The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1893-10-12

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CONTINUED.
But if the old man thought to down
face Robert Macaire when his mind was
bent on a thing he was much mistaken.
One Of the lessons which man learns at
the galleys is to be callous, and especial
ly when he has purpose to serve. Sc
Robert, in the most genial way, tried to
turn the whole matter into joke and
said:
"Well, daddy, if you will not let me
help you, suppose you must let me-
look on, and Marie will come with me
and sit by us" He said this, knowing
that if Marie were present he would not
attempt to disturb the money which
would thus remain in peace until his
own turn came to deal with it. By this
time he knew perfectly well that the
old man intended to change the hiding
place.
So poor Marie had to go with the two
men, for neither ventured to forbid her,
lest their own motive should be sus-
pected, and to pass by the very spot
where the grief of the discovery had
come to her.
AS might be expected, the time was
unpleasant for them all. Beaumont was
sullen and would only answer in mono
syllables when spoken to. Marie was
miserable beyond expression, and it was
only by continuous effort that she kept
from bursting into tears, for now one
more pain was added to her load. Rob
ert, as if to revenge what he considered
her unconscious thwarting Of his pur-
pose, treated her in a manner which he
knew would give her pain. He would
make unkind remarks and ask unpleas-
ant questions, and when she would try
to hide her pain with smile he would
catch hold of her roughly and vi th
boisterous vehemence of speech. Indeed
he actually once or twice caused her
much pain, a. thing that one like her
should not have had to bear and more
especially at such hands.
The sun was setting when the two men,
as if by a tacit consent, gave up their
purpose for the time, and they all went
back to the house silently and with sui
len looks on their faces, while poor
Marie, with the prospect of such another
night of agony before her, would have
gladly sunk on the earth to have risen no
more.
All that night she lay awake and heard
the clock mark off the weary hours that
crept by at such a snail's pace. Again
Robert was exasrerated by her wakeful-
ness, and by his noisy movements kept
old Beaumont from his plan of changing
the hiding place of his money.
In the morning she was almost in a
fever, for she felt that her strength was
failing, and she feared that she would
not be able to hold out long enough to
save the exposure which she dreaded
She knew that if something strange did
not happen some dreadful trouble might
come upon them all before nightfall,
and that such might come to them at any
moment whether anything unexpected
happened or not.
A strange thing did happen, but it did
not bring any relief to the poor woman's
stricken heart.
Scarcely was breakfast over when one
of the neighbors ran in quite breathless
and called out:
"Quick! Go down to the shop. There
is such news. Nothing like it has ever
been known IN
'sWhat is. itY cried out Beaumont.
while Robert Macaire said not word,
but sat still with white face. Marie's
heart seemed to cease beating. Every
thing seemed to upset her now.
"Pierre Lamar did not go for a soldier
after all. The gendarmes were coming
over the mountain path, and they saw
something queer lying in the ravine un-
der the precipice. So they went down
the side Of the mountain farther on and
went back up the ravine until they found
it. There was the skeleton of poor Pierre.
They knew it by his passport, which was
vised to go over the frontier. The mule
was there, too, or rather its skeleton,
for the crows had been down, and by
him was the wreck of wine barrel
They say it may have been a murder"
q, "a murder!" cried all the party ex.
cept one. Marie's overwrought nature
had given way at last, and she had
tainted.
The last thing which she remembered
was the sudden recollection of the hur
ried beating of her husbands heart thai
night, and then red cloud passed before
her eyes, and she remembered no more.
Oblivion is at times the most mercifu
of the things that be and yet are not
The waters of Lethe are the only medi
cine at times for q mind diseased.
Leaving Marie to her mothers care
the men fastened to the shop whittier
the gendarmes had conveyed the ghastlJ
remains from the foot of the precipice
In his excitement Beaumont quite forgo'
his anxiety about the buried money. Al
| for Robert, he was afraid to be very fal
away from the scene Of the excitement
i He was in truth drawn to the murdered
I body with strange attraction. which i