The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1903-06-02
AN ARTFUL RUSE.
BY ANNIE b. ARMSTRONG.

Oeen engaged Tor many years.
The brothers were bachelors, and had
young maid l-work, Marie de la Font. a
sweet and pretty girl, modest, economical
and industrious. She made all the pur-
chases for the house, and in her modest way.
Marie was fully trusted by the brothers
Laporte. She was almost too pretty to fill
such situation, it was said, living all alone
with the brothers, but then they were old
enough to be her father, either of them
Such pretty faces as Maries do not have
to wait long for partner. By and by Henri
Duco, thrifty young baker in the neigh
borhood, was seen to pay frequent visits
to the house of the brothers Laporte and it
was pretty well understood that he did not
come to see either of the old fellows up
STAIRS. The inference was very natural and
very correct, that he was paying his ad-
dresses to the pretty maid, Marie. There
was one little drawback as to the c0nsumma-
ton of such love by the marriage cere-
mony the young people could not afford it.
! They were too poor.
Still these young people. each respec-
lively II years of age, resolved to enter the
! bonds OF liymen and trust to fortune
| So Marie informed her two masters that
she must leave them at the end of the next
tiOIlh, as sue was ABOUT 10 ne married. In
vain did the brothers expostulate with her,
and try to dissuade Marie fl ON giving up
good and comfortable home to run the
chance of poverty and misery She told
them that she had given her word to her
dear Henri. and she must keep it and be
married.
/ So it was finally arranged that she should
quit the service of the brothers at the close
of the next succeeding month
In the mea ntime the brothers sold large
and valuable piece of real estate one day, and
received the payment therefor in cash, of
Bank of France paper, some 200, 900 francs.
1t was received after bank hours. too late to
deposit, and so the brothers brought it
home, and felt very nervous about having
so much money in the house overnight. The
neighborhood was rather a dangerous one;
burgaries were often committed there.
The house was somewhat isolated, and
stood not far from the banks of the Seine.
About l o'clock they were startled by a
loud and reiterated knock at their door.
Neither of the brothers Laporte was brave,
but on this occasion, with so large a sum of
money on hand, and having thought and
talked so much about it up to the last mo-
ment of retiring, they were now aroused
by the abrupt noise to state of absolute
fright and downright terror
''Who is there?" they exclaimed.
CIT is I, Marie"
"What do you want?"
"Oh. masters masters"
''Mon Dieu! Marie" exclaimed Alive. the
elder, as he tremblingly opened the door,
whats the matter? Can't you speak"
"Robbers-robbers are in the house."
''Mon Dieu!" said the elder brother. II
was sure of it. What's to be done?"'
''You have gum
eyes"
"Go down and shoot them," said Marie,
coolly.
At that moment came a crash from the
apartment below, and both brothers crept
tremblingly under the bed out of sight, shiv-
ering. and moaning that they were about
to be killed.
care we to be found murdered in the
morning and without resistance?'' asked the
girl. scornfully.
ooh! oh!' groaned the brothers, from I'M
der the bed, in chorus.
''Peste!" she exclaimed, 'give me the
gum
Marie seized the double-barrel gun and
disappeared downstairs alone. The brothers
listened while they trembled, Presently,
bang! went one barrel.
ooh! OH" screamed again the two misers,
drawing in their heads like turtles, under
the bed. .
A moment later, bang went the second
barrel, and a screech of pain followed. which
rang from the top to the bottom of the
house. supplemented by the groans from
under the bed.
"Oh OH"
They were very nearly frightened to
death, and could not articulate a word.
After brief pause Marie rushed into the
room and asked for cartridges to reload the
gun While she was engaged in this pro-
cess the outer gate was heard to swing open,
and the robbers seemed to be retreating
from the house.
'They are gone" said Marie.
'Are you sure?" asked the brothers.
"Sure"
The misers crept out from under the bed,
one from each side, only half clothed, and
covered with dust There was no sleep for
them that night, but at early dawn, on
| going downstairs, a pool of blood on the
! hall floor showed that one robber at least
must have got his quietus.
! More than this, it was plain by the bloody
tracks upon the ground that the victim had
been dragged to the river. Gore marked the
whole distance, and the police were active
in dragging the river and in efforts that
might lead to the detection of the burglars.
But it was all in vain-no further light was
thrown upon the bloody affair.
The grateful bachelors could not be thank
full enough to Marie. They acknowledged
that she had saved their money, and prob
ably their lives, and for once opened their
hearts and their pursestrings at the same
time giving the little maid-of-all-work a
wedding dowry of 10000 francs!
''Must you leave us, Marie?" they asked.
"Ah," she replied, affectionately, show
can l leave you? You might again be at
tackled by robbers"
''True, true, Marie" they said, thought
fully. ''Why Will you not marry Henri
Duco and come and keep our house to-
gether?"
Excellent" she replied ''Since you
have been so generous to me that 1 cannot
, leave you"
Henri Duco married the pretty and brave
Marie and they took the lower part of the