Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-03-04

buckled the leather bag, and trembled
as it touched the five red seals.
| eyes; but if were wrong" he NUT
tered; " if there were only papers in it
"Come, Marcaille," he cried, ION
with youl"
But no, he remained there motionless
on that cursed road that led to the from
tier. And for the third time, carried
away by irresistible temptation, he drew
from the bug the registered letter, say
ing:
II must know what is in it."
Very cheerfully with the point of his
knife he raised one corner of the en-
velope enough to slip in his finger, and
draw up one of the papers it contained.
The task was delicate one, he must 60
slowly, very slowly, in order to tear
nothing. If it were only papers,
The night-wind whistled in his ears,
"Thief thief thief "
But he did not hear it. He thought
only of one thing, to know what was in
that letter. He had only one fear, of
not succeeding or of dece;ving himself.
At last he got hold of corner of the
Enclosure. He took match, lit it, and
by its light saw-a bank note.
1t was really bank notes. His head
swan. The envelope was heavy, the
sum must be enormous. He was about
to tear it open to count it, but again he
stopped.
"Let me see, let me see," he thought,
81 need not hurry l must plan out
everything. A trife spoils all some
times l will go home. will tell
Genevieve that we are going away. She
will begin to ask questions She will
want to know everything, BAIL Twill
make up story. | will tell her but she
| will not believe me. Would she con-
) sent9 Yes, yes, she must. To be rich,
isn't that before everything9 Are there
not, hundreds and thousands whom all
the world bows down to, who begun just
this way2 Not to be caught, that is all.
, We will put the babies into the little
! cart. BY daybreak we will be at the
9 frontier. The gendarmcs9 We'll, don't
S the gendarmes know mel Don't they
r know that Marcaille is an honest
Q mani"
r He folded the registered letter, and
n instead of replacing it in the leather
9 bag, slipped it into his pocket. 1t was
/. his. I hen with a strident voice he cried
t out, Forward Marcaille, forward you
are rich man."
f But he had hardly taken a step for.
t ward when his voice died in his throat
e Behind him on the road he had just left,
5 he heard voices, clear and piercing. II
? was like the indistinct murmur OF !
t crowd.
"Christmas?" cried the voices.
vt chief" replied the sombre depths o.
k the forest.
a Terrified, he tried to leave the voices
behind him, running faster and still
Or faster. And then dizziness seized him
A. He knew not why he ran. Some ont
was after him, that was all. But who
His conscience or the gendarmes, III
knew not which. Where was the danger
n. Everywhere.
of In the shadows, to the right and t.
the left, he saw everywhere vague form
a which followed him; the branches ben
i'd low over his head like arms to stop him
of Terror at all these strange visions stran
gled him. Wildly he ran along, tn
be blood throbbing in his temples; thel
suddenly fell heavily in dead faint.
/
no When he came to himself, he was ly
be ing before the fire in his own room
IL Genevieve and the children were kneel
wv ing crying around him. He did not Sc
n them. The people of Siane, who, com
al ing from the midnight mass, had foun'
~ him, were there also. He did not sc
ut them.
- THE letter! the letterl' he cried
he With one bound be sprang to the leathe
he bag, which had been thrown on tn
at ground in a corner. 1t was empty.
"The letter the letter" he cried
:. Then he remembered, and drawing fror
IL his pocket the big envelope with the tiv
nc red seals-still unbroken-he rushe
9l out like a mailman straight to the May
!, ~ or's.
a, "a registered letter. he cried.
'is "Oh indeed, said the Mayor, laugh
ing, "What state you are in. On
would think you had come to ask pa
he don for condemned criminal"
&C. "Wel they might" said MarcailIt
n "But take the letter first. 1t is lit
d, soiIed-1 fell down-I-T
nd His lie strangled him.
"a drop too much, said the Mayor.
TX "No, had drunk nothing" said Ma
caiIle quietly, land it is just for thu
az reason that | have brought you my resi-!
,e; nation.
1t The Mayor had broken the SEALS e.
Die ahmed the bank notes and glanced ov'
,m the accompanying letter.
". Your resignationl" said he. "Wel
IRE | should think SOL can understand that
Id "Ah you know"
I'D 81 know you are rich, my good fc
be low"
Was this a iokel or had the Mayor
,ag some way looked into his conscience al
on read the whole story Marcaillc becan
his pale at the thought.
in "Rch2n he murmured.
ng, "Why. yes, there is no doubt abo
that. This letter tells me of the dea
: it of your brother, Jean Marcaillc, wi
ned died Mt Toulouse, where he resided,
Ter, the 9Th of this preset month. Accor
'ur- ing to his last wishes all he possess
list has been disposed Of by Michael Dula
the notary of that city, who sends to me {
Ills amount Of twenty-four thousand franc