The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1893-12-07
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From nrst page

the knowledge from her as long as pos
sible. in the hope that she may hear the
charge and it's refutation at the same
time. fear, however, we will be unable
to conceal what has transpired and your
relationship to Charles more than few
hours"
AS he finished speaking Charles came
into the room looking very sad, but he
quickly cheered up when M. Dumont
assured him he was quite satisfied Of his
mothers innocence and repeated to him
| what he had just said about his mar
rage to Clementine.
"As to me-" he went on. you will
always be my son, my boy You will
only be so much the better off because
you will have mother too"
But the proofs of Marie's innocence
and of the guilt of the real culprits were
soon to be made apparent.
Pierres conscience had been reproach-
ing him for his overzeal ever since Ma
rie's arrest and the discovery that she
was really the mother of M. Charles.
He felt that it was principally his fault
that suspicion had attached to her, and
he felt he woull like, if possible. to help
to clear her OF the charge
He was angry with himself for having
been so easily imposed on by the two
strangers who turned out to be such
villains, and whom he now began to sus-
pect of being the real murderers.
Why, yes, he remembered now that
lo01 I'D e.
utes to the bunch of duplicate keys
ante long enough-and he, fool that he
was, had never suspected anything.
Twas surely they who had taken the
key of M. Germenil's room off the bunch.
ITEMS. If he could only find it. Well,
he would search. So off he went to the
room which the strangers had occupied
and there instituted thorough search.
There was not corner Of the room he
did not thoroughly ransack-every fold
of the window curtains, of the bed cur
tains, the mattresses, the pillows. Ee
turned up every rug and ran his hand
round the seat of every chair. He even
examined behind every picture, opened
and turned out every drawer and
press, but all in vain. and disheart-
ened and disappointed he stood look
ing vaguely round him at the disor-
der he had created, and scratching his
head wondered what he would do next,
when his eye lighted on the fireplace
There had been no fire, and yet the coal
looked as though it had been disturbed.
He did not quite take it in at first, and
then as the thing formulated itself in
his mind he ran to the CRATE, eagerly re-
moved one piece of coal after another
and presently, with an exclamation of
joy, sprang to his feet with the missing
key in his hand
He ran down stairs and burst into the
room where NJ. Dumont, Charles and
Marie were, and hardly able to speak
with excitement cried:
IN. Charles! not bourgeois! Nine.
Marie! It is not you! I meant am
sure, enfin l have discovered the assas-
sins! Here it ISL fourishing the key.
With some difficulty they managed to
get coherent explanation from him,
having heard which M. Dumont sent
Charles at once in search of Roger. They
returned together Immediately, and the
brigadier, having heard Pierre's story as
to where he had found the key, declared
he would at once have Macaire and
Strop searched to see if they had any Of
the stolen money upon them.
After a short absence he returned,
carrying the stolen notes. Charles on
seeing this proof of his mothers inno-
cence was too much overcome to speak
and turned to clasp her in his arms, but
she had tainted. The shock of this sud-
den relief from the terrible accusation
which had been hanging over her had
been too much for her overwrought
nerves. She soon revived, however, and
then came the thought of the wretched
man who would have to suffer the pen
atty Of his crime, whose life had been
such tissue of evil deeds and had so
blighted her own. She shuddered as she
thought that even now chance word
might reveal all to Charles.
The brigadier said that he should now
take steps to remove the two prisoners to
the gendarmerie, and to that end he
should at once send one Of his men for a
cart and an additional escort, as he did
not care to risk anything with such des-
perate rufians as these were known to
be. It was now getting toward evening,
and it would be quite dark by the time
they had got all done.
Macaire had submitted in sullen ST.
lence to be searched by the gendarmes
and had not answered so much as by a
word when they had told him it would
be useless any longer to deny his guilt,
| giving glance of utter contempt at his
miserable companion, who writhed on
the floor at their feet, grooming and i'm
ploring mercy in the most abject terms.
But there was movement in the long,
sinewy fingers and CLEAN in the evil
eye that would have BODIED i'll for them
had they been fewer in number or had
they not already taken the precaution of
removing the knife, whose long, curved
back blade could do such deadly work.
He knew very well that all was up for