Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-12-05
The Toilet Of DEATH;
Gaspard RabuteaQ's Conversion.
BY EMILE lola.
tEn0atsh Adaptation bv PHILIPPE Provost. Z,
CHAPTER III.

-. Va VIC HoOO i shall never
know, but when / came> to nv senses
found myself floating on the water Will
my mead upheld by the edge of the frao.
ment OF roof. 1t was a moment ~ s,
before could realize what had han.
pened. Then the awful truth broie
upon me that Marie was gone.
Marie, Marie, Mare!" shriekcd as
raised myself upon the floating debris
ana looked over the foaming and buh-
beloved. VI my
More and more distinctly the terrible
fact of my loss broke upon me | clasned
my hands. and raising them toward
heaven groaned, went and prayed,
ne merciful, God, moaned. sand
give her back to me again. I'll offend
thee no more I'll walk in humility till
my death; my foolish pride shall lead me-
no more to despise thy help. Thy holy
church shall not open its door to me in
vain! Hear me, O Heaven!"
nuG no answer came to my prayers,
and l realized that heaven had aban,
doned me. l shook my clenched fist at
the peaceful sky, which seemed to me to
look down SO Implying upon this awful
scene OF desolation, l ragged like a
maniac, sank my teeth into nv own
hesh, and CRASHED my jaws like a wound
ed beast Flakes of foam fell from NV
not lips upon my breast. l wept, sobbed.
ana grOaned, and mingled with these
cries OF impotent rage came Marie's
name. At last in my frenzy threw nv
nahas up with intent to force my body
TO sink. In vain, in vain! | came to
the surface again like cork. | rolled
over on my face. thinking in this way to
put an end to my wretched life. But
no: the boiling, seething waters turned
me over with 1iendish persistencv.
was doomed to live Death turned his
back upon me, no matter how tried to
approach him. 1t was heavens will that
l should not be allowed to DESTROY the
extraordinary strength which it had be-
slowed on me. 1t was lesson that l
needed to bring my pride down. was
not to be suffered to turn the miraculous
powers which had been presumptuous
enough to think were entirely my own
against themselves. And gradually nv
heart ceased to madly struggle and nv
soul no longer beat against the iron
bars which held it imprisoned could
do nothing but weep and moan like a
lost child whose strength had given out
and who had sunk helpless and hopeless
to the ground.
While lay thus motionless upon the
surface of tho flood, with closed eyes,
Indifferent to my fate, the sound of a
religious song reached me. l looked
and saw that | was drifting nearer and
nearer to the church, and then | knew
that the singing must come from the
belfry, where, naturally, a great many
people must have taken refuge from
the bursting of the flood over the viii
lage.
l listened. The waters had ceased
their noisy swirl, and could almost hear
the words of the chant The solemn
and measured style of the singing was
strangely pleasing to me. At first it
seemed to me the sound fell from the
sky, and could not possibly be the voices
of living beings, for how could it be posi-
BILE that any one had survived the fury
OF the flood? was now within stones
throw of the church. The singing be-
came louder and louder, and then, as I |
drifted around the side of the building,
the voices died away to a mere echo. |
The next moment was hurled against |
the wall of the church directly under |
one OF the largest windows. The water
was almost on q level with the window |
sill. 1t required but slight eXertion |
for me to lay hold of an iron brace and |
draw myself out of the water re-
solved now no longer to court death.
Heaven, in its greater wisdom, appeared |
DESTROYS that l should live. At any rate, |
now determined to save my life if |
could. While it would be burden to
be borne in patience, yet even wretched /
as it might be to me, l still |
could make it useful to Others--tO my
father and mOther-already past the
prime Of life. My being spared by the
food might be for their sake. The
waters were still rising and it behooved |
me to think quickly as to how l was to
make my escape. My first thought was
to drop into the water again. swim
around to the front of the church. and
call upon those who had taken refuge in
the belfry to hoist me up to place of |
safety. But my pride would not listen |
to it. How could l, Gaspard Rabuteau,
the mighty wrestler, demean myself to
such an extent? How could /, the con-
queror of Martial, Lion of the South,
bring myself to make such humiiat-
ing confession that l was, after all, but
a common mortal, who, in the first flash
OF danger, must needs cry out for help
at the hands of poor, puny creatures, a
dozen of whom would be but SO many
children set before me?
No, rather perish first Rather go
down beneath the pitiless flood which
had already swallowed up the chosen
angel of my life-already plunged me
into the everlasting night of despair.
The water had reached my knees.
Aoio Was DuG IlCJIe tlue lelI W me loT
action. The flood had not yet quenched
all the lamps in the church, and their
soft light streamed through the stained
glass windows. A sudden thought
mashed through my mind. Why not
enter the church through the window
and seek safety in the organ loft, or, if
need be. at some still higher point?
l made hasty examination of the
window, its fastening were of great
strength, and were so deep set that l
,0uld not grip them with my fingers
l he flood had reached my waist and the
strength of the current and cOunter-cur-
ent had once nearly wrested me from
he narrow coping on which was stand
ng. Whatever was done must be quick
done. and with the instinct of self
reservation, raised my foot with in
ent to kick out one of the glass panels
4 the window, one which seemed to be