Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1904-05-18
A PAIR OF EARS.

cles, corpus deficit, and objects tending
to prove criminality. Last April young
lawyer. with lorgnon raised to his eyes,
was amusing himself by examining this
judicial bric-a brac. He went from brass
watches to revolvers, silver snuff boxes
to burglars tools, plunging like the
youth in the old tale. into a gulf Of
philosophical reflections.
Suuucnly he noticed in sort of velvet
case, two singular objects, round, Hat,
very peculiar in form, and brown in
color They looked like India rubber or
parchment.
What are those?" he asked, turning
to a young clerk who was acting as
guide.
"Why! Don't you see that they are
cars 2"
Ears of what?
Ears CT a man"
Cut OFF,
Certainly, cut off,
with what? A sable? \ knife? \
raoM?"
"A Catalonian poinard.'
Their, drawing q steel blade from a
leather sheath he added
Here is the instrument by which the
aforesaid ears were amputated."
The words evidently referred to some
drama Curious, like men of his age,
the young lawyer stopped and questioned
his guide;
"A traeical adventure. Oh, my de II
sir. pray tell me about it,
Very WE'LL 1t isn't q long story
so much the worse!"
Don't interrupt me. About three
months ago, gust at the close of winter,
a strange affair occurred in an elegant
villa near SceauX, occupied by Comte ue
s. with his young wife, an extremely
pretty woman, with whom he as dcs-
perately in love You have OWNED that
he was an Othello under the rIask OF Il
man of fashicn?''
mo, I knew nothing about him.
"A Bengal tiger could be no worse.
One evening, late in January, lie re-
turned from Paris by the railway his
feet half benumbed by the cold, and his
eyes sDlalting from the glare of the
snow, and dashed into the villa without
ringing or knocking, like hurricane, go
ing straight to his wife's room Do you
know what he saw there?"
Aha Here's the key of the drama
Nhat did he see? -
"a very good looking young man who
seemed t. be pressing the countess
hand"
THE deuce"
''Not doubling that it was some ad-
mirer he rushed to the weapons dec0-
rating the wall, snatched this dagger
and, IN less time than it requires to tell
it, cut off the strangers ears.
10th Of them!"
Those are the articles you sec 50
carefully preserved in that case. Justice
Keeps them as evidence OF criminaiity'
'But the young wife?''
"Wait! The fair countess exclaimed.
My dear, you are mistaken! My dear,
monsieur is a stranger! My dear yol
have cut off one ear: spare the other.
beseech your But you know tigers are
always still more Infatuated by the sight
OF blood. Besides, the more his young
wife tried to soothe him the more lie
imagined that she was in league wi Ii
the visitor. He did not stop till both
ears were hacked off"
well, what was the fellow doing
tFtre?'
I'll tell you. Did you ever read "a
story Of Balzac called Message A
young man is accused by a friend CT
carrying letter to a young married
woman Except for the existence of a
secret love the situation was identical
The stranger who called at the villa
near Sceaux was bringing a message, a
letter from boarding school friend,
which by chance he handed to her just
at the moment Othello appeared Oh the
scene. You know the rest'
"A minister!'
Yes, but the young man, as you may
suppose, will not let matters rest there.
As Comte de S. cannot give back his ears
he intends to make him pay damages.
Complaint has been brought, with a de-
mand for valuation to serve as a basis
for estimating the damages, which will
rot be less than 100000 francs
What are you saying? \ hundred
thousand francs apiece. Come, that's
pretty dear!"
Would you give yours for that sum-"
NO, Of course not: but that isn't the
question. We are wandering from tra
drama. Permit me to return to it. What
was the message sent by one boarding
school friend to the other? II must be
known. The examination would not fail
TO reveal it,
he examinations did reveal it, since
the message was opened and read. The
Young beauty in Paris wrote to her
schoolmstte III SceauX: I have Just con
suited DR.. T., whom all the young women
n Paris are questioning about their CON
pleNions. | generously send YOU his PIE
1cription: If you want to have fresh
complexion throughout the year, bathe
your face daily, during the month cf
day, every morning, with dsndelion