Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1904-11-05
| Woman The Mystery |
BY HENRY HERMAN !
CHAPTER I.

three fatal days In June. 1913. and the
Rue st. Jacques was u pandemonium.
The whole street was one long line of
barbados made of stones. timber. over.
turned wagons aud handcarts. barrels.
Misunderstanding in fact. desperate
men could lay their hands on and pile
M high as breastwork.
Overhead the fierce June SIN blazed
on cloudlcss sky. and the soldiers pant
ell with the parrhing heat. their faces
black with powder. their uniforms torn
to shrcds. Shirt-slccvcd and bareheaded.
they fought oil. leaving no man alive
where they had passed.
While the satanic din roarcd and
crashed In the street below. an old man
eat on the top floor of small. tumble
down building ut the back of one OF the
meancst houses. lie was tall and thin.
A girl OF some Si.t"cn ~ seventeen sim
mers. as fral in figure ~ the mnu. with
face which as yet gave but little APP
parent promise of n beauty to come hut
for curious glitter In a pair of big.
deep-bluc eyes. crouchcl In corner OF
the room. holding her hands to her ears.
The man rose at lat. His right leg
was paraly1cd. aud he dragged IT along
painfully ard awkwardly ~ he walked.
lie limpcl slowly to the closed door. and
listened.
'"Thcy are coming nearer" he gaspc1.
while his face grew whittier and his eyes
glittercd fcverishly. 'rhey are coming
nearer. They will kill me like dog,
like a rat. like snakc.'
The girl rose and went to him and
threw her white arms around his neck
and clung to him.
"There may he nm escape" she wills.
pered. hoarsely. "Surcly they will not
Kali an old man like YOU. who is unarmed
and can do no harm"
II know better" he growled. "They
nave not forgotten that my Song of the
streets was sung In every wine shop.
They will kill me. and---thcre. I do not
mimi One or two bayonet thrusts. and
there will he an end. ! have lived long
enough IN this world: ! am tired of he
ing hunted and Of dra gging myself from
cellar to roof. and from roof to cellar"
She clung to him again and kissed his
cold lips. An instructive shudder crcpt
through him az the touch. aud he painted.
as with one convmlsive and nearly ngon-
lied clutch he gripped her by the shoul-
der and looked into her big eyes.
u am not so very tcrriblc?" he Ques.
toned. with a feverish trcmor. "Am
Q wolf or a tiger!"
No. father. dear" she said: "you are
the hest and the kindest of men. If you
would only coniidc In me. II you would
only tell me why you are always so tro,i-
bled. why such u load seems always to
be crushing you down! And now, in this
terrible hour, who knows! There may
be hope for you still"
There Is somebody coming up the
STAIRS he cried. with ga,int terror in
every feature. Go and see who IL is
1T IL Henri" said youthful male
voice. husky with excitement. LET me
in quick. there is not. moment to be
lost"
The girl hastily unlocked and ,,nbol,ed
the door. and Il young man. rather shor,
and stontly built. entered the room. lie
was Il good-lookng young fellow. with
the careless dash of the French revolu.
ZIONIST written large on his handsome
dark-bearled features.
II have seen him" he cried. the mo-
ment he crossed the threshold. THAT
Englishmnn whom you pointed out to me
He IL with the Nationals
The old man staggered back to hi.
chair, aud held Oh to II, shaking AZ III
Az ague.
"llow do you know? How do YOU
know 1t Is he!' he gasped.
Il know IL IL he retortcd the young
man. cxcitedly. "ile was not ten PAGES
from me at the bnrricadc by Dumont's
bntchery. and he glared at me as | fred
my pistol at him. missed him; wish
] had killed him. | have come to tel
You. to warn you"
There was pause OF a few heart
~ tnstt. .l,t. -, ~.
rocked himself to and fro on his chair
tapping his thin legs with his oper
palms.
How long will 1t be before he will b.
here" he asked at last, In u guttura
whisper.
"Fifteen minutes. perhaps" was tn,
answer; perhaps twenty, perhaps hal
an hour. But he may be here In five, H
things 20 badly"
Very WE'LL" exclaimed the old man
II am ready. Thank you for havin,
warned me-"
The young man gave a glance aroun,
the room. and looked at the girl witt
burning eyes.
And HeleneT" he said, slowly. an,
with an amazing tenderness; "what abou
her! Had she not better come witt
me" His voice was broken by emo
ton.
mo" nearly screamed the old man
"Are you mad? Go with you, TO b,
killed In the street! Why should she Q,
with You? Go away! Leave US! 70,
are wasting your time and mine."
The young man shrugged his shoulders
aud then held out u hand.
I'VE may never see one nnothe
again." he said; "there-gOod-by,"
The old man paused again for a mo
ment or two, and then gripped the ont
stretched hand nervously.
"You are right" he said. Henri,
had forgotten. You are good lad
you always were. We may never NEE
again. Good-by for this world"
The girl had been standing In corne
OF the room silently. and as the yo,in,
man turned round she looked at him viii
a world Of pleading in her big eyes. IL
stepped to her and kissed her on the fore
head without another word.
"Good-by, Helene" he whispered
"When l am dead you will perhaps thinl
OF me now aud then, Good-by"
With that he rushed out, and the gin
instinctiyely closed the door again an
bOlted II.
CHAPTER II.
The old man sat silently for half
minutes space after Henri had left tn
room and his eyes wandered hither an
thither round the place. as IL searchin
for a solution of a puzzle which worrie
him.
~ have it," he exclaimed at last. ris
ssNv