The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-11-14
Mystery of Mont Gents.



suicide. or again, that he had aad a
quarrel with some one and had been
flung out Of tho carriage. In any case
It seemed terribly certain that his body
would be found near the rails at some
point we had trayersed since IL o.
clock, for If there was one thing Of
which the officials assured themselves
it was that he was no longer a passen-
ger by that train.
But, curiously enough, the search
was without result. Every inch Of the
line was explored, the tunnels were
searched and the entertainments care
fully surveyed, but there was no trace
to be found Of any accident. No dead
body, no stain Of blood, no shred of
clothing could be discovered to tell it's
own tale. Edmund Justican If that
were his name, seemed to have van
shed as completely as If he had been
q denizen of another world.
For some time l continued to take
an interest in the strange disappear
ance Of the traveller as did the rest
of the world, for the papers were full
OF the mystery. Other sensations pre-
sented themselves. however. and the
Justiean disappearance was forgotten.
made up my mind at last that
should never know the sequel of the
strangers story and that his disap-
pearance was one of the mysteries Of
When | was next in the south of
France, some three years later. had
almost forgotten the occurrence, and I
was only reminded of it by means of
the evil chance which caused me to
miss a train and have to wait for few
hours at Culoz
Well, as this place is known by
name don't think that it has many
foreign visitors, and as l had some
hours to wait, I strolled through the
village, admitting the quaint green pot
terry which I'saw in the little shops,
and wondering whether I had time to
attain the heights on which the great
chateau was built or to explore the re-
! CeSSeS OF lJS park.
AS l strolled past the house and up
one of the green lanes, which were
suggestive Of England rather than of
southern France, l came across a pref
~ little scene Of domestic felicity.
There was tiny red house built in
French fashion, with it's back to tho
view, surrounded by a garden full of
roses and other sweet smelling flowers,
with pot of herbs behind and a little
enclosure Of land, evidently well titled
Everything about the place bTeathed
of humble prosperity.
There were great beehives in a cor
ner of the garden, and a dovecote on
the side of the wall, and on the porch
sat a pretty, dark-eyed young Wo
man in peasant dress, who was at that
very moment lifting up black eyed
child Of about two years old, in its
queer blue blouse and black cap, to be
kissed by a man who wore the sabotf
and blue blouse of a French laboTer
but who, as | noted Immediately mac
curiously fair hair, and looked very I'm
like the ordinary Frenchman.
There was a still smaller child in {
wooden cradle at the door, and thu
young woman pointed to it reproach
fully, as much as to say that her hus
band had not given sufficient attention
to the little one, whereupon with
laugh the man stopped over the cradl
and at that moment l caught sight o
his face.
held my breath and stared in blanI
amaze, for the fair haired man in tn
peasant dress was none other than &c
mund Justican.
l stood outside the hedge still stat
ing, when the woman at the doc
caught sight of me and said some
thing to her husband. He locke
around at me and paled suddenly
Then he put his finger to his lips as
; to beg me to keep silence, transferre
the child to its mothers arms, an
: walked slowly down the garden pat
to the gate, looking steadily at me a
the time
Monsieur wants something's" h
asked in French, or rather in the patio
: OF the district, which is generally diff
: cult for an Englishman to acquire.
: was too much taken aback to answt
, in anything but English.
+. Us it you, after all?" l said. Don
i you remember ne? l vas an old a
+ quaintance of yours"
Il have no acquaintance with mo
+ sieur, said the man, looking me qui
/ calmly in the face. But the more o
: served him the certain l BEGAN
that he was the vanished Justican.
0 Perhaps you don't know me |
o name" | went on bluntlv "but W