The representative., 1901-03-28
APOLIs, MINI

st. Perle would say, "and the proof is
that, when one passes his cottage In the
evening, one hears him playing the adagio
Of Beethoven's sonata in A fiat, the sonata
OF monks and priests
One morning my husband, the captain,
came in very much worried. I questioned
him. No answer. He drove away in phae-
ton ~ soon as breakfast was over with sew
eral other officers. He returned at O'Clock
alone, having left the others at the club.
fencing master and the chief armorer. then
st. Perle. his friend. came and called him
below his window; heard him order the
landeau with the big van-horses for
O'Clock in the morning. "Ah,' said I to
myself. "a duel, and I suppose they will
fight at Dele" This spot lay on the other
side Of the frontier, and experience had
taught me that such affairs usually took
place there.
Toward 10 O'Clock the party returned; an
other conference took place in my husband g
study; heard the brusque voice Of St.
Perle, the gentle voice Of De Pelven; a
bell rang; heard my husband call for grog,
port wine, ice. Then the hours passed and
silence reigned.
I remained awake, very curious At 2
Roger came into my room in full uniform
and cloak. I did not question him, for I
knew that he would not answer. When It
was he that was about to fight he would al
ways tell me brusquely; this had happened
three times in our ten months of married
life. Like curious child peered from
behind the blinds and saw them start of.
There were st. Perle, Roger, Pelven and
the surgeon. who is to fght?" l thought.
It must be Pelven. for st. Perle would not
take an inferior in rank, for second.
Finally went to bed, nervous and wor-
ried. Morning broke. I rose late, feeling
bersft of all my friends. l wandered
through the house. I entered the study.
hing with ckina Oriental cd
with weapons; on the blackboard I saw
some half-erased sentences l opened the
curtain, and there, in the bitter atmosphere
of cold tobacco smoke, in this almost sin
lister disorder of a room where people have
watched over night, I tried to decipher the
half obliterated marks The phrases seemed
rhythmed. At length I finished by making
out these scraps Of verse:
Qu'on menterre
En- satin blanc
CONNIE un seigneur
Et Quon capitOnne ma biere
Toute de roses
C'est ma fieur-
wandered about all day, oppressed fe-
verish.
You know, yourself. that Pelven was kill
ed. Roger came back that night alone and
Who was the adversary of De Pelven !?
An ohicer? Yes. Who? will not tell YOU
Only few knew and the secret has been
we'll kept. The reason of the duel: Moth
ing, they said, trif1e, but have always
suspected that somebody had accused him
Of passing too easily across the frontier.
alone, at night.
The next day Pelven's aged father came
and took away the body. It seems that
all the affairs OF the lieutenant were in
perfect order. He must have had a pre-
sentiment that he was going to be killed,
for the words on the blackboard were in
the nature Of directions for his own burial
And that was the end Of the poor little
mAdemOiselle."
Two months passed. Spring came. One
day we all started on a drag party in the
woods on the road to Dele. little be-
fore luncheon I went strolling In the for
est with two or three friends. Suddenly we
saw landeau drawn by two beautiful
horses coming toward us along a deserted
road In the landeau was an old. pale
woman and young girl--pretty.-clad in
black. We were turning ont for them
when a dog jumped from the carriage. We
recognized 1t at once. 1t was Tigresse, the
little hulld08-De Pelven's dog. While he
was sprlnging at Us. licking our hands for
JOY, the landeau stopped aud great gold
braided valet stepped out and solemnly pick
ed up the dog. The little beast struggled
but In spite OF yelps. howls and tugs the
man proved the stronger and the landeau
passed on.
Naturally we talked Of the incident. What
q singular thing! Tigressc with those
strangers. Strangers from owe. the frontier
too: the liveries are blue ard .black-Prus-
sian nobility.
Talking thus, We came back to the rem
devious. There We found Louis he Rolk.
one Of my friends whose castle. although n