The Winslow mail., 1899-07-27

| from the window, ana inhaled the frag
rance borne from the flowers in the gar
den below. Suddenly Icons gaze fell
upon a man who was sauntering amid
| the shrubbery. He walked with head
bent down, cigar in his mouth, and
his hands thrust into his pockets. As
he turned the moonlight fell upon his
face. 1t was the Englishman's disso-
late nephew.
| The night wore on. Leon and his
bride had almost forgotten their Eng
iish neighbor, when they heard
| strange sound in his room. 1t was that
of the fall of some heavy body. Mingled
with this there was a peculiar crushing,
| grating sound, followed by stified cry.
Silence. Then there were two or three
muttered oaths, and silence again.
The young couple shuddered. What
could it mean? Leon tried to reassure
his trembling companion, but he was
interrupted by the cautious opening of
| the next door. 1t was softly closed
again, and then slow and apparently
careful footsteps were heard in the hall.
They were lost in the distance. They
ceased. Again all was still.
Soon the young bride was sleeping
calmly. But not so Leon. Despite him.
self, the sinister face of the English
mans nephew returned to his recollec
ton. There was hatred, he thought, in
the glance cast upon the uncle by the
young man when he left him; and then
the roll of bank notes in the valise,
And the dull, heavy sound but now, like
the fall of body upon the foor-the
cry-the curses. Such was the train of
thought that ran through Icons mind.
Mechanically he fixed his eyes upon
the door which communicated with the
| Englishman's room. There was little
space between the bottom of the door
and the flooring. By the dim light fall
ing from the partially turned-down gas,
he could see something forcing its way
under the door. 1t seemed, at first, like
that of knife blade, for the edge was
thin. and reflected back the light. 1t
moved slowly toward a little blue satin
slipper, which had been thrown care
| lessly near the door.
''Nhat can it be?" thought Leon. "Is
it knife? No, for it has divided into
two parts. And now it divides again
and yet again. What can it be? 1t is
some liquid"
The thing slowly crawled toward the
little blue slipper. 1t encircled its heel.
1t stained its front. 1t was a liquid. 1t
was liquid OF strange and unmistaka-
bic color-the color of blood.
For a long time Leon lay and gazed
upon the stained slipper and the red
dish stream which encircled it. He
pictured to himself the corpse lying in
the next room; it's discovery the follow
ing morning; the door opening into the
room, of which the bolts were on his
side: the blood-stained slipper. These
things passed through his mind, and a
cold sweat started out upon him. He
attempted to rise and hide the slipper;
as he did so his wife awolle and started
with alright as she felt his icy hand.
"What is the matter?" she cried.
Leon explained to her the terrible
situation in which they were placed.
He arose and attempted to remove the
tell-tale stains from the slipper, but it
was useless.
Day was breaking. Already the serv-
ants were moving around the hotel.
In few hours the crime would be dis
covered and the officers of the law
would be upon them.
"Alas," said Leon, ''our only hope is
this: At eight o'clock The train leaves
for Paris. If the Englishman's body
is not discovered before that time we
are safe. We will take the train and
lose ourselves in the great city. There
we shall be safe
His weeping bride flung herself upon
his bosom. She felt almost as though
she had committed the deed.
But there yet remained two mortal
hours before the train left. At each
step in the corridor they trembled with
alright. They made their prepara-
tions for departure. Icons bride
wished to burn the bloody slipper, but
he restrained her and concealed it on
his person.
Seven o'clock sounded. The hotel
was alive with bustling servants. Leon
forced his wife to take cup of coffee.
although she declared that her parched
throat refused to swallow. They then
descended into the waitingrOom, and
Leon demanded his bill. The host pre-
sented it, and begged his pardon for the
| noise of the previous evening. Leon
assured him that they had passed very
quiet night.
''Well, I'm glad of it, said the host;
however, your neighbor on the left
didn't disturb you much, I'll be bound.
He's sleeping like a dead man yet"
Leon shuddered. His wife grasped
his arm convulsively.
Hes an English Milford" continued
the host We've got another English
man here. too, who paid his bill and
left this morning. He gave me an Eng
lsh bank note. hope it's good. Look
at il. What do you think?"
He showed Leon bank note. On one
corner OF it there was a reddish stain
sit seems to be good one," said
Leon. with forced calmness. ''I<ow
long before the train goes?"
'Half an hour yet, replied the host.
At this moment waiter entered.
Gimme some brandy and soda, quick,
for the English Milford" ne remarked,
''and send up a chambermaid with a
mop; he dropped bottle of port on