The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-30

tcnco which they had never expected, took
counsel with tho prisoners advocate i'm
mcdiaicly signed an appeal for mcrcy and
returned homo with tho bliSsful satisfnc-
ton BORN al The consciousness that they
hiiI done tlirir duty.
Tho president of the republic, on tho
strength OF tho appeal from tho jury. COM
mu'ed the sentence to penal scrvitutc for
life, and Rhodic was conveyed To tho He
do Re pending The departure of the first
oonvic. ship ,cr New Caledonia At first
he was dazcd, but he gradually recovered
his senses. Tho verdict ho regarded us
monstrous, but littlo by little he became
reconcilcd to tho fuit accompli, and If a
sentiment of bitterness remained in his
heart it was against the concierge primary
cause of all his misfortune.
If ever hc came across him. he told him
self rs he clinchcd his fists, what a re-
Vengo he would takel How could man
condemned topenal scrvitudo for lifo hopo
ever to be ablo to tako revenge upon his
enemy? 1t matters not. Hope springs
eternal In the human breast
Jean Rhodio passed his spare time in
prison i'll composing grand opera in flvo
acts, entitled tho "Goldcn Fleece" and
three years after his arrival in tho Ilo dcs
Pins, where no had been relegatcd. and
where he enjoyed almost absolute liberty,
he was enabled to put in execution q
scheme which ho had long carcssod. This
scheme was tho foundation of u school of
music reserved for certain catcgorics of
the natives.
Rhodie YVES Mt once director and sccrc-
tary, professor of harmony, fugue, coun-
terpoint solfcggio and naturally of tho
Violin a burglar who possessed some
talent as clarinctist was placed in charge
OIL the wind instrument class, and an OK
notary, forgcr and dramatic author was
exclusively charged with tho defamation
section.
Some of tho natives had splendid bass
voices, ana Il little girl, McollaI iki, gave
fair promise of becoming u second Patti
Jean Rhodic, happy in his enterprise,
had spent five years teaching tho natives
of tho He dies Pins tho gentle art of music,
when ono day the commissary of police Mt
Nice received IL visit from young woman
who appeared to he prey to violent grief
Sho explained between hcr sobS that Sho
had been abandoned by her master and
mistress and WAS absolutely pennilcss
| She had been abroad with them for sew
eral years, and on their return to Nice they
had turned Ter out.
Iho young woman was none other than
Marianne, Jean Rhodic's missing servant
| Hor strange conduct and disappearance
| qucnces for the violinist, is easily OK
| planned. Sho was in love with a valet in
tho service of rich Foreigners, who resided
IN the Plaino Moncoau. Suddenly tho for
| olgnerS took their departure. What were
| the lovers to do? Fortune came to their
aid. On tho day previous to that fixed for
| leaving Paris kitchen maids place be-
| came vacant. Marianne was accepted and
leaving several months pay behind her
went off without notifying thodic in order
| to escape from his rcmonstranccs
| She had intended to write, but had nut
1t off and put it off till finally sho never
wrote mt all. Now, however, that she
| found herself in Nice, abandoned by her
| lover without parents and without friends,
sho thought of her former master and beg
| gcd to be sent to Paris.
| The commissary acccdcd to her request
! alter valnly trying for II week to find her
place. Tho money for her fare was ad
Vanced out of the public funds on condi-
ton that it should DO reimbursed upon
her arrival. On reaching the capital Mari
ammo at once hastcnod to the Ruo Nollct.
Not only was the concierge no longer
there, but her master had disappeared,
and none Of the dodgers knew anything
about him. In the height of her perplcxity
sho was sent for by the commissary of DO.
L
due from her to the state.
She was, of course, unable to pay
| Then" said tho commissary, lyon
VIII have TO go to prison for 10 days for
dcfaulting the state
! The terrified girl burst into tears.
All, she exclaimed, "if only Iay old
master had been there, he would have
saved MEL
Your ole master? What mastcr:"
| qucricd the commissary
| Why, Nj. lean Rhodio, of course, with
whom served for over five years"
| "Hold hard!,' exclaimed the magistrate.
tapping his forehead He Thought awhile.
and then tho circumstances of lean
Rhodics trial and condemnation cam,
back to him.
| SO you were Jean Rhodio's SERVANT
| he exclaimed.
| Eyes sir"
| And you are not dcad?"
dead: Nor
| Then tell mo where you went To and
what you have been doing since YOU left
| Paris"
| 'Woll, " said tho commiSsnry after lis
tening To her story, your prccipiintn de-
| pafltlrc was the cause of m innocent
| man condemnation" And he told her
the whole history of Jean Rhodic's trial
and conviction.
| Mhriahhc's astonishmcnt and grief can
| be imagined.
The commissary of the Batignollcs quar-
| ter was an energetic and cnterprisins
! luncilonary. He went to work to obtain
Jean Rhodic's liberation, and after months
OF hard work, in which ho was aided as
siduously by Rhodes rcmorscful counsel,
| who had given up the bar and made "a
fortune as n soap boiler, the barriers OF
red tape wcro surmountcd and Jean
| hhodlc was sent back TO France free