The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-24
or sister perishing inside; they let him

| L
was a terrible clamor of fear from the
burning multitudes held-inside the traI
by the crush OF the narrow exits.
Langham saw people who had finally
fought their way out run madly on til
caught and carried into the hospital
houses nearby.
Many Of them had no hair, same were
half naked. A woman was pulled out
shrieking. her clothing mass of fame
There were many such rapid visions
which for a long time afterward gave
| the beholders satanic Nightmares.
One, twice, ten times perhaps, Henry
Langham had plunged in at the fiery
| openings and dragged frenzied women
out to safety.
But never the one" Anita
His hair eyebrows, his clothes were
scared; tongue of FIRE had caught MN
| full in the face and burned him ter
ribly. but he still persisted.
OF the many heroes Of the day none
was so furiously heroic. If captain OF
! fireman who had noticed him had not
ordered his men TO keep a hose plying
upon him or in his direction the Ameri-
can would have been burned alive long
before the sudden falling in of the great
roof silent the flames shooting up as from
| a convulsed volcano. Under that i'm
mense lid the last cries were gradually
stinled. and suddenly the silence seemed
ten times more awful than had been the
! soul-racking clamor.
Nothing TO do now but pump water into
the crater.
4 had watched Langham. said the
Marquis de Louversac, and now went
to him. He stood transhxed and looked
on. When the project and other nota-
bles came to shake hands, admire his
heroism and advise that ne let himself
be taken to one OF the ambulances,
where his wounds might be dressed, I
doubt If he understood what they said,
or even heard. He was stunned and
silent, and I led him away.
My brother was at Dieppe trying a
new sailing yawl when the dispatch
reached him telling him that his wife had
persisted in the flames.
He loved Anita with that quiet, jealous
fervor of mature man who had sue
ceeded in winning a young wife. The
blow affected him terribly. Nobody ex-
cept his servants and myself were al
lowed near him. The mansion was closed
to the outside world. Pierre wanted no
coincidence, no small talk, no friends.
He remained savagely alone in Anitas
apartments. Even my presence annoyed
him.
Two months later rummaging among
the trinkets she had left, the Comte dis
covered in a sachet bundle of few
unsigned letters. He read mechanically
at first, but was soon intent on the task.
There could be no doubt as to the mean
ing
The sweet wife whom he had mourn
ed had received these letters from man.
What man? She had kept them all, ten
or twelve; they told a complete, we'll
linked story. The first were despairing,
anguished epistles which implored nothing
but little platonic sympathy. The last
were full or alteration, of enamored joy,
gratitude.
My brother sent for me. read the
letters"
Did you suspect this was going on
asked Pierre when I got through.
Il said no, and il was true.
" Can you tell me who the man is?''
Again said no, and this time I lied
7 had had myself a few notes from
Langham, and now has recognized the
handwriting at first sight.
THE Count ground the letters under
his heels and clincehed his fists.
Suddenly twas it mindreading, an in
stance of suggestion and did the name
that was in my head fash GEOGRAPHICALLY
into his own brain) d'Hauterive. clutch
ing my shoulder. and cried in my face.
" My God, it's Langham. and you knew
it,"
Taken by surprise, I stammered weak
denials. But he was not listening The
hundred little circumstances of corrobo7-
alton. which were once unnoticed and
which only strike us after the main reve-
lation. were no doubt whirling in his
mind.
" Come he said presently, I am going
TO Kill that man z
In the vague hope of being able to pre-
vent assassination I accompanied Pierre
'Langham's valet tried vainly TO stop
us. The Count sent the fiunky Keeling.
forced an entrance. and rushed from one
room TO another like a tiger in quest
Of a prey.
''Langham was in his library. Lying
prone on a divan, his face was buried
in the cushions and he was sobbing
piteously.
He did not move or raise his head
when Pierre insulted him. struck him:
Gus fingers on his throat Langham did
not defend himself. He said distinctly
in the clutch that strangled him:
Yes. kin me. want 10 be rid Of |
lfe,"
1T was then that the psychic miracle |
occurred. Before OF the servont could I
Pierre d'Hauterive had let so /
his hold on Langhsms neck. His hatred I
seemed TO melt before the immensely OF /
his rivals grief His eyes filled with 4
tears. He looked down upon the Ameri- |
IAN and said:
forgive you. pity your And he
went cut. I still following
When did they meet again. why did 1
hey meet again and what did they say. /
confess TO each other. I don't know. /
though I have my ideas about it. Only
a very subtle psychologist could anaIyze
md explain the mysterious attraction OF |
hose two souls haunted by the same re-
rembrance.
For s few days both disappeared from
Paris without notifying anybody.
1t was only because I was the most
rusted friend Of both that a month later
received from them Instructions 10 set