The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1895-04-25


had a charm tor him. Every change of
weather and season was registered there
as plainly as if he could see the surface
of the world. In the summer the states
seemed to have great fire beneath
them. for a quivering hot air rose up
from them, and the pigeons never alight-
ed ON them save i'll the early morning or
in the evening. just over the peak OF
the roof could be seen the topmost
branch of an oak, too slight to bear the
weight of the pigeons, but the caves un-
der the projecting roof were dark and
cool, and there his eyes rested when he
tired of the hard blue sky and the glare
Of the roof He could also see the top Of
the hospital windows, barred up and
down, but never anything within, for
the windows were ever dusty, and all
was dark beyond. But now and then he
heard bitter cries coming through one
open window i'll tho summer time, and
he listened to them grow fainter and
fainter, till they sank to a low moan
ing and then ceased altogether.
In winter the roof was covered for
months by blanket Of snow, which
looked like shawl of impaeted wool,
white and restful, and the hospital win
dows were spread with frost. But the
pigeons We're the same-almost as gay
and walking on the lodges of the roof
or erowding on the shelves of the lead
pipes He studied them much, but he
loved them more. His prison was less a
prison because of them, and i'll the long
five years of expiration he found himself
more in touch with them than with the
wardens of the prison or any of his com
panions.
With the former he was respectful,
and he gave them no trouble at all.
With the latter he had nothing in COM
mon, for they were criminals, and he
he had blundered when wild and mad
with drink, so wild and mad that he
had no remembrance, absolutely none,
of the incident by which Jean Nigot
lost his life. He remembered that they
had played cards far into the night
that they had quarreled, then made
their peace again. that the others had
loft; that they had begun playing cards
and drinking again, and then all was
blurred, save for vague recollection
that he had won all the money Nigot
had and had pocketed it. Then came a
blank He walked to find two officers of
the law beside him, and the body of
Jean Vigot, stark and dreadful, a few
feet away
When the officer put their hands upon
him, he shook them off. When they
did it again, he would have fought them
to the death had it not been for his
friend tail Medallion, who laid a
strong hand on his arm and said,
STEADY, Converse, steady!' and he bad
yielded to the firm, friendly pressure.
Medallion had left DO stone unturned
to clear him at the trial, had himself
played detective increasingly, but the
hard facts remained there, and on a
chain Of cireumstantiai evidence Louis
Converse, the young seigneur, was sent
20 prison for ten years for mau,laugh
ter. That WIS the compromise effected
Louis himself had said only that he
didn't remember, but he could not H.
jCve he had committed tho e1imo. R6b-
bcy. He shrugged his shoulders at
that IIeinsistod that his lawyer should
not reply to the insulting and foolish
suggestion
But the evidence had shown that
Vigot had all tho winnings when the
other members of the party left the two,
and this very money had been found in
Louis pocket There was only Louis
word that they had played cards again.
Anger? Possibly Louis could not re-
member, though he knew they had quar-
relied. The judge himself, charging the
jury, said that he never before saw "A
prisoner so frank and outwardly Honest,
but warned them that they must not
lose sight Of the crime itself, the taking
of human life, whereby woman was
made widow and a child fathorless.
And so with the few remarks the
Judge sentenced the young Seigneur to
ten years in prison, and then himself,
shaken and pale, left the courtroom hur-
riedly, for Louis Conytrse's father had
been his friend from boyhood
Louis took his sentence calmly, look
ing the judge squarely in the eyes, and
when the judge stopped he bowed tn
him, turned to the jury and said: Gen
tlemen, you have ruined my life. You
don't know, and | don't know, who
killed the man You have guessed, aud
take the penalty. Suppose IN limo
cent. How will you feel when the truth
comes out? You've known me more.or
less these 90 years, and you We said with
no more knowledge than We got that
did this miserable thing. | don't know
but that one Of you did it, but you ara
safe, and take my ten years
lie turned from them, aud as he did
so he saw a woman looking at hlm from
corner of the courtroom with
strange wild expression AT the mo-
ment he saw no more than an excited,
bewildered face but afterward this face
came and went before him, flashing la
and out of dark places in a hooking
sort of way. Az L. 4,I, from the
courtroom another woman made her
way to him in spite Of the guards, 1t
was the little CHI mist wife who years
before had been his fathers housekeeper,
who had been present when he first
opened his eyes on the world.
MY poor boy! My poor boyl' she
said, clasping his manacled hands.
He kissed her Oh the cheek, without a
word, and hurried on into his prison.