The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-05


her lonely cottage near the Park, and
Develle. the pale and scholarly young man
who had killed her for her money, began
TO grow easier in mind as the efforts of the
police to find the criminal relaxed, and
then came altogether to an END. So in
genlous had been the plan of the murder,
and SO accurate its execution, that only an
accident could have revealed him as its
author. There was but one point upon
which his mind held any uncertainty
whether or not he had even been sus-
pected. The unrelaxing watchfulness
which he kept upon his circumstances had
revealed what he feared was yelled police
observation OF his movements, beginning
about a week after the tragedy; but he
reasoned that, making allowance for his
anxiety over the frightful dangers which
encompassed him, he had really no great
cause for fear, and could not do better than
be open and free in his conduct.
1t is not supposable that such a man as
he, young, finely organized and well edu-
Gated, could be in normal condition of
mind after the commission of so atrocious
a deed nor, therefore, that his bearing
could be perfectly of the kind usual with
him. He himself knew this, and that
made his effort to appear normal all the
more strenuous, and hence the result all
the more artificial 1t was then that he
made disheartening discOvery-that the
finer the organization of a man who COM
mits crime the more difficult it is for him
to conceal it under an assumed carelessness
of demeanor; that the advantage which a
highly constituted mind enjoys in the plan
ming and execution of crime is offset by
the subsequent strain which does not
affilct criminals of low order; and that in
comparison with the fear of discovery and
punishment, the prickings of conscience
and dread of divine chastisement have an
exceedingly insignificant value. 1t is only
after one has committed crime that one
realizes how dreadful and oyershadowing
is the law
He was bordering these matters one
evening with all the dangerous .shrewdness
of his kind, when he discovered sitting
opposite him at the restaurant tablea fine,
scholarly looking old man, who had dis
trait manner. The stranger was thin, bent
and bloodless, so that he shivered His
air was gentle and patient, and he bore his
discontinue without grumbling.
Il beg your pardon, sir" he remarked
to Develle, but are you resident of San
Francisco, and if so can you tell me if the
summer evenings are always so cool as
this ?"
YES" answered Develle, az live here,
and the summer evenings are generally
COOL
Then you are accustomed to the climate
and enjoy it?"
Yes and you also shall like it when it
has made you stronger"
Thus they fell into an acquaintanceship,
which, 1t may be guessed, was most well
come to the young man. The stranger
talked very freely and simply about his af-
fairs, saying that he had worn himself out as
a private tutor in New York, and that hav-
ing saved little money he had decided
to end his days in peace and comfort in
the pleasant climate OF California; ''but
this is my first day here, and, coming as
do from so hot a summer, this cool air
makes me SILVER"
They met often at the restaurant, and
under the influence OF the strangers
gentle, half-timid. but thoroughly whole
some influence, the young man advanced
steadily in the task of self-mastery.
name was Enderlin) was calling on him,
they fell into discussion Of strange and
occult things, and both became deeply in
terested, as sensitive persons generally do
in talking over matters of that kind. Pres
emily Develle told the following story:
There is legend in my family (Which
on my fathers side is French) that runs
to this effect: A long time ago certain
Develle, from whom l am descended, was
a clockmaker N Toulon. In his leisure
moments he worked upon a clock that was
to be his own and that should be handed
down to his descendants. 1t required
twenty years of patient labor and contriv-
ing at odd times to produce this master
piece, for a wonderful mechanism it is
said to have been.
Here is the strange part of the story
Not long after he had finished it and found
that it had fulfilled all his hopes in prov
ing to be the noblest and most accurate
timepiece that had ever been constructed,
he was so filed with pride that he called
together all the members of the family of
DeYelie to see the clock and celebrate it
with feast. In the speech which he made
he recounted the infinite pains and labor
which he had employed to produce it, and
with great solemnity announced that it
was to perpetuate the name of Develle, the
clockmaker of Toulon, and as it was made
so as to be practically indestructible it
should be handed down from father to son
and kept in the possession of the Develles
as long as the name should persist on the
earth For, he explained, my soul shall
go into this clock when die, and the heri-
tage which 1 leave shall stand guard over
the integrity of my name. Let every man
of the name of Develle who shall come
after me regard this timepiece as his friend
and mentor, and cherish it as possession
which heaven has yielded up for his good.
Upon concluding these words the old
clockmaker fell dead"
Mr.. Enderlin listened to this story with
the sharpest interest, and his eyes were
wide and bright, like those of child hear
ing about ghosts.
well, is that all?' he asked, betraying
disappointment.
mo; there are other things to come.
1t is related that at the moment when he
died the wonderful clock gave evidence of
violent perturbation: the wheels whirred