The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-07-25

UeBdns lmDoolateiy.
1t Is not my way to deceive any
longer than Is needful. You may hate
--despise ne. hope you will II
will make the parting easier for you.
shall not marry you / am going TO
marry Antonio Sismondi"
1t was b still could hear tho tick
ing OF my watch.
Here are all your presents your
letters. your ring"
She laid a little box on the table.
/ don't know whether she waited for
me to spea.s. There seemed to be an
imperceptible pause and fhcn she
turned and was gone.
Sismondi lived at some distance
from me. Lights iared along the
boulevards as the cabman whipped up
his horse. had promised him large
pourboire in return for what speed he
could make.
When Sismondi saw me enter rapid
change. like that one sees on still
water when the wind rushes across its
surface. came over the impassivity Of
his face, 1t vanished instantly and no
confronted me calm eyed. firm Tipped.
a self-cont.olled defiance in his straight
glance.
Il suppose you know what I have
come to sayp"
He nodded.
Perfectly. see that you have
spoken to Mile. Marvern-or heard
from her. think she did not expect
you so soon. / did not Let us not
waste idle words! Doubtless you feel
that have defrauded you. My dear
friend, II you were fatalist as am.
you would take a different view. I
love her. have loved her from the
first moment. Tried to win her I
have-yes. Why notP My passion is
greater than yours. But had it not
been fated so to be 1 should not have
succeeded. II you ask for satisfaction
I am ready to give it when and as you
like. But you Americans. i know, do
not fight duels."
They were to be married within q
week. had left Paris for a few days.
but was going to return. was 60
ing to be present at the ceremony. A
strange position. indeed. for the dis
carded lover! But what cared for
ridicule? wanted to see this thing
accomplished with my own eyes. /
wanted to realize the nightmare. /
wanted to see the girl who had seemed
to me the truest and the highest of her
sex pledge herself before my sight to
the man for whom she had taken away
her love and given it again in the space
OF two short months. Tuesday was
the day appointed. Monday evening
l came back. The remembrance OF
that last day has always been blow
to me. I never knew just how /
passed it.
AS came in my man told me that
n lady was waiting to see me; that.
hearing that was expected, she had
insisted upon entering, / opened the
door of my little salon mechanically.
A cry greeted me. Mrs. Marvern, as
much disheveled as SO handsome and
correct being could be, started to-
wards me.
.sOh. Franklin. franklin What a
miserable business Is this! And what
are We to do? We shall all be in the
papers-Elita and all of us-and, per-
haps. even brought up on the witness
stand! On, oh! it is too. too dreadful!
Oh, can't you do something? Why.
man. you stand here as IL you did not
understand. Is it possible you don't
know" Her ascending voice ended
almost In a shrek. why Sismondi
has been arrested! Arrestedv'
..For what? When?"
This morning. 1t Is in all the
papers already. For trickery. for
swindling. for getting money under
false pretenses! The American from
India got off; he has disappeared.
"And Elita?" l said in moment
Mrs. Marvin burst into tears.
"Oh. Franklin. don't ask me. It
makes my heart bleed to look at her."
Sismondi's trial was one of the sem
sations OF the year.
Much OF the curious distant ringing
of bells, much of the sudden falling of
strange missives ptirporting to come
from the brethren in India in the laps
OF persons before whom Sismondi and
his confederate had exhibited their
powers was discovered to be the very
clever work of the usual sleight-of-
hand. ] say much Of it." Person
ally have always felt that Sismondi
had acquired by rigid self-discipline
certain insights, certain capabilities.
That he added trickery to these for the
sake Of money there is. of course in
the light of such developments as came
out Mt the trial. no doubt He was
sentenced to Imprisonment for torn
of years, and at that time he wrote to
Elita letter and contrived to have it
delivered into her hands wherein he
asked her, calmly ignoring this shock
ing announcement to remain faithful
to him in the name OF their love.
Their" love. BY degrees Mrs Mar
vern taught me what to think Of this.
She was commonplace. but she was not
lacking in insight Her good sense
and her good heart were at that time
the greatest consultations of my life.
Listen to me-" she would repeat.
He loved Elita-this odious wretch
loved her devotedly. / am ready TO
think she was the passion OF his life.
II IL had not been for her-that he
wanted TO command more money as