The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-19
COUNT SIX"

xuuoNy yellow DllCerS OubSiuc a Cdio III eiis
Boulevard Michel, and their conversation
TAN upon recently executed anarchists and
the imperturbability with which they met
their doom at the final hour
Henri Caillot grew excited.
1t is couragel" be exclaimed. "1t II
mettle, fortitude-made OF strong stom'
ich and nerves of iron"
'.AIlons doncr' rejoined Roussell, the
sculptor ''It's nothing of the kind. Its
lear, terror, cowardice, more likely"
You call it terror, monsieur"
81 do, and believe l name it rightly.
Then you are q coward yourself. You
have no stomach, no pluck, no nerve"
Several strangers crowded round the ia
bles, and passersby formed an attractive
group upon the pavement. A pretty scene
was expected But they were mistaken.
No; Jean Roussell looked very unlike
IN insulted man thirsting for revenge.
Had not his fellow students at the Ecole
des Beaux Arts been intimately assured OF
his pluck they would have denounced him
all round as a veritable poule mouillee, and
what so vivid picture of shame and pitt
able Incompetence as "wet hen!'
Perhaps" replied Roussell quietly,
you are unable to imagine yourself in the
unique position of a man doomed to the
guillotire, but you may not always be SO
unfortunate.
Il should know how TO de-" said Gail
lot spitefully.
Certainly. You would die as you were
told There would be no option. When
the precursor came to your cell and said,
Your hour has come, be coura geous, If
you were able to walk to NJ. Deibler with
out physical assistance or the friendly
drink it would be the result of terror. not
fortitude''
''Our opinions of my courage are at
variance, NJ Roussell I am willing to
put it TO the test.
The crowd grew expectant again.
"a show of bombast is not my idea OF
courage replied Rousseil. Courage is
exhibited, if at all, under unfavorable
conditions. Good evening, messieurs.
And Roussell, to everybody intense as
constituent and disappointment, arose
from his table and walked away.
Henri Caillot kept bookstall at one Of
the galleries outside the Odeon theater,
and it was his custom each evening to
take constitutional in the Luxembourg
garden opposite before adjourning to a
cafe in the Boulevard Michel.
The rain one night prematurely drove
the band out of the garden, and the idlers
with it, but Caillot was not to be deferred
from his exercise.
He had a regular course-in at the
northeast gate, around the fountain and
ACROSS the garden to where the gay par
terres that night looked swamped and
sorry.
He usually sat on a bench near the
western ratings, but the rain was too
heavy, and darkness was falling rapidly, so
he took a return path, strolling leisurely,
with his umbrella well down over his
shoulders.
Of sudden he stopped, lifted his UNI
brella to aid his vision aud listened.
That surely wasn't tbunderl" he said
aloud.
He was answered by an unearthly
shrek.
The unexpected reply made him start
and look behind him. But no human
thing was visible. He peered right and
left into the semidarkness and assumed
his original position. Neither man nor
beast could he see. His impulse was to walk
quickly away, and he was about to obey
it, but was arrested by repetition of the
noise, Enthusiastically close at hand.
He felt creepy.
That sound emanated from no human
throat The strongest lungs were incapa-
BILE of yielding so eerie blast, no vocal
chords produce it. A tram car horn with
satan believing at the end might achieve
Ii.
By accident his eyes fell upon the bronze
49, *, &c
tant, representing Faun playing with a
panther.
Holy virginP' he exclaimed involun-
tar;ly
The jaws of the panther were moving!
And when they had opened they bel
lowed again, more terribly than before
a cold shudder shook Caillot. He would
have fed, but he was powerless. The slow
ly moving jaws, opening and shutting
with strange regularity, fascinated him.
He knew the animal well. He had scanned
1t with curiosity many time when 1t was
a mere lump of immovable bronze, with
jaws rigidly set that now parted and
closed, and eyes benignly gazing that now
glared with the zest of a coming meal.
And be was sure the beasts head was
swollen with expectation.
holy Virgin!'' he exclaimed again and
crossed himself, expecting, each second, to
see the animal spring, 60 feel its hungry
breath and the blow of its striking body.
But the panther did not spring. It only
moved its massive jaws and beloved and
beloved until the garden echoed with the
blasts, and Caillot's bead began TO swell
and his nerves to grow limp. He was sick
unto fleeing but his feet were glued. He
could have fallen PROSTATE in a flt of ter
ror, but the rain refreshed and preserved
him. So he stood where he was fascinat-
I'd, as a bird TO the tortuous gyrations OF a
snake, and gazcd upon the panther's head
until, as he looked. the animals Jaws
shut to and remained closed. the below
,ng ceased, and instead he heard voice
that in cultural tones snapped out an inn
perative command:
Count six, monsieur
Caillot made no reply. His senses had
been SO stupefled By the sight Of the living
Etatuary that he did not realize the mean
Ing OF the words until another sound
reached his ears and terrified his brain
INTO action.
The statuary movedi The panther was
prepsring to spring, he was sure of it.
Count six, monsieuri'' The command
vas repeated.
holy Virgin, save mer' entreated Call
lot II will give
Count ski" interrupted the voice i'm
peretively.
And Caillos unresistingy counted them
as eoherently as his chattering teeth per-
mittea
In an instant he was surrounded by
friends. Every tree and statue In the Vi
sinity yielded one, and before Caillot real
lzed tho meaning of their grinning faces