The record-union., 1895-04-13

81 don't know that 1 wish anything"
said the old father, but to know him out
of the country again. L can't sleep easy
at nights for thinking of him."
convinced as he felt that the poor old
man would never again be troubled with
his worthless son, Armand was unable
To give him the assurance, and after a few
vague consolatory words, left him, heavy
hearted. He had hitherto avoided the
road past the scene of the murder; to his
nervous, sensible temperament the sight
OF the torsaken cottage was too distress
ing; but now some strange impulse, per-
haps morbid one, prompted him TO re-
turn by the DEVILS Caldron. The way
led within few yards of the chasm
which had figured so painfully in his
last nights dream. AS he drew near a
strange feeling of horror overwhelmed
him, anguished sense of troubl and
dismay beyond what any mere associa-
rlon could produce; his knees shook and
his breath seemed almost to fail, For an
instant he fancied he saw the pale red
bearded face OF his penitent against gray
boWlder in the gathering dusk He
crossed himself and looked steadily at it;
it disappeared and he hastened on.
AS he was leaving the church after ves-
pers that evening, it suddenly occurred
to him to count the money again. 1t
could hardly be of much avail, since it
could not be used as evidence against the
criminal; but he felt desire to examine
it once more. The keys were in his
pocket, where they had lain ever since
he put the coins away on the preceding
night He unlocked the cupboard, and
carried the little box across to his own
room. thinking, as he did so, how
strangely light it felt. The lock was a
complicated one, but the kew made the
double turn with ease; the lid fell back,
and Armand remained gazing into it
speechless with dismay. 1t was abso-
lutely empty! 1t was quite impossible
for anybody to have had access to it; the
sacristy had been locked as fast as the
safe in which the box had been placed.
There was only one solution possible;
he had been the victim of an hallucina-
ton, and no penitent had knelt in the
confessional pouring into his ears the
story of his crime. There was no deliv-
erance after all for poor Herve; the whole
thing must have been a dream. Slender
as the hope had been, the disappointment
was sharp. Armand buried his face in
his hands and burst into tears.
After another sleepless night, tortured
by thoughts Of the unhappy prisoner
awaiting his doom, in the gray of the
morning the priest fell asleep, and again
that hideOus dream came upon him.
| Once more he was among the powders
| by the DEVILS Caldron; he tried to turn
and fly, but unseen hands were dragging
| him on, till he felt himself falling over
the edge, and clutching wildly, with
| hoarse cry, he woke. To sleep again was
impossible; he rose and sat by the win
| dow till daylight broadened in the
east. Then a thought came to him; he
| dressed and went out, walking with
| quick, firm stride in the direction OF the
gorge. The sun had risen by the time he
| reached the spot, and was shining down
! into the awful chasm. As Armand
| leaned over the brink his eyes fell upon a
| PROSTATE body, with pale face, framed in
| a ragged, tawny beard, turned up to the
! pitiless light; one arm was bent and
| doubled under the body as though
! broken; in the other hand was a stocking
| OF coarse, gray wool knotted in the mid
die; the dress was that of a sailor.
| Within half an hour the gendarmes
were on the spot, and the corpse was
! drawn up with ropes and examined. 1t
was identified as Jean Baptiste Goan by
| the scar on The eyebrow. Without doubt
| the man had been dead a considerable
| time; and every indication pointed to a
! fall in his flight on the night of the muir
| der. His back was broken and his arm,
| and there were no wounds about him to
| account for the blood stains on his hands
and clothes; moreover sailors dirk,
| much stained, was sticking in his belt.
! Armand asked to be allowed to see the
| contents OF the stocking; they were six
| teen Napoleons and one Spanish doub-
J loon. Ihe feIIoW-stOcklng was found in
Mother Nedelec's bureau. So Herve's
! innocence was established. The dead
man mad already paid the penalty of his
crimes. and passed beyond the reach of
| human justice.
Armand kept silence about the events
of the night of All Souls; but long after
he had been removed to a different post,
far from Brittany, mysterious rumors
| crept about, and a new legend grew up
| flRVIPE IaIHTnn-fha nf
miraculous vision vouchsafed in answer
| to the prayers of a saint, uncanonized
save in the hearts of his people.-Mac-
milIan's Magazine.