Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-01-11

with only Il little help from Rose, who
was ever on the watch TO aiu ana
comfort her. This weeR She could
lOniy crawl about Il little. busting Gas
tons books with remulous hands,
Arranging and rearranging his desk
Tor his DOokShelyeS. with a fiuftered
NERVOUS air. \ little while ago she
lhad lain on her bed OF her sofa al
Iday, As il i'll mere purposeless apathy.
NOW the time had come when she
lay there from sheer weakness, brok-
Ell down, fading before their very eyes.
They had gradually schooIed them
selves TO bow to the rod. They began
TO talk to each other about her as of
one foredoomed, uuSpeakably precious.
lnasmuch as she was to be with them
but u few Weeks-perchance but a few
days. They talked sorroWfully, vet
with resignation, Of a future in which
she was to have no part, save as a
Sweet sad memory
How fond she would have been of
you, my angel" said Rose, prattling
mothers tender prattle to the baby
on her knees, IF she could but have
lived to see you grow up.'
One day, when the invalid upstairs
had sunk SO low that it seemed as if
she could hardly last to the end Of
the week, Philip Durand came past
the little cremerie, which had once
been Suzon Michefs, Oh his way home.
| 1t Was between four and five, and al
ready dusk, and he was startled to
| see the door Of the shop open and a
light within.
! While he stared, wondering whether
Il tenant had been found for the de-
serted house now that trade was look
ing up I; little, SuZon herself emerged
from the darkness within, followed
| by Il man who blew out Il candle, and
came into the street, carrying a bunch
| of keys. The man was landlord, who
had been making an inspection of the
premises with the old tenant
Come, Madame Michel he said.
us he locked the door Oh the outside,
you cannot do better than take down
the shutters tomorrow morning; no
one will do SO we'll us you in that
shop, and now that business is brisk
everywhere, you may make Il better
trade than ever. | shall not raise
your rent
20, but monsieur is 50 generousr'
cried SuzOn ironically; Everybody
knows that rents are going up in
Paris
We'll, l say it shall be The old rent"
III think it over" said Suzon; but
it will be ut least week before | can
decide. Certain it is that L must do
something; one cannot live upon ones
savings forever"
1t was Il suicide TO shut I'D such
Il shop as that, except for just the
week of the barricades. But you are
not half the woman you We're, Madame
Michel; the air of your present abode
cannot agree with you"
He wished her good-evening and
trotted away, lingering his bunch Of
keys. Two minutes afterwards she
met Philip Durand face to face.
Yes, she was changed. The woman
of the people, the amazon, the petro-
lei e, was curiously subdued and soft
ened. Some Christening influence had
SubJuSated her vehement nature, and
altered the expression Of her counte-
nance to a degree that was almost
Il transformation
Monsieur Durand" she exclaimed
with Il startled look; and then she
said quietly, Il am Il stranger in this
nci@hborhood now. 1t is like coming
back to an old life How is your
wife,
she is very we'll"
And her sister-Madame Morte-
MARI
She is-dying.'
Dying! That is Il strong phrase"
1T is the truth. We have done all
that care and love could do, but she is
slipping away from us. | have no
hope that she will last to the end of
the month"
What is her malady?'
"A broken heart
"Ah, that is more common than
doctors believe! Has she never got
over the loss Of her husbands"
Suzon had turned to accompany Phil
ip, and they were walking side by
side towards the Rue Git lie Occur.
Never"
Il suppose, though, she is glad that
SeriZier was taken the other day?'
"She was glad; it was her own
work. She only lived to bring the
murderer to justice and that being
accomplished, it seemed as if the
handspring of her life was broken
She brought him to justicer' cried
SUZOn. What do you mean?"
Simply what I say; Serizier's ar
rest was brought about solely by my
sister-in-law; she watched and waited
for him, day by day, for three months.
1t was she. and she only, who brought
him to his DOOM"
Il read in the papers that it was
a woman. but l thought it was a jeal-
Gus woman-some discarded mistress,
perhaps. And you say that it was she
that lily-faced girl-she who tracked
the murderer to his hole?'
"She, and no other
And she is dying?'
Yes, she is dying. The task weak
ened the sources of life; body and
mind were alike exhausted by the long
patient effort-unshared, unknown by
those who loved her-and now a brok-
en- heart has done the rest