Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-07-19

ourselves, would rather she rung
the bell, for l OWNED that she was
thinking:
my dear friend, you do not dis
please me; quite the contrary. But
you must confess that, In the soli-
tude Of Chantilly have scarcely had
opportunity to enjoy my widow
hood. Let me see II It il really
worthy of It's reputation. In year
or two we can talk Of your affair.""
In q year or twol Pretty and
charming as she was, CIarisse would
have q score of adorers around her,
and adorers around the woman one
wants to marry are like flies in the
milk; they may do no great harm,
but they certainly do not improve
| the milk.
Early in September Nine. de Mon
cley informed me one day that she
was going to Paris on tho morrow to
have look at her apartment.
II sincerely hope" she added, in
severe tone, that you do not think
OF accompanying me-"
How can you suggest such a
thingr said !, with apparent sub
mission. "You leave At"
AT eight in the evening, as do
not wish to be seen. l shall send
Nancy in the afternoon to prepare
my room. All, poor Paris |"
She no longer said Poor Charles!"
admit that this Poor Paris I"
made me much more uneasy.
The next evening, at eight o'clock,
the doors of the express train, which
stops hardly a minute, were already
closed. Clarisse had not appeared.
She reached the station just as the
bell rang.
"Quick, hurry up, madame /" cried
the railroad official.
Hurry" l repeated, opening a
compartment ut random and helping
her in.
But instead Of getting in, she fell
back, almost fainting, in my arms.
Here is what she had seen, and l,
too had seen over her shoulder: The
seats of the compartment were unoc-
cupied, and three men, perched like
monkeys on the back of the seats,
held to their shoulders three guns,
whereof the barrels shone in the lamp
light like cannons. One of them, as
we opened the door, had shouted in
terrible voice: Don't come in,
for"
lad closed the door SO quickly
thas we had not heard the end of the
sentence. Then Clarisse and l bum
died ourselves into the next compart-
ment without quite knowing what we
were doing. The train was already
under way We were alone. Nine.
de Moncley seemed half dead with
fear, and l must confess / was vio-
lently shaken.
Did you see them?" she cried.
What can be happening in that
compartment? They are going to
fight-to kill each other! What ter
rible tragedy is to be enacted right
beside us?"
II don't understand it at ALL"
replied. 'Only one explanation seems
possible to me. They are hunters
who have suddenly gone crazy.
Otherwise, why should they climb
upon the seats? II they simply
wanted to kill each other, they could
do it without all that gymnastics.
NO." suggested Clarisse, cit is
some dreadful American kind Of duel.
In such a case, it seems, they climb
up on anything they can find. But
why didn't they stop them at Chan
tilly?"
THE train itself scarcely stopped
there"
did you hear how they called out
Don't come inv? The wretches, they
don't want to be disturbed while they
are Killing themselves. Goodness
Just listeni"
The fusillade had commenced right
beside us. Several gun-shots had
sounded, dominated by a shrill, pier
cling cry, which still rings in my ears.
Then deathly silence ensued; they
were all dead, however bad shots they
might have been.
Though we were making about fifty
miles an hour at the time, / made
ready to get out upon the step and
find out what was going on in our
neighbours compartment. AS l low
cred the window two arms seized me
and voice broken with anguish
but which sounded very sweet, just
the same-gasped behind me:
Philip, il you love me, do not go !
They will kill you!"
/ saw the advantage Of my situa-
ton, and resolved to profit by it.
/ profited by it SO we'll that, afer a
dialogue too intimate to BIO repeated
here, 1 was in position to sing-if l
had voice, which havn't-''Thou-I
on ha-ast said it."
For she had said it. Poor Charles
was distanced now. She had said the
sweet words: II love YOU"
A prey to emotions bordering on the
hysterical, Clarisse sobbed and chung
to me with all her strength, though
had not the faintest desire to in
trude on the massacre next door. AS
for me, 1 was very much occupied
Just then.
That is why, early the next morn
ing, / hurried to my lawyer to speak
to him about the little hotel in the
Avenue Friedland, which was still
for sale, but thank fortune, is now
no longer in the market. Decorators
and furnishers are at work in it, and
when January comes, you will see it
occupied by certain young couple