Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-09-24

st. CrOix!" ! exclaimed, fercely
"He would not he SO basel" And We
was not even this better than the bin
vengeance had myself attributed +
him?
"perhaps not" Croisette answered
while he gazed EDWARDS through tn
twilight. We were at the time the fore
most Of the party. save the vidame
and there was nothing to interrupt oul
view Of his gigantic figure as h
moved on alone before us with bowed
shoulders. perhaps not" Croisett'
repeated, thoughtfully "Sometimei
! think we do not understand him, ant
that after all there may be worse peo
Pile in the world than Beers"
looked hard at the lad. for that was
not what had meant. Worse"
said. u do not think So Hardly"
"Yes, worse" he replied, shaking hi'
head. "Do you remember lying under
the curtain in the box-bed at Mire
poix's?"
"0f course do. Do you think
shall ever forget it,"
"And Nine. 10 coming in?"
with the coadjutor9." said with a
shudder 'Yes."
"No, the sccoud time" he answered
when She came back alone. II was
pretty dark, you remember, and Nine
de pavanncs was at the window, and her
sister did not see herr"
well, well, remember" ! said i'm
patiently. knew from the tone of his
voice that he had something to tell me
about Nine. do, and | was not anxious
TO hear it. | shrank, as wounded man
shrinks from the cautery, from hearing
anything about that woman; herself so
beautiful, yet moving in an atmosphere
of suspicion and horror. Was 1t shame,
or fear, or some chivalrous feeling hay
Ing It's origin in that moment when 7
had fancied myself her knight? lam
not sure, for had not made up my mind
even now whether ought to pity or
detest her; whether she had made n
tool Of me, or | had been false to her.
"She came up to the bed, you remem-
Der, Anne?" Croisette went on. "You
were next to her She saw you indis-
tinctly, and took you for her sister
And then ! sprang from the bed"
81 know you did," exclaimed sharp
ly All this time had forgotten that
grievance. "You nearly frightened
her out of her wits, st. Croix. Icannot
think what possessed you--why you did
it?"
ITO save your life, Anne" he an
swered solemnly, "and her from a
crime--an unutterable and unnatural
crime. She had come back to-I can
hardly tell 1t you-to murder her sister.
You start. You do not believe me. ].
sounds too horrible. But l could see
better than you could. She was ex-
actly between you and the light, I
saw the knife raised. lsaw her wicked
facel If had not startled her as did,
she would have stabbed you. She
dropped the knife on the floor, and I
picked 1t up and have It, See!"
I looked furtively, and turned away
ngain, sbivering. why" muttered,
'why did she do it?"
"She had failed, you know, to get her
sictcr back to Pavannes' house, where
she would have fallen an easy victim.
Rezers. who knew Nine do, prevented
hat, Then that ficnd slipped back
with her knife; thinking that in the
butchery the crime would be
overlooked, and never investigated, and
that Mlrepoix would be silent"
said nothing. | was stunned. Yet
| believed the story. When went over
he facts in my mind | found that
lo2en things, overlooked at the time,
and almost forgotten in the hurry OF
events, sprang up to confirm II. NJ. de
other NJ. de Pavannes'
suspicious had been well founded.
Worse than Beers was she? Ay! worse
n hundred times. As much worse as
trcachery ever is than violence; as the
pitiless fraud Of the serpent is baser
than the rage of the wolf.
II thought" Croisette added, softly,
not looking ut me, when ! discovered
that you had gone off with her, that l
should never see you again, Anne. |
gave you up for lost. The happiest mo-
ment of my life think was when | saw
you come back
"Croisette," I whispered, piteously,
my cheeks burning, "let us never speak
Of her again"
And we never did--for years. But
how strange is life. She and the wicked