Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-02-25
THAT SEDAN CHAIR.

the fright of a lifetime"
"a sedan chair?"
eyes. Listen, if you would know all
about it," And he told us the following
story:
"a love tale" said he, "of the city
Of Lille, Of my twentieth year, and my
pastry cooks daughter, a mere child,
but SO pretty, so sweet, so adorably CO.
quettish; moreover, so admirably skill.
ed in all pertaining to her fathers bust.
ness. Nowhere else could / buy such
cake, such buns, such sugared almonds.
And the stacks and stacks Of rich con.
fections that l devoured each day to
prove my devotion!
1.-THE fire Of my love-which she re-
turned between the smiles bestowed
upon her fathers customers alone
saved me from gastritis by consuming
the heaviness of my stomach.
"This was the state of things, when,
one day, l CHANGED to find the pass key
Of lie PEREZ, who spent half his time in
the wineshop across the way and the
other half gossiping at his door with his
equally idle neighbors.
Determined to profit by this piece Of
luck, l managed to speak a word to Vic
toire, my little sweetheart. and to pro-
pose to her a visit to the theater that
evening, if she could elude the vigi.
lance Of her mother and join me unseen.
She could easily re-enter by means of
the pass key.
"Viotoire was charmed with my in.
spiration, and six hours after I had con.
ceived the project we had carried it into
execution. Although it was the middle
Of the winter the night was superb, a
late rising moon, but thousands Of bril-
liant stars shining from every quarter
Of the heavens. Victoire trembled like
4 leaf in the wind, but I was filled with
such burning ardor that it mounted to
my head like a drink of wine.
"We We're young, you see; the thea
ter, for us q scene Of enchantment, in
love with each other and more than
happy. Our hearts, like the strings Of
some delieately tuned instrument, vi
brated to the slightest touch. In fact,
we forgot everything but each other and
never thought Of moving when ut last
the final curtain fell until the lampist
appeared to turn out the lights
"Hurrying then to the street, we
found that the night had changed. The
stars were gone, the moon hidden under
a canopy Of clouds, a cold, penetrating
rain beginning to fall and all the sedan
chairs gone with the stars.
"No, I was wrong; n was left
standing by the roadside a little way
below us. At sight Of it a fatal idea
popped into my brain. 1t was not yet
very late, and I had still so many beau.
tiful things to say to Victoire. Why not
get into that chair, a refuge from the
chilly rain, and talk everything all over
again?
"The clock at the corner was just
striking 12 as we slipped into our NOV.
able apartment, rather cramped. to be
sure, but both Of us were light and
thin; so, drawing close and snug like
birds in a nest, we awaited the passing
of the ENTHUSIASTICALLY awaited it,
t%oo-when all at once something very
strange occurred.
"The door of the house near which
the chair was standing opened noise
lessly, as If hung IN velvet, and two
men looked out, evidently desiring
neither to be seen nor heard.
Assured Of solitude and u clear
coast, they descended to the street, bear
ing in their arms o heavy burden. Just
at that instant the moon slid from un-
der the clouds, and we distinctly saw
that this burden was q human being
wrapped in a long cloak closely muffied
about the face and shoulders.
"This was startling enough, but fancy
our horror when the bearers Of this
strange load moved straight to the chair
where we crouched in terror, and one OF
them already had his hand on the door
when Victoire uttered q stifed shrek,
answered bya frightful oath, and quick
as a flash the men were gone IS they
had come, and the door reclosed as soft.
ly as it had opened.
"Tho whole thing had passed go quick
" that we might have believed it some
fearful vision, only doubt was not pos
sible-we had. seen it-both Of Us had
distinctly seen the same thing, and
without = spoken syllable were filled
with the same blood freezing thought
murder-a murder doubtless committed
In this very house, from which the muir.
derers were now seeking to carry away
and to conceal all traces Of the crime
with the victims body.
"'Oh, let us 60, let us GOT moaned
Victoire tremblingly. Let as 60 al
once, Jacques. am 90 frightenedP
go? Yes ! wa willing enough, but
howi For as victoire spoke, two men
emerged from the darkness around us-
we could barely distinguish them, o.
the moon had gone behind q cloud again
caught up the chair and were bearing
us away into the dismal night.
"This was a predicament. We were
stupeied. What must we do? Cry out,
and make q dreadful scandal Betray
/ Viotoire, and expose myself to the risl
Of discoveryf Never! II was not to be
thought Of! It wal not to be thought
oil II was one Of those times when trust
In ohancs was the only resource. hoping
~ blind confidence to propitiate her
favor.
J Perhaps this was y cass; perhaps,
go