Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1894-08-10

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upon the awful mental and physical
wreck before me. II I could but per-
suade him, little as | believed it my
self, that Aurore still lived, that 1 had
seen her, touched her, talked with her
In the old chateau ear Rouen, possibly
l might be able to call his wandering
reason back again. My mind was
made up at once. AS I contemplated
remaining in that region as long as the
hunting season lasted, 1 would send to
Paris for the three packages and de-
liver them to him. The sight of these
letters, the touch of Aurore's beautiful
hair, together with the sound of my
voice, might gradually make Saint
Gery's reason whole again. Alas! Man
proposes, but God disPoses: l carried
ertly laid the three packages on
Saint-Gery's table ono evening and
| then left him alone with those remind.
ers of other days.
The next morning l found the door
locked. We burst it open There sat
Saint-Gery ut the table with his head
supported on n hand, and his eyes
apparently riveted upon something
held in the other.
"Saint-t;ery, old friend, how are you
today" I called cheerily, as 1 laid my
hand on his shoulder.
He was dead. He had died sitting
there with his eyes fixed upon the
strand of Aurore's hair.
Putting q speedy end to my sport in
the woods, l fastened to Rouen, le-
still alive, and, with the proof I had,
extort a confession from him. The old
chateau had been sold for taxes, and
had passed into the hands of q wealthy
manufacturer, who had completely
Transformed the place, destroying its
ancient carvings, panel ngs and hang
ings, and replacing them with tapes
tries. ] didn't know the property. 1t
was utterly 81 orn of its beauty. 1t
made me heavy-hearted to gaze upon
it, so repul,ively fresh and new-look-
ing was the renovated castle and its
garish and pretentious surroundings.
But, thank heaven. Roger was still
alive. l came upon him like one from
the dead, and when he had listened to
the account of my finding Saint-Gery,
and Of his strange death, with tho
strand of AurOre's hair clutched in his
CHAPTER III.
But Saint-G ery's death had accom-
plished thing, at any rate. 1t had
furnished mo with confirmation strong
as holy writ that he had murdered
Aurore, and that it was her material
lied spirit whom I had met in the old
castle, whose icy-cold hair 1 had comb
ed. whose low purring of relief 1 had
listened to as l went about the awful
task of playing hair-dresser to the
dead.
"Saint-Gery," began Roger, with a
sigh, after he had emptied out his
grief in tears, was from his very
childhood possessed of a wild and UNI
governable temper, closely bordering
upon a disordered intellect. He had
fallen madly in love with the daughter
Of n of his tenants. Aurore, as beau
tiful a creature as v breathed, but
the girlfeared him, nay. almost loathed
him. l think. at times; and vet he ex-
ercised q wonderful power Over her,
and when her father died and she was
left alone in the world, Saint-Gery
lured her to this old chateau with q
promise of marriage. For year or so
their happiness seemed to be complete.
but gradually Aurore grew weary of
dismal chambers, with the repulsive-
looking Saint-Gery for q jailer, and
made several attempts to escape. Fail
ing in this, she seemed to become des-
perate, and at different times lured an
old lover of hers to the castle. 1 knew
of this, but had not the heart to tell
Saint-Gery of it. Indeed. l feared
that he might kill her in a fit of rage
if it should come to his ears One day.
however, returning unexpectedly, he
surprised the young man in Aurore's
company. She vas reclining on a sofa
and he kneeling beside her, as had
been his custom when she was a child
in her fathers home, and combing and
braiding her wonderful hair. Saint
Gerry fell upon the young man like an
infatuated demon, and would certainly
have killed him If I had not provi-
dentiallv been in the chateau and res
cued him from my masters clutches.
Now Saint ery's demeanor underwent
q still more sinister change. He be-
came moody, silent and sullen. IT was
only too plain to me that he was plotting
some terrible revenge upon Aurore.
One day all the demons unclaimed in
his soul broke loose at the same in
slant. Selling the Mortified Aurore
by the hair, he dragged her-now so
paralyzed with fear ss to be unable to