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

the weight, there should DO q fortune.
This rascally bag~
And still grumbling, "The rascally
bag ~ and whistling at intervals, he went
down toward Pillemoine. Below. him
stretched the valley, lost in the shadow,
dotted here and there with lights, for
the night was almost black. But he
knew every village and every house, and
in the blackness he recognized far away
the house of the ironmaster, with every
window lighted up. The joyous scene
Eyes, yes" murmured Marcaille.
"There are some lucky people iu the
world. They have money, all they want,
and with money one can do anything.
Just get little and it's like SNOWFALL,
it rolls up bigger and bigger. Some
have all. and others have none. There
they are by the fire, and /, out mere in
the snow. And what they spend for
THAR amusement tonight couldn't earn
in a year. And yet they say God is
just"
Why did these ideas come to him? lie
had reyer envied any one. Why then did
he stop aud gaze fiercely ut the lights
shinning below him?
He shook himself together.
Forward, Marcaille," he cried, "for-
ward, march,"
But the wind whistled and moaned IN
the pine trees like crying baby, and
Marcaille passing in thought from the
ironmaster's house to his own, saw his
four little ones gathered around their
mother, by "a scanty fire of fagots; he
saw them searching in the cupboard for
forgotten bread-crust; he saw them
going to sleep, all four on the same little
wretched straw mattress. Oh! poverty,
poverty, it is hard And to think that
right here, in his bag
Registered letterw he thought. eff
it should be bank bills! Imbecile! 1t
is for the Mayor 1t comes from the
prefecture. 1t is probably only papers
and they register it and put on these big
seals for grand effect. Yes, but If it
should be bank bills"
His face flushed red at the thought that
had crossed his mind. "lhaven't drunk
anything either" he murmured, with u
shudder.
He entered Pillemoine. At the door
of a peasants house he knocked. A win
dow opened.
"Oh. 1t is Marcaille. Come in"
He went in.
what ails your asked the man.
you're pale. Have glass OF
wiDe.'
mo, no, thanks" said Marcaille, in a
dull voice. In rebuckling his bag he had
felt the registered letter brush the tips Of
his fingers.
The man had taken glass, he held the
bottle all ready TO pour.
mo-" repeated Marcaille. And with
out another word he hurried out. The
ends of his fingers seemed TO burn at the
remembrance of the red seals. Bank
bills, as many as there were there, how
many things one could buy with them
lie began to whistle, his breath failed
him and he felt his legs tremble beneath
him. Without intending to, without
wishing to, he had unouckled the bag,
he had taken out the letter and in the
half-light reflected from the snow he
saw, like drops of blood, the five great
red seals.
Quickly he took the letter and felt it
carefully to find out its secret. But the
envelope was thick and hard; the paper
cracked under his fingers with a little
dry noise that sounded formidably loud,
while the night wind whistled in his
ears:
Thief! thief! thief"
''Who said Marcaille was thief" he
cried, with fierce gesture. Then, see
ing that he was alone, he came to him
self and fell ut the side of the road,
crouching, his head in his hands, and
murmuring:
This is frightful But have drunk
nothing"
Slowly he re-opened the leather bag
and slipped in the letter; slowly he rose
slowly still he crossed the road. 1t
seemed as If an implacable, invisible
hand held him fast to this spot from
which he would have hurried away
The road to Siane was straight before
him; half hour more and he should
have finished his round, the letter would
be given to the Mayor and he would be
safe
Then he put the letter back in the bag
with an angry gesture, and marched on
with measured step, striking with his
heel and counting as he used to do in
the regiment WREN the march was long,
zone, two; one, two"
The regiment All! how far away it
was at that time. How poor they seemed
TO him now, the brave joys Of the soldier,
which had made his heart beat for four
teen years. What fool he was to enlist
Fighting in the field, hard fare in the
camp, suffering in the ambulance. His
medal Great things indeed. A bit 0f
ribbon on his blouse. How much better
he would have done to start out, like his
brother, to seek his fortune.
ut was by thisroad he went, 7" thought
Marcaile, as he started across the great
road to Geneva, whose white length to
his right stretched along by the forest OF
Siane, "by this road"
That long white road, he had only to
travel along it--and he stopped.
THE frontier" he thought, els quite
near Ten leagues, what is that Z TAX
ing time to go for the wife and babies,
one could be there tomorrow morning.
And once there, one is safe. The Mayor
is not expecting this letter. II people
missed us tomorrow, they would think
something had happened to me in the
night, that / had fallen into hole OF
something, and that my wife was looking
for me. Suspect me Oh! no. Mar.
caille is an honest man. an honest man "
The sweat stood on his brow. Pant.
ing, with his eyes fixed on that white
line which lost itself in the night, he re.
peated in low voice, IAN honest man. y
His hand slipped under his cloak, un.
buckled the leather bag, and trembled
as it touched the five red. seals.