The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1894-07-26
CHAPTER discontinued.

Aigiers | distru,ted Roger, and there
fore made up my mind that | would
not turn the letters over to him, but
wrote him few lines telling him OF
my sudden departure from Rouen, and
asking him to write to Saint-Gery and
say that / would hold the letters sub
ject to his orders, but would in 70 ca g
deliver them up to any one else, ex ept
upon his written authorization.
| was absent from France for several
years. Now and then, in runmaging
through my goods and chattels, l would
come upon Saint-Gery's letters, and let
mo assure you, my friends. that
sight of them was always quite enough
to .end a cold shiver down my back.
Upon nv return from Alglers my
health was so impaired by African
fever that determined to resign from
the army and make tour through the
new world For many years my heart
had yearned for its vast rivers. its end
les prairics and pamla a, and its grand
mountain chains. the Rookie, and An
des and it was while ] wa, getting
ready for this extended trip that /
again came upon the Saint-Gery letters
while packing away some book, and
souvenirs that | wished t. leave in
Paris. BY a strange cnincidcn c, that
very day / met another college chum
who informed me that Saint-Gery was
dead, that he had disappeared mot
mystcriously from Rouen. and that
after the lapse of several years the
authorities had accidentally come upon
proof which convinced them that he
had committed >uicide.
This piec # news impressed me
deeply, and as | walked back to my
apartments the scenes of that terrible
night of sutf, ring came up to me in
strange relief. | 'recol ccted every
thing to the smallest degree, although
it was nearly ten years since it had
happen d. and was seized with an ir-
resistiblc inclination t, open the pack
age, and read the letters.
What h .rm:" thought l. saint
Gerry was tire last of his race. There
is n one to whom | can ever deliver
tn, IN Ethe" ! must destroy them
without reading them, + in the case
OF my death the letters would fall into
other hands, and might blacken his
memory by making him out u selfcon-
fcssed murderer, or | may read them
before destr wing them, and thus pO,-
sibl, clear up the awful mystery c ing
ing about Chateau Saint-Gery. l was
sure Of my power to keep any terrible
secret that might be disclosed by the
letters.
! dcliberated for several hours, work
ing myself up into such Il state of mind
that every rustic of the window cur
tains, every creak in the floor, every
or exile of the fire made me start like
q hunted criminal ut tho sound of Il
hand on the door knob. At last |
summoned up resolution enough to
break the seals, and Us | dill SO the
b |, in :. n ,ighbOring church tower
RAM Gu, hourOf midnight. 1t was
n.Othea. II .ange coincidence. and as ]
lis: red to the solemn tones, my flesh
began to c,eap, my hair stitfened, IL
cold sweat beaded my forehead, the
old fear had come back upon me; was
su erin. tho kccncst torture. Gradu-
ally the tit pa .sed OFF. and was able to
proc &C =. with the reading of the let
tors, Thcy We're ne and all love let
tcrs addressed b; Saint Gerry to
-Aurore." They were wildly. almost
temp e>tuOusly, passionate, and more
than ever was | convinced that Saint
Gery's reason had always been more CT
less untixcd. In every le ter there
was some reference to AurOre : giori-
Gus head of hair. and | now felt sure
tina | had not seen Aurore her elf,
but her spirit. t,at she had been fOully
murdered by Saint-Gcry in an excess
of rage and jealousy. Upon unsealing
the third package, l f,u-d IL heavy
tress of golden hair at least five lcet
in length. 1t had been cut from
Aurore head by Saint-Gery. for that
fact was noted in his handwriting. Civ
Ing even the hour, day and date. \
comparison with it Of the few hairs
that had clung to the buttons and gold
la of my coat on that fearful night
seemed to nfirm one of my stron.e
beliefs that the spirits of tho dead UNI
der certain conditions have the power
of II naturalization when they walk the
earth.
Well you will not be surpri. ed when
tell you that | didn't destroy tn Sc
letters, that an intense desire to ferret
out this mystery seized upon me, and
that firmly resolved upon my return
from the new world to set ,cut the
task. and ii possible, to learn the cx-
act fate If the beautiful Aur~ re. You
know what happened. In Rio | met Il
lady, loved her. married her and set
tied down there 1t was twenty wears
before | was destined to Sc, France
again. wa. then an cd man, not in
very robu,, hcalth-a childless wild
over. had com, home to die. but
the sight of oil | friends and native land
gave me now lease of life, and it
seemed ~ me u If began lif. all over.
again. | was passionat ,ly fond of
hunting. and one autumn about ten
years ago while SO engaged in the
northeast of + ance. | was overtaken
by terrific storm. | IL geG my z ide
- find shelter as speedily as posi-
BILE. He assured me that there was
not aioof within four miles of us, and
scarcely were the words out Of his
moath before ! caught sight Of what
scc,ncd t. me TO be Il charcoal burners
cot on the edge of the forest about half
4 mile distant.
Nay. my lord. not there" en-
claimed the man with ge.ture Of
dread. 1T might mean death to us
both
Death to us both" | echoed
Ies." returned tho man, the cot j.
inhabited by II t:ad man, or ole very
nearly 80.
But the storm was now increasing in