Evening journal., 1899-08-31

with this there was a peculiar crushing,
grating sound, followed by a stifed cry.
Silence. Then there were two or three
muttered oaths, aud 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. Il 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
salmly. But not so Leon. Despite him
pelf, 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 yalise.
And the duh, 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 turnod-down gas,
he could see something forcing Us way
under the door. Ii 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
"What can IL be?' thought Leon. rs
It knife? No, for IL has divided into
two parts. And now It divides again
and yet again. What can 10 be? II is
some liquid
The thing slowly crawled toward the
little blue slipper II encircled its heel
It stained its front. It was liquid. 1t
was a liquid Of strnngc and unmistalSa-
bic color-the color Of blood.
For a long time Leon lay and gazed
upon the stained slipper and the red
hsh stream which encircled it. lie
pictured 70 himself the corpse lying in
the next room; it's discovery the follow-
ling 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 awoke and started
with alright as she felt his icy hand.
"What is the mntter?" she cried.
Leon explained To her the terrible
situation in which they were placed.
lie arose and attempted TO remove the
tell-tale stains from the slipper, but 1t
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.
"Alnsl" said Leon, 'our only hope Is
this: AT eight o'clock the train leaves
for Paris. II the Englishman's body
is not discovered before that time We
are safe. We win take the train ant
lose ourselves in the great city. There
we shall be safe"
His weeping bride flung herself upol
his bosom. She felt almost as thougl
she had committed the deed.
But there yet remained two morta
hours before the train left. AT edei
step in the corridor they trembled witt
alright. They made their prepara
tions for departure. Icons bride
wished to burn the bloody slipper, bu
he restrained her and concealed it OF
his person.
Seven o'clock sounded. The hote
was alive with bustling servants. LeoI
forced his wife to take a cup Of coffee
although she declared that her parcheC
throat refused TO swallow. They theI
descended into the waiting-room, an'
Leon demanded his bill. The host pre-
sented it, and begged his pardon for thl
noise of the previous evening. Leoi
: assured him that they had passed verl
quiet night.
"Well, I'm glad of H." said the host
: however, your neighbor on the lef
E didn't disturb you much, I'll be bound
: He's sleeping like dead man yeti"
Leon shuddered. His wife graspe'
his arm convulsively.
Hes an English MILFORD" continues
j. the host. "We'ye got another English
s man here, too, who paid his bill ant
left this morning. He gave me an Eng
+ lish bank note. hope it's good. Loo
E at it. What do you think?"
He showed Leon bank note. On on
u corner of it there wns a reddish stain
y 1T seems to be a good one" sal
Leon, with forced calmness. "Ko'
+ long before the train goes2"
q Half an hour yet, replied the hos
u At this moment q waiter entered
"Gimme some brandy and soda, quicl
Z for the English MILFORD" he remarked
q "and send up a chambermaid with
I, mop; he dropped n bottle Of port o
= the floor last night, and the room
= flooded"
= To the amazement of both landlor
and waiter, Leon and his wife sat dow
and laughed until they cried.
"Order us a good breakfast" said i
!, to the landlord; eve won't go until th
- two o'clock train" Adapted for IL
San Francisco Argonaut from III
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