The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1893-12-20
CHAPTER XVIII.
RETRIBUTION.


have been conveyed back TO Lyons were
it not for tie question Of the murder,
which still remained to be cleared up.
Their previoj.A bad character as Macalre
expected. causetI @u:Nicion to turn on
them. and ii WAS decided that they should
be detained ut les Cons Alnis till the
following day, in order to allow Of the
matter being further investigated. They
were accordingly placed in Il small loft
over the stable and II guard of armed
men stationed at the door.
Clementine had Eceu with difficulty
restored tG CONSEQUENCES after the terri
BILE shock she had received at the sight
of her fathers body and knew nothing
as vet Of the scene which had taken place
in the sale or the strange discovery OF
Charles parentag" i" was now sitting
with her. endeavoliny to soothe her grief,
while she little suspected that his own
was so much more bitter. She had lost
q father, it is true, and by d terrible
death, but he had died respected and be-
loved by all, while hr--he had found a
mother, it is true lat under what cir
cumstances: He did not for IL moment
believe her guilty Of the terrible charge
brought against her. But unless it could
be positively diS}Toved how could he ask
Clementine to become his wife while such
a stigma was on his mother sname? Too
many people had heard what had passed
to allow OF its remaining Il secret.
The poor young mans thoughts were
very sad indeed as he sat holding his
fancee's hand.
Charles had begged SO hard Of Roger
not to treat his mother with the same
rigor as had been shown to Macaire and
Strop, but to allow her to remain in the
house; that the brigadier, who under his
official crust was soft hearted enough,
had consented to this arrangement,
though, as he said. he was exceeding his
duty and might get into trouble by it.
"Do not fear, SIR said Marie. II
have no wish to go now that have
found my son. Besides, she added, II
am innocent Of this crime. and God. who
knows it, will prove it"
Her first anxiety when she recovered
consciousness was whether in her sur
prise she had disclosed the fact that
Macaire was her husband and Charles
father, and it was great relief TO her to
perceive that he had not the least sus-
picion of such a thing, nor had NJ Du-
mont, who had no idea that she had Il
claim to any other name than that Of
Beaumont. He had heard the missing
woman whom he supposed to be the
mother Of the little wait spoken OF by
that name, as among the country folks
married women were as often called by
their maiden names as by their hus-
bands, and he concluded that the
worthless fellow" the "coquin" he had
heard mentioned, bore the name of Beau
mont.
Macaire had had no time to speak, and
no one would have listened to him had he
attempted to do so. And poor Marie
hoped that she might be able to spare
her son such a terrible blow as this
knowledge would be. She determined
however, to tell all to NJ. Dumont, who
she considered had a right to know. and
who she felt sure would help her to keep
this great disgrace from falling on the
boy he loved and had so long treated as
his son.
Seated in the room where only few
hours before. the joyous party had as
sembled to sign the wedding contract.
she told him all-all that we know al