Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1893-02-23

stopper.
LET re see, let me see, he thought.
II need not hurry. must plan GU;
everything. A trihe spoils all some.
times. l will go home. l will tell
Genevieve that we are going away. Shs,
will begin to ask questions. She will
want to know everything. Ball. will
make up story. will tell her but shs
will not believe me. Would she con-
sent? Yes. yes, she must. To be rich,
isn't that before everythingl Are there
not hundreds aud thousands whom all
the world bows down TO, who begun just
this wayl Not to be caught, that is all.
We WILL put the babies into the little
cart. BY daybreak we will be at the
the gendarmes know met Don't thee
know that Marcaille is an hones'
MANI"
He folded the registered letter, and
instead of replacing 1t in the leathe:
bag, slipped it into his pocket. 1t wa
his. then with a strident voice he cried
out Forward, Marcaille, forward you
are rich man"
But he had hardly taken step for
ward when his voice died in his throat.
Behind him on the road he had just left,
he heard voices, clear and piercing. II
was like the indistinct murmur of q
crowd.
"Christmas2" cried the voices.
thief" replied the somDre depths oi
the forest.
Terrified, he tried to leave the voices
behind him, running faster and .stil
/ Fooko. Al 49,. 4. 1s.,;noas oas1a1 ht,,,
He knew not why he ran. Some one
was after him, that was all. But whoi
His conscience or the gendarmes, he
knew not which. Where was the dangeri
Everywhere.
| In the shadows, to the right and ia
the left, he saw everywhere vague forms
which followed him; the branches bent
low over his head like arms to stop him,
Terror at all these strange visions stran-
gled him. Wildly he ran along, the
blood throbbing in his temples; then
suddenly fell heavily in dead faint.
When he came to himself, he was ly.
ing before the fire in his own room
Geuevieve and the children were kneel
ing crying around him. He did not see
them. The people of Siane, who, com
ing from the midnight mass, had found
him, were there also. He did not see
them.
THE letter the letter. he cried
! With one bound he sprang to the leather
bag, which had been thrown on the
ground in corner. 1t was empty.
''The letter the letter" he cried
| L. Il frnr
his pocket the big envelope with the five
red seals-still unbroken-he rushed
out like a mailman straight to the May.
or's.
"a registered letter. he cried.
"Oh! indeed, said the Mayor, laugh
Ing, "What a state you are in. One
would think you had come to ask par
don for condemned criminal
"Well they might" said Marcaille,
'But take the letter first. 1t is littl,
soiled-1 fell down-I-r'
His lie strangled him.
"A drop too much," said the Mayor.
mo, had drunk nothing" said Mar
calle quietly. land it is just for that
reason that have brought you my resig
nation
The Mayor had broken the seals, ex
amined the bank notes and glanced over
the accompanying letter.
I" Your resignation?" said he. 'Well,
should think SOL can understand that. u
"Ah! you Know"
II know you arc rich, my good fell
low"
Was this a Joke? or had the Mayor in
some way looked into his conscience and
read the whole storyG Marcaille became
pale at the thought.
"Rich?" he murmured.
"Why, yes, there is no doubt about
! that. This letter tells me of the death
of your brother, Jean Marcaille, who
died at Toulouse, where he resided, on
the 9Th of this preset month. Accord.
| ing to his last wishes oil he possessed
has been disposed of by Michael Dulac,
notary of that city, who sends to me the
amount OF twenty-four thousand francs,
which l am instructed to turn over to
YOU"
Ali" said Marcaille, overwhelmed,
as he took mechanically into his hand the
big envelope that the Mayor offered
him, jean is dead, and am rich 2
Then after moment of silence, sit
makes no difference" he murmured, Sc
low that the Mayor could not hear him,
81 should have been a thief, just the
same"
Then turning he added, loud enough
this time.
But am still an honest man, thank
God!"
- No one ever doubted it, Marcaille,'
said the Mayor. but take my advice
and be more careful. A glass of wine
too much goes to your head, and you
might fare worse another time"
/" You are right, sir" said Marcaille,
and he went off whistling, with his head
in the air.
Was Marcaillc an honest MANI should
say, yes!