend S
birthplace, and 1t seemed to him that he
had never seen a more beautiful country
than that which lay around about the
famous old Norman Town. AS the train APP
preached the city his gaze suddenly fell
upon a group of spacious and well-kept
farm buildings. In an instant he recog-
nized it rs Bosc-Mesnil, aad, as the fra
GRANGE of the blossoming fruit-trees entered
the car-window and the twittering of the
nesting birds reached his ear, the Partisan
found it very difficult to stem the rising tide
of grief.
What strange thing is fate?" he mur-
INJURED to himself. why WAS it that poor
Armand could not have returned hither in
stead OF me ?'
Captain Boulanger's first step was to
seek out Guillots cousin, a well-known
manufacturer at Yyetot and deliver to him
III
ance with the dead officers request. and
also to communicate to this relative the full
particulars of Guillot's death.
bile scIupuiously careful not to give
Guiilot's cousin the fantest intimation of
the awful nature of his errand 10 Yvetnt
Bouanger could with difficulty restrain his
eaSerness to get at the heart OF the mystery
which enwrapped the betrayal of his nm
fortunate friend and the marriage of Made
leine to the notary's SOD.
Although great effort has been made"
began the cousin, to lead US to believe that
Armand never really loved Madeleine. but
through motives of vanity merely wished to
show the good people OF our city how easily
he could bear the farmers daughter rri-
umphantly away from all woOers if he so
desired, yet to nay mind was this only part
OF a wicked scheme of deception. which
shortly after Armand's departure, was en-.
Tered upon with view 20 break off the en-
gasement and secure Madeleine for young
Dnmantier."
And now that Maitre Zepbyre has died, !"
continued Guillots cousin, Il greatly fear
me this mystery will never be cleared mn
for naturally the Dumontiers, father and
son, the chief conspirators in this wicked
business, will never speak to confound them
selves. Their lips are sealed foreyerp
AT the mention Of Guillot's perfidious
friend, Boulanger felt his hot blood beating
on the walls of his brow, out he curbed his
inclination TO cry ont in fury at the infamy
Of this sworn friend of Armand's and merely
said inquiringly:
but Madeleine?"
Poor child, murmured Armand's cousin
the world with all lis bright promise OF
blissfnl existence has slipped away from her
completely. First made to believe that her
lover has proved recreant to his vows. then
forced into marriage with man for whom
she has no affection, fate would haye been
bitter enough if it had stopped there But
then came the news Of the death of Armand.
the hero OF the battle of Lang-Song, when
there was every reason to suppose that he
threw his life away, and last Of all her
fathers DEATH"
Terrible. terribler' whispered Bou-
n.li!m lnItI1ijl: \