Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-21

CORNER OF bnab gloomy Olu nouSe. feiot
was the first to speak.
"How shall we settle thisY' he de-
manded, in hard, dry tone.
Bauderet laughed sardonically and
puffed lazily at his cigar, meantime
Struggling his shoulders as if the matter
were of light consequence to him.
II think the best way to settle it is to
go to bed and sleep it off, he remarked,
with a half yawn.
'Scoundrel, villain, murderer" ex-
claimed Verot, permitting for the mo-
ment his Indignation to master him,
''you shall answer to me nowr'
"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 low, narrow passage
between damp brick walls, then into a
bare, windowless little room
''See here" said Bauderet, stopping
close to one of the dismal walls, ''this
doesn't look like door, does it?"
He fumbled moment about certain
spot, pressed a 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 CHASTITY faces.
"We can settle our little trouble here
without the slightest fear of being inter-
rupted. This is where, as 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 iv-
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 little
petulant motion and said:
'The swords-the rapiers-I have for
gotten them. Hold this lamp a moment,
pleasew
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 I go fetch the swords,
will your
He placed peculiar accent on the word
afraid" and Verot felt his blood tingle
in response to the insinuation.
"You shall soon have your test of skill
as well as of courage" he responded;
"butif you are going back after weapons
you'd better take the lamp. can wait
without it,"
"This 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 I'll stamp you into
the floor"
ga coward would do that" retorted
Bauderet, taking two or three light back
ward steps and pausing in the itt1e door
way. ~ have some doubts of your
honor, OF 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 o fiendish leer laid his hand
on the heavy shutter.
"You command, but I 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 your"
Like flash the meaning and the pur-
pose of Bauderet's words and movements
leaped through Verot's 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 single moment
paralyzed.
''Good night forever, Augustin Verot.
May your dreams be sweet" said Bau-
deret.
Slowly, steadily, the door, which was
insreality a hinged section of the massive
wal, swung round.
Verot let fall the lamp, which, .clang-
ing'brazenly on the brick floor, remained
sputtering and burning there with
strange, fantastic light. Something like
adeath chill shivered through thesair.
One long bound the Parisianmade, ut
tering low, harsh. cry of rage and ter
roras he was caught between the clos
ing,door and thesjaw of the doorway.
There was a struggle like the.fghting
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 a sharp click of the hidden
spring.
One Of the rivals stood on the outside
off, the cell painting and quivering, the
white froth clotted on his lips; the other
lay limp and lifeless within.
The mystery, which for nearly fifty
years had hung over the old Bauderet
homestead. was cleared up when the
house was torn down. The laborers
came in the course Of their work to a