Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-04-09

give me!'
At these heartbroken tones the bank
er trembled. This voice brought be.
fore him the twenty years which he
had spent with this woman. who had
always been the mistress Of his heart,
whose slightest wish had been his law
and who by look could make him the
happiest or the most miserable of men.
Unhappy woman" lie said. "Un.
happy woman! What have done that
you should act thus? have loved you
too deeply"
Raoul. who listened with attention,
saw that If the banker knew some things
be certainly did not know all. He saw
that erroneous information had misled
the unhappy man and that he was still
a victim Of false appearances. He de-.
termined to convince him Of his mis-
take.
Monsieur be commenced.
But the sound Of Raouls voice was
sufficient to break the charm.
"Silence" cried the banker. with an
| angry Oatn. Sllellce'
The stiffness was only broken by the
sobs Of Nine. Fauvel.
81 came here" continued the banker.
with the intention Of killing you both.
but courage fails me to kill woman,
and | will not kill an unarmed man."
Raoul once more tried to speak.
"Let me fnlsh!" interrupted NJ. Fau
vel. "Your life Is in my hands. The
law excuses the vengeance of an In
jured husband. but refuse to take ad
vantage of it. see on your mantel a
revolver similar to mine. Take it and
defend yourself"
"Never."
Defend yourself" cried the banker
raising his arm. "If not
Feeling the barrel of NJ. Fauvel's re
volver touch his breast. Raoul took his
| own pistol from the mantel.
"Place yourself in that corner Of the
room, and | will stand in this" contin.
ued the banker. land when the CLOCK
strikes. which will be in a few seconds
we will both fire."
They took the places designated. But
the horror Of the scene was too much
for Mime. Fauvel to witness any lon.
ger without interposing. She under
stood but one thing-her son and her
husband were about to kill each other
before her very eyes. Fright and hor.
ror gave her strength to start up and
rush between the two men. with ex.
tended arms.
Have pity: Andre" she cried, wiring.
ing her hands in anguish. "Let me tell
you. Don't kill
This burst of maternal love NJ. Fau.
vel took for the pleading Of criminal
defending her lover. He seized his
wife by the arm and thrust her aside.
But she would not be repulsed. Rush.
ing up to Raoul. she threw her arms
around him and said to her husband:
"Kill me. and me alone. for am the
guilty one"
At these words NJ. Fauvel glared at
the guilty pair and. deliberately taking
aim. fired Neither Raoul nor Nine.
Fauvel moved The banker fired a sec.
ond time. then third. He cooked the
pistol for Il fourth shot when q man
rushed into the room. snatched the pis.
tol from the bankers hand and ran to
Nine. Fauvel. 1t was NJ. Ferduret.
Thank God" he cried. "she is un.
hurt! Do you know who that man is
that you attempted to kill?"
Her loverr
mo; her SonT'
The banker looked wildly from Raoul
to NJ Verduret. then. fastening his
haggard eyes on his wife. exclaimed:
1T is false! You are all conspiring
to deceive me! Proofs"
"You shall have proofs" replied NJ
Verduret. But first listen"
And rapidly. with his wonderful tai.
ent for exposition. he related the rrin'
cipal points OF the plot he had discov.
cred The true state Of the case was
terribly distressing to NJ. Fauvel. but
nothing compared with what he had
suspected. His throbbing, ycarning
heart told him that he still loved his
wife Why should he punish fault
committed so many years ago and
atoned for by twenty years Of devotion
and suffering? For some moments aft.
er NJ Verduret had finished his ex.
PLANTATION NJ Fauvel remained silent
So many strange events had happened
in the last few days eliminating In the
scene which had Just taken place, that
NJ Fauvel was in capable Of thinking. II
his heart counseled pardon and forget
fulness, wounded pride and self respect
demanded vengeance. If Raoul. the
baleful witness. the living proof of
| faroff sin. were not in existence, NJ.
Fauvel would not have hesitatetl-Gas-
ton de Clameran was dead-he would
have held out his arms to his wife and
said:
"Come to my heart! Your sacrifices
for my honor shall he your absolution.
Let the sad past be forgotten"
But the sight of Raoul prevented.
$50 this is your son." he said to his
wife - this man who has plundered
you and robbed me!'
Nine. Fauvel was unable to utter a
word in reply. Happily NJ. Ferduret
was there.
"Oh," he said, madame will tell you
that this young man is the son of Cas-
ton de Clameran. She has never
doubted it. But the truth is
"What?"