The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-06
The House Opposite
"A NJ 7 S T E r T.

a hat containing the initials a. b., and he
wanted 10 ask your husband IL he had
found IL, by any chance.
She started up, quite regardless of her
wound
"Ah. par example oui, Yes. indeed" she
exclaimed, vehemently.
Your husband has found such hat?
Yes. yes: tell you: e make une scenes
about Eat att she burst out, angriiy.
But why?' asked. why should he
make scene about it?''
All she said. tossing her head coquet,
tishly, though real annoyance still fingered
in her. voice. "'e say 1t is re at OF my
Really? Have you lover whose ini-
tials are A. b. %
II ave no lover at ALL meestair. but
letters"
to get his hat?''
II not know; Argot e come in Won even
in
What EVENING"" L interrupted.
Tuesday evening, las week sup
pose my face betrayed my excitement, for
she stopped and asked. anxiously: wat Is
Nothing, nothing; go on. / am merely
much interested In your story. Well. what
happened on tuesday,
well, Meestair," she resumed, my us
ban e go out TO re restaurant we're re
Frenchmens zey go play cards. Zen my
cousin, M. Andre Besnard. e come TO caIi.
My usban e not zere, but say sit down;
perhaps Argot e come in. My cousin e
live in Chicago; e never seen my 'usban';
e not know e jealous. SO e stay, an e
stay an We talks of France, ven We vas
chilren. and / forgets time till ears
re bell vat my 'usban e ring, ana looks
at re clocks an i see ii say eleven. Zen
frightened. l know Argot dreadful angry
III e I'm a man so late Wis me. So L say,
go away, quick; my 'usban e jealous; e
no believe you my cousin. Go up re stairs
an 'ide on re next floor. Ven my 'usban
e come in 1 shut ze kitchen door, and zen
A
ave been veil IL e done zis but Eat imbe-
Gle e peeped over re bannisters ven my
usban' come in. But my 'usban' not quite
sure e see somebody, so e say nozzing,
but ven 1 shut re kitchen door e sit near
IL an listen, and in few minutes / ears
creek, creek, an e ears 1t. too; an e
| jumps up and jumps up. for 1 afraid e
Kill my cousin; e look SO angry. An put
my arms quite around i'm an e fights,
but hold on an e falls Wis me, an so L
| got my bruises; but 1 no care, for 1 ears
re front door slam. so / knows Andre is
| safe. In a minute my 'usban' e up and
| rushes out, an me, too; but ven 1 see
Andre is gone ! come back. but Argot e
your husband did not come back, you
say?"
| mo; e stay looking for Andre
again.
"Ah, not know" she exclaimed. impa-
| tiently, " alf an hour, vone hour me get
tired an / go to bed. Ven Argot e come
1
| say, Eat vas your lover; 1 say, no; Eat vas
nobody / knows. But helas, l am unfortu-
nate, for e find Andres card vat e left,
! for Andre quite re gentleman; zen. 1 link.
| e have fit; e swear e kill Andre. But
e not know we're Andre is. because Zere is
no address on re cards, but l know we're
| e is, for Andre e told me. So ze mex,
mornin' 1 writes to my cousin an tell i'm
| my 'usban e come for to kill i'm. But
| Argot e go out every day to try an fin
i'm. And e not fin im,' she wound up
trim ot,flx ri nf In
| she tell me Eat Andre ave left New Yorl
| an ave gone back to Chicago.
did your cousin look much like thu
'Ah, but not at ALL My cousin e littl,
man vid no beard, for e is a vaitor''
And you are . sure re-. your husband did no
But certain, she asserted, vehemently
And you have no idea how your hus
band got hold of his hat?''
mo, Meestair, for 1 fought Eat Andre Z
took is at An Argot e say Messing about
what day. interrupted again.
''Oh, vat Eat matter? Thursday or Fri
day of last week. 1 sinks. Veil, 1 come into
the kitchen and zere is my 'usban' Wis ga
at An e glares at me. no understand
/ say. vat you got? Wy don't you sit dowr
an take off your at? e say it is not m,
at; it as A B. inside it. an will wear /
till can bring you re head of zis A. B.
zis charming cousin whom you love S,
much. Yes; wait only, an you shall hav'
| IL
dare say ssing-nossing-for you %
afraid We gets 'anged for murder. But
say 1T no murder to Kill re lover of m,
wife I say =, Argot, you crazy; we're you ge
Aren't you afraid to stay with your nus
band? In one of his fits of insane jealous,
he might kill YOU.
'Oh, no." she assured me: "'e beat me
but e no Kill me; e love me too much. 1
make i'm too sad IL die. But tell me v,
Andre e send re police for is att"
in the hall and two voices raised in vehe
ment alteration. One of the voices be
longed to my boy; the other didn't recog
nize.
my 'usban'." whispered Madame Argot
"'e kill YOU"
She was as pale as death and trembling
with terror.
heard the boy say. Nobody goes into tn
doctors office without being announce
while I'm here
and had only just time to turn the key be
fore a heavy mass was hurled against II
Luckily the door was pretty solid, but
eOISnt stand, stand many such onslaughts
opened into the waiting room, / turne
back to Madame Argot. What was to b
done with her? For l was far from sharin
her belief in her own safety. My Office ha
Only one means of exit, you know. Thi
is a third door leading to my bedroom an
bathroom. | decided at once that 1t wa
|
these places. Any moment the door Nigh
give way before her husbands insan
| strength and then II would infuriate hir
| still more to find his wife In such a com
promising position. No, the window, whic
! opened on a small court, was our only hop.
1t was not a big drop to the ground. anC
once there, she could easily make her wa
to the street through the janitor's apar,
ment. Without q word / seized her an
dragged her to the window.
Put your feet out" l whispered: "giy
| me your hands. and now let go. II won
hurt you. and you will be able to escap
through the basement"
II cannot; l am afraid" she murmure,
: drawing back.
A pistol shot rang out, followed by IN
sound of splintering wood. / had no tim
to turn around and see what had happene,
: Jump at once" 1 commanded.
She obeyed, almost unconscious from fea
| She was pretty heavy and very nearly Ia
: | me out, too, but managed to draw bacl
| although the exertion was such that m
arms ached for several hours afterward
/ stopped a moment 10 close the windo
2 | partly, fearing that IL left ii wide open
: might attract the mad mans attention, ar
5 that he would be after her before she ha
5 time to get to place of safety.
. Turning back into the room, I saw tn,
I bullet had pierced one OF the panels ,
$ | the door around which the fight seemed
E | be conferred. A minute more and IL woi
: give way. / rushed to the other one an
{ quickly unlocking II. dashed through a
| waiting room and caught the lunatic in ~
I ! rear. With bound / was upon him. m
/, | two hands eneircling his throat.
stand clear OF that pistolr' / shoute
= | as Argot (for IL was indeed he) tried TO ri
{ over his shoulder. A young man / had M
| seen before sprang forward, and seizir
l | his arm bent ii back till Ii caused n We
of pain. and the pistol fell from the ma