Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-12-12
THE CHAINED HAND.
By GUY DE MAUrAssANr.

BY GUY DE NiAUPASSANy.
A circle had formed around Judge
Bermutier, who was giving his opinion
of the mystic. ious affair Of st. Cloud,
that unaccountable crime which for g
month had agitated all Paris. He re-
viewed evidences, discussed theories,
but arrived at nothing definite. He
stood with his back to the fireplace, and
several ladies, who had arisen to ap-
proach him, remained standing, with
their eyes fixed upon those shaven lips
from which fell such impressive re-
marks. They shivered, though inn
PEELED to listen by their curiosity and
by their eager aud Unsuitable desire for
the sensational, which tortured them
like hunger.
During the pause one of them said |:
*It is awful. 1t approaches the super
natural. We shall never know the
truth"
The magistrate turned toward her.
Yes, madame, the truth probably never
will be known. But as to the word
Supernatural that you have used, it
has no place here. We are in the pres
ence of q crime very skiilful!y con-
ceived, very sl1i!lfully executed, so we'll
envel. ped in mystery that we cannot
e1tricate it from the unusual circum-
stances that surround it. But was
once interested in crime with which
something OF the supernatural really
seemed to be mingled We were
Obliged to give it up"
Several Of the ladies exclaimed at
- "0t tell ~" ol,o,,t IT I" Al p---
mutier smiled gravely as judge sliculd
smile, and replied: do not think that
have, even for an instant, believed
that anything supernatural did occur
[ have faith in natural causes only and
if we would use the word 'inexplicable'
instead Of supernatural for that which
we do not understand it would be much
better. At any rate the crime of which
am to speak ba1lied me chiefly by the
circumstances that preceded and sur
rounded it. These are the facts:
IL was at the time judge in Ajaccio, q
little village lying on the shore of q
beautiful gulf and encircied by high
mountains. It was my duty to inquire
into the affairs of the vendettas.' They
were full of dramatic possibilities, both
ferocious and heroic. found in these
1uM1IN 4Su03 UAAO SlSatcSC IAOClSoS lCJ
revenge-age-long hatreds, subdued for
a time but never extinct, unpardonable
treacheries, transformations growing into
massacres, and almost into glorious ac-
tions. For two years heard no con.
yersation save that of the price OF
BLOOD that terrible Corsican duty that
obliges one to ayenge an injury, not
only upon the person of the injurer but
upon his descendants and relations. ]
have seen old mon and innocent chill.
dren murdered as the price of blood.
My head is full Of such stories.
well, one day learned that an Eng.
lishman had leased for term of years
a villa by the border of the gulf He
had brought with him French SER
want whom he had hired while passing
through Marseilles. Soon every one
was interested in this singular person
ago. who lived alone, never going out
except to hunt or fish. He spoke te
no one, never came to the village. and
every morning he practiced for an hou,
or two with his pistols or carbine.
@Soon numerous rumors about him
we're ahoat. 1t was said that he was Z
man OF high station who had fed from
his country for political reasons; then il
was affirmed that, having committed ar
atrocious crime, he was concealing him
self. I wished as judge to make some
inquiries concerning this man, but il
was impossible to learn anything. He
was called Sir John Rowell.
Meanwhile, as the rumors in regard
to his character continued and became
general, resolved to try and see tn.
stranger myself, ard so I began to hunt
regularly in the neighborLood of III.
grounds.
"For long time I waited an oppor
tunity. It presented itself at last il
the form of partridge that killed
before the Englishman's nose. Ny dog
brought it to me, but taking the bird
went to Sir John and excusing my i'm
pertirence begged him to accept the
game. He was tall, large man, will
red hair and beard.-a sort of PLACID
and polished Hercules. He had none o
the so-called English Stiffness bu
thanked me cordially in French, with ,
slight English accent. At the end of ,
month we had copversed together fv,
or six times. One evening as passee
his door I saw him astride chair
smoking his pipe in the garden. I sa
luted him, and he invited me to ente
and drink glass of beer. He receives
lie with the scrupulous English polite
ness. and spoke highly of France an,
Corsica.
"Then, with great precaution ar,
with profession of sincere interest,
asked him few questions concerning