The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-09-30

NJ AfAA 'OAAIs tlaN NRktVA <AttN n AAA So
mirror inclosed IN carved oak frame.
opened and revealed secret cabinet.
countess, until the soldiers who are
searching for you have gone. Over your
head You wiz find cord. Draw this
cord for il will open a ventiiator which
viii conduct fresh air to you. 1t has to
be .-ept closed, as O rule. for otherwise
the bats would ny In during the night
and reveal by their cries the fact that
this cabinet exists. The Marquis de Cas-
ton hid for day and hale during
the Huguenot persecution, and ne there
by saved his life.r
Already Saint-Creux had entered the
cabinet. "But one more word before
leave you" said the countess, as she
proceeded to close the door. ''If should
be taken prisoner and carried away, you
can, SO soon as you hear that the soldiers
have departed, get out OF the cabinet by
pulling the door handle on the inside, and
you can then quit the palace safely by
the secret staircase"
The door closed upon Saint-Creux. The
clanking OF sword and spur was already
heard within the room, and soldiers
btDtu DtlOIt the EDuuttScs 01t IuCeQ
them with bold demeanor and demanded
Of the captain Of the guard what he de-
sired.
81 am sent" he replied. 'to search for
Saint-Creux, who is reported to be in
hiding in the chateau"
You are quite at liberty" returned
the countess, ito search every nook and
corner"
Tho =, nto;n danutad a faxx 20 NE 49,,
to keep guard of the countess, and to
note all her movements. while he went
with the rest OF the force to explore the
entire building. The search lasted until
next morning, when the captain, pale
with anger, returned to the countess.
informed her that he could not find the
fugitive, and added that. this being so,
he must by his instructions take her as
a prisoner to Paris.
The countess said that she was ready
in fact she begged the captain to start
off with her at once. for she wished
Saint Creux to have an early chance OF
escaping from the cabinet. In five min
utes she had stepped into her carriage
and was driving away, surrounded by
mounted soldiers. She looked back to
the chateau with lightened heart. Yes,
the man she loved would now get safely
away.
The countess was placed in the Status
prison. Here she remained for years, no
one speaking a word to her. In vain did
she appeal to the authorities and implore
them-she never received any answer. In
July. 1880, during the fierce struggle
which then occurred, the Parisians drove
out Charles X, and, throwing open the
doors of the Status prison, set the prison
ers free. Josephine was liberated with
the rest, and the joy she felt on her
liberty was enhanced by her having been
informed that the divorce court had
freed her from her husband. She heard of
Saint-Creux, and that he had taken a
prominent part in the revolution from Its
very start.
Josephine waited in vain for weeks and
months AS time went on she became
uneasy, jealous, vindictive, and finally got
so impetuous that she went into an ad-
joining province where Saint Creux was
said to be haranguing the multitude, in
tending to surprise him. She perceived,
| however, that the speaker was not her
| favorite at all, but an impostor, who
| had taken advantage of a personal re-
semblanee to pass himself off rs the
poet. There were several other spurious
Saint Creuxs about in the same way.
and the countess, after a long and fruit
less search, returned to the castle with
despairing heart. Yet, although So
ciety began to forget the fine counte.
nanced young poet, he continued to haunt
| the imagination of Josephine. The only
| pleasure which now remained to her was
to think OF him as he had appeared in
village maiden's guise, with his noble
| face and beautiful black eyes. Yes, and
| in their great hurry they had forgotten
to kiss each other when they parted.
By some accident the countess hap
! pened to touch the spring of the mirror
| behind which Saint-Creux had hidden.
| The memory Of that hurried farewell
| came strongly back upon her. She open
| ed the door. Great heavens! There be-
| fore her, in vertical posture, stood her
| faithful lover, still in the costume of a
Breton peasant. Near his feet lay a
| silken cord. Those little moths which
were flying about in the narrow cabinet
| 1t was they who had killed Saint Creux.
| They had eaten away the cord attached
| TO the ventilator, so that when he pulled
| it in order to get fresh air it broke and
he was slowly suffocated. On the inside
| of the mirrored door the following words
had been scribbled:
Beloved, am dying OF suffocation.
| must not betray you. Adieui''
| So, then, this heroic youth had fought
his death struggle in silence, and for the
love of Josephine had stifed the sound
Of his very last gasps, so that he should
save her. All, she thought in the torrent
| Of her grief, if she could but have heard
those final signs which he breathed for
| heri-New York World.
Discovery of Reflex Action.