Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-06-12
A LIVING TOMB.

Four years ago spent the sumIne
In France July found me In the depart
mcnt of Calvado-, Normandy. at u vii
lage near Cacn. q mine of antiquities
The cure. Father Aloysius. showe'
mo everything which he thought woul,
interest q stranger A some slight re
turn for his kindness ! asked him Il
lunch with me- We went To the hotel
Very old. with snowy hair and fao'
n ruddy as n pippin 81 his provinces, m,
companion carried sunshine wherever h
went lie had a chcery greeting fo
all. and II was easy to sse that all ven
Grated him.
"Ycs. monsieur. my rcople know me.
he said Ia answer to some remark.
Forty seven years have laboret
among them IL IL almost q lifetime
The church has called mc often. NJ,
friends say ! might have been bishop
but could not leave"
A group ~ men oxcitcdly g,-ticulat
ing stoui rUund the hotel door. The,
came On mcst us hurriodly.
"IIavc you heard. fsthcr-havo yor
hcardl" they cried
"No. my friends" be- answered
"what IL the ncwsi'
Several spoke at once. but this il th'
gist of what they said;
"You know the old castle IL soldi tt
q rich bourgoois-ycsi The place Is tum
blo down. ile will have II repaired
Pierre valois and Jean Prudhomm'
went with their tools this morning q
tax. down some masonry. NJ. GrOus
sct. the purcha-r-ho was there toa
They found q skeleton in the wall "
"Sacrcd name!' cried tho priest,
whiio as q corpse AT vallonl No
Not mile away' Impossiblel'
at IL truc."
Father Aloysius turned % me ii,
shook like man with the ague
"You will pardon ma. monsieur
must ~ at once This Il y great discov'
cry. will verify IL and rturn.
lie hastcncd away. I lunched alone
II was I o'clock when he cAmo back,
still pale AMI very subduod
81 have ipen rude" he said 81
crave again n thousand pardona could
not tear myself away. forty.sevcny year
I have sought what chance has brought
TO light t0iay. You shall hear
'forty.sc,cn years ago came io THU
village had bccn asked 90 take charg,
of 10 In the absence of the cure II wa
my second night hcrc--so dark on,
could not scc ones hand Twas tired
had bssn visiting tho sick. lay down
In my sout.nc and slept Aloud knock
ing awoko me
who IL therci' I cried.
+" Friends of tho church. avoicc an
swercd
"IoIsncd the door. Two men entered.
tall and well dressed I could not 80
their faces They wore masks
"'Aro you thu curcr said the mar
who hal answered mc-a foreigner by
his Accent
IL explained.
mo matter. hc said: 'one priest 4.
n good ~ another. A man IL dying.
He wishes o. receive at~olution Will
you go''
II hc.i,aied will you explain why
you wear thoso masksi' I said.
"iIo laughed. IL Is the simplest thing
In the world. We do not wish 10 IL
rvcognizcd Now. will you goi Your
poor will benefit.
81 an, rSs,ly. replied
"a carriage stood outside the door.
Ny poor lamp revealed IL. I entered u
with the spokesman The other mount.
ell the box Many times the carriag,
turned completely round
"'Doos your companion not know the
way'' asked
est IL very dark. was the reply.
81 have bscn reminded ~ the circum'
stances. apparently trivial. today. Al
the time I suspected nothing. know
now that the carriage was turned "a
confuse me- My companion was tact
turn He answered me No. Yes
"Many miles We travelled. 20 or
more Two hours we had journeye'l
when the carriage stopped In . paved
yard
"'we alight here. said my morce
companion
IL followed him The coachman de.
sccndod. could not sec him could
not distinguish the carriage
"'fs it necessary TO blindfold the
pri.ti' he asked.
"'No. was the reply.
"Iwas di-luietcd. but not afraid A
poor monk need not fear robbcr<
"'Givc me your hand. said my fel-
low traveller.
IL obcyed He led mo along passage
between high walls
'The sounds told me- We crossed an
other paved yard snd climbed . stone
staircase The apartment we entered
was tagged My guide halted
The priest Is here, he said In a
loud voice ] saw nothing. His yoice
echoed ~ II In an empty room Of vast
size
"'where IL tho dying manY I asked.
I" Stand clO-e TO the wall. lie plac.
ell me In position. Cold air struck m!
facc-a draft There was cavity.
The priest Is here. my guide repeated
"Thcn ! heard another voice, very
faint, as Of q man near death. Ia he
alone'' IL said
"'No.' I answered. 'One of the meil
who brought me here stands beside ma
"The poor wretch sighed.
"'I will retire, said my companion
His footsteps sounded like those cf ono
walking In . vault The dying man
heard.
"'You are alone nowr he said
"'Ycs, I answered Speak on p
"Ifs did 80 All. mousieur. ! thought
I was dreaming.
"I am near death. need the last
rites Of the church, he said
Confess your sins. answered.
my sins are trivial. he returned.
4 would speak Of q great crime i oc-
cupg . cell twice the width Of my body.
I know not where am condemned "a
die Of starvation know not why.
have never injured . fellow creature
my blood boiled Speak on, ] "
peate,l-
"'My name IL Jules Davoust, he re-
sumed. i am Of Caen and well known.
I was o happy man until ! met Sophie
Polinski. Aye. aftsrward ] was happy.
She IL Polish. Of noble family. 30 aha
told me- All. father. she u beautiful
loved her ! love her still shs return