The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-01-11
TRANSFORMATION
By ROBERT BARR.


o touch of adverse circumstance may
transform a quiet, poaceable, law abid-
ing citizen into u malefactor whose
heart is filled with u desire for vengo.
ance, stopping at nothing to accomplish
1t.
In n little narrow street OFF the broad
Rue do Rennes, near tho great terminus
Of Mont Parnasse, stood the clockmak-
Ing shop of the brothers Delore. Tho
window was filled with cheap clocks,
and depending from q steel spring at
tached to the top Of the door was q bell
which rang when any one entered, for
the brothers were working clockmakers,
continually busy in the room at tho
back of the shop, and trade in the
neighborhood was not brisk enough to
allow them to keep an assistant. The
brothers bad worked amicably in this
small room for 20 years anI were re.
ported by tho denizens of that quarter
Of Paris to bo enormously rich. They
were certainly contented enough and
had plenty Of money for their frugal
wants, as we'll as for their occasional
exceedingly mild designations at the
n~oighboring cafe. They had always Il
little money for the church and u little
money for charity, and no II had ever
heard either of them speak a harsh
word to any living soul, and least of all
to each other.
Ono evening, just as they were about
to close tho shop and adjourn together.
- A. aop, Nl, I'LL ,.1 R(|D,
went forward t9 -ffr,Ta- whhaatt-w6s want
ed.-1ie found waiting for him an UNI
kempt individual of appearance so dis.
reputable that he ut once made up his
mind that here at last was the thief fer
whom thoy had waited SO long i'll vain.
The mans wild, rowing eye, that seemed
to search out every orncr and Granny
In the place and rest nowhere for longer
than n second at n time, added to De.
lore's suspicious. The unsavory visitor
was evidently spying out the land, and
Adolph felt certain he would do no bust
ness with him at hat particular hour,
whatever might happen later.
The customer took from under his
coat, after n furtive glance at tho door
Of the back room, n small paper covered
parcel and, untying tho string some
what hurriedly, displayed n crude Licco
Of clockwork, made of brass. Handing
it to Adolph he said, "IIow much
would it cost to makes dozen like that"
"What is it used for?"
The MAJ hesitated for q moment. cit
is q part of Il clock" he said at last.
81 don't understand it. never saw
q clock made like this"
"It is an alarm attachment, Z" replied
tho visitor, with somo impaticnce. ct
is not necessary that you should under
stand it. All l ask is can you duplicate
1t and at what price?"
but why not make the alarm ma
chinery part Of the clock? 1t would 10
much cheaper than to mako this and
then attach it to a clock"
The MIN made u gesture Of annoy
ance.
said grufly.
Il don't believe you want this as part
Of a clock. In fact, l think l can guess
why you camo III here, replied Adolph,
as innocent as a child of any correct
suspicion of what tho man was, think
ing him merely n thief and hoping to
brighten him by this hint of his own
shrewdness.
His visitor looked lowcringly at him,
and then, with Il quick eye, seemed to
measure the distance from where he
stood to the pavement, evidently medi.
tating flight.
II will see what my brother says
about this" said Adolph. But before
Adolph could call his brother tho man
bolted and was gono in an instant, lcav-
Ing the mechanism in the hands Of the
bewildered clockmaker.
A~lphonse, when he heard the story of
their belated customer, was even more
convinced than his brother Of the dan
ger of the situation. The man was un.
doubtedly q thief and the bit of clock
work merely an excuse for getting in
side the fortress. The brothers, with
much perturbation, locked up tho estab.
llshment, and instead of going to their
usual cafe they betook themselves as
speedily as possible to the oifico of the
police, where they told their suspicious
and gave a description of the supposed
oulprit. The officer seemed much i'm
pressed by their story.
Before morning the man, who gave
his name as Jacques Picard, was arrest.
ed, but tho authorities made little by
their zeal. Adolph Delore swore posi-.
lively that Picard and his visitor were
the same person, but the prisoner had no
difficulty In proving that be was il q
cafe two miles away at tho time the
visitor was in Dolores shop, while
Adolph had to admit that the shop was
rather dark when IT,, con !ersation
about the clockwork took place. Picard
was ably defended, al lis advocate
submitted that, even if he d been in
he shop, as stated by Delore, and had
bargained as alleged for tho mechanism,
there was nothing criminal in that, un.
less the prosecution could show that he
intended to put what no bought to i'm
Piop'r USES. AS well arrest u man VINO
entered to buy a key for his watch. So
Picard was released, although the DO.
lice, certain he was one Of the men they
wanted, resolved to keep a close watch
on his future movements. But the sus.
pected man, as If to save them unneces.
sary trouble, left two days later for
London, and there remained.
For a week Adolph slept badly in tho
shop, for, although he hoped tho thief
mad been frightened away by the pro-
ceedings taken against him, still, when.
ever he fell asleep, he dreamed Of bur.
glars, and so awoke himself many times
during the long nights.
When 1t came the turn OF Alphopse
TO sleep in Il shop, Adolph hoped for
an undisturbpd nioIt,, voc. T..