Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-05-17

! turned TO clear him at the Crlal,
had himself play ed detective IN
cansingly, but the hard facts re
/ m lined there, and on chain oi
circumstantlaI evidence LOnis
Converse, the young Selgneur was
sent to prison for ten years fol
manslaughter. That was the com
promise effected. Louis himself
had said only that he dIdu't re
men Der, but he could not believe ht
lad committed the crime. Robbery
He shrugged his shoulders at tha
he insistt d that his lawyer SHOULD
not reply TO the insulting anC
foolish suggestion. But the evi
dence had shown that VIgot haC
all the winnings when the Othel
members of the party left the two
aud this very money had beer
found in Louis pocket. There
was only Louis woId that they
had played cards again. Anger
Possibly. Louis could not remem'
Der, though he knew they had
quarreled. The judge himself
charging the jury, said tnat ht
never before saw prisoner sc
fra k and Outwardly honest. but
warned tbem that they must moi
lose sight OF the crime itself, the
taking of a human life, whereby d
woman WAS made widow and
child tdIherless.
And 50 with the few remarks she
/ judge sentenced the young SeigneuI
to Ten Years in prison aud thet
himself, shaken and pale, LEFT TIE
court room hurriedly, for Louis
OOnyerSe's father had been bis
Trend from bOyhOOd.
Louis took his sentence calmly
locking the Judge sqnarely iD tht
eyes, and when the jud g stopped
he bowed to him, turned 10 The
lurv and said. "GtntlemeD, yOI
have ruined my life. You dom
know aud don't know who killed
the man. You have guessed, and
take the penalty. Suppose I'm in'
noceDt, how viii YOU feel when tb'
truth CONES OUT? You've known M
more or less these twenty years
aud you've said with no more
knowledge than Pve got that die
this miserable thing. | don't knoS
but that one Of you are safe, ant
| take my ten years"
lie turned from them, and as h'
did he saw a woman looking a
him from a corner of the cOur
room with a strange wild expires
sion. Al the moment he saw M
more than all excited, bewildere'
face, but atterward this face cam,
and went before him, flashing il
aud out of dark places IN a mock
lug sort OF way. AS he went from
the court room another woman
made her way to him 10 spite o
the guards. 1t was the littl'
chemists wife who years beior'
had Ceen his fathers hOusekeepeT
who had been present when he trs
opeued his eyes on the world.
"My poor DO ! My poor boy!" she
said claspiug his manacIed hands
He kissed her on the cheek, with
out a word, and hurried on into hl
prison, anG the good word wa
shut out. In prison he refused !
see all visitors even Medallion, th
little chemists wife, and the goo
Father Fabre. Letters, too, he IT
fused to accept aud read. He ba
no contact, wished no contact, viii
tie outer world, but lived his hard
Ioueiy lie 10y himself, Silenr, b OoC
lug, studiOus- for now books wei
t. him a Pleasure. And be wrOi'
too, but never 10 any soul OuIsld
the prison. This life had nOthlD
to do with the world from which b
came, aud he meant that 1t shOul
not.
, So perfect a prisoner wa~ b
that the warders prote cted bl
. from visitors, and be was nev'
p ut once or twice stared at, al
I then he saw nothing, heard not
/, ing. He had entered his prison
p wild, excitahle, dissipated yOut'
and he had become mature, qule
n broOding man. Five years hs
J.. done the work Of twenty. He ba
9 lived the life of the prison, yet
4 was not part of it, nor yet W.
q he part of the world wlthou
= And the face of the woman wi
a Looked at him so strangely IN q
court room haunted bin now al
then, so that at last it became
y part OF his real life, which WI
4 lived standing by the windo'
a where he looked out at the pigeOl