Rocky Ford enterprise., 1903-12-25


hours over again.
My darling Julie. IL I fall Under
the AK OF the executioner. II !. like
Sidney. am TO die for liberty. death
itself. shall not be able to keep me
from you. My spirit will return To
your presence. Often. when you are
meditnting IN solitude. a light breath
will fan your check; know then that
IL is and let your heart be iilled
with tender Joy"
She read and mused. The night
waned. a pale light shone through
the curtains: Il was dawn. The serv.
ants had begun their daily tasks. She
must finish hers. She fancied she
heard voices: then all was silent. The
snow had dcadened the sound OF foot.
outside knocking.
There was no time now to conceal
the letters and close the desk. All
! that she could do. she did: she took
the letters up In a heap and tossed
them under the cover OF the couch
which was drasxin. on the floor. Then
she took up n book and threw herself
into an easy chair.
The president of the district en-.
tered. followed by y dozen soldiers
lie motioned TO his men to guard the
door. then said 10 Julie:
"Citoycnnc. We have Just learned
that you arc In correspondence with
the agents Of PITT. with emi.rants and
the conspIrators Of the prisons. In
the name Of the law. ! have come TO
seize your papers. For a long time
you have been known as an aris'o-
crst Of the most dangerous kind.
Moderate ofiicers have spared you too
long. am master here now and you
shall not escape the kuiiiotine. Hand
over your papers. ritoyenne.'' t
Take them. yourself replied
Julie: my secretary IL OPEN
II contained bills OF different kinds.
all Of which tho ofncer set about cx.
smininE deliberately. ...
Julie xa~ that the visit was to he
long one. She could not help cast.
ing . furtive glance at the couch. and
she saw 4 corner Of . letter protrud.
Ing from under the cover like tho
white ear Of = cat. Al the sight her
anxiety suddenly ceased. The Ger.
tsiniy OF her loss filled her mind with
= tranquil assurance and gave 10 her
face calm expression resembling that
Of security. They would surely SEQ
the paper. 80 white on the red car
pet.
Brichaut. who had finished his CT.
animation Of the papers In the desk.
impaticn'ly declared that he would
1 a,ul hA Ia a.
furniture. turned pictures around and
st:aek the woodwork with tho hilt
Of his sword TO see II II was hollow.
He even took the mirror out Of It's
frame to sec II anything was behind
II. He found nothing.
They took Julie into the other apart.
mcnts and demanded all her keys.
They broke glasses and tore open up.
hoisiery. but they found nothing.
/ Brichnut did not despair yet. Hs
returned to the chamber and cx.
claimed: by heaven! the papers arc
here: am sur. Of IL"
He ripped open the couch. pluBginE
his saber into II several times. Find.
| ing nothing. with fearful oath. he
ordered his men to depart. On reach
| ing thc door after them. he turned.
| shook his fist at Julie. and said:
'Tremble. while awaiting my re.
turn. I am the sovereign people!"
AZ last they were zone. Julie heard
| the sound of their steps as they de-
scendcd the stairs. She was saved!
| She had not betrayed him! She ran
out to embrace her sleeping child who
had not been awakened by the dis.
turbancc around his cradle.
La Tu'ipc was silent.
Friend" said I. II must be Just.
For gardefrancalse. you tell a story
very we'll. But II seems 10 me have
heard that tale somewhere"
'It may be that Julie herself told
II. She was a person Of great witt
what became of herr"
"She led happy life under the
Consulate. But in the silence OF even.
ing. she whispered sad secrets to the
trees of her park. You see. she was
more courageous in presence Of death
than In that of love"
And the writer OF the letters?"
He became a baron and prefect un.
der the Empire"
And little Emile?"
He was a colonel Of the gendarm.
erie and died at Versailles in 1855"
Indeed"
From Les Annales politiqucs and lit
teraires. Translated by II. Twitchell.