The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-05-11
A BIT OF FICTION


office of the Palais de Justice, where al
sorts of things are deposited, stolen artic
les, corpus deficit, and objects tending
to prove criminality. Last April youn:
lawyer, with lorgnon raised to hi seyes
was amusing himself by examining thi
judicial bric-a-brac He went from bras
watches to revolvers, silver snuff boxes t.
burglar tools, plunging like the youth o.
the old tale into a gulf of philosophical
reflections
Suddenly he noticed in a sort of vel
vet case two singular objects, round. fiat
very peculiar in form and brown in color
They looked like linda rubber or parch
ment.
young clerk who was acting as guide
What are those?' he asked, turing tc
ears?'
why! Don't you see that they arr
Ears of what?"
Ears of mani"
"Cpt OFF,"
Certainly, cut off,
with what? A saber? A knife? A
razor"
"A Catalonian ponard."
Then, drawing a 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 tragical adventure, Oh, my dear
sir. pray tell me about it
Every well. 1t isn't a long story"
$50 much the worse.
Don't interrupt me. About three months
ago, just at the close of winter strange
Effair occurred in an elegant villa near
Eceaux. occupied by Comte de S. with his
young wife, an extremely pretty woman.
III whom he was desperately in love.
l..<tu have OWNED that he was an Othello
hinder the mask of a man of fashion"
mo. ] knew nothing about him"
A Bengal tiger could be no worse. One
evening, late in January, he returned
from Paris by the railway, his feet half
benumbed by the cold and his eyes smart
ing from the glare Of the snow, and
dashed into the villa without ringing or
knocking, like hurriance, going straight
to his wiefs room. Do you know what
he saw there?'
aha, Here the key of the drama.
What did he see?"
"a very good looking young man who
seemed to be pressing the Countess
hand
1.-The deucer'
mot doubling that 1t was some admirer
he rushed 10 the weapons decorating the
walls, snached this dagger. and, in less
time than it requires to tell it, cut off
the strangers ears"
Both of them?'
Those are the articles you see so care
fully preserved in that case. Justice
keeps them as evidence of criminality.'
But the young wife,"
''Wait, The fair Countess exclaimed:
My dear. you are mistaken, My dear,
monsieur is a stranger My dear. you
have cut off one ear; spare the other, 1
oeseech you, But you know, tigers are
=, ways still more Infatuated by the sight
blood Besides. the more his young
wife tried to soothe him the more he
!. ma gihed that she was in league with
he visitor He did not stop till both ears
we're hacked Off
well. what was the fell ow doing
a.here?"
. ..Pll tell you. Did you ever read Il
STORY of Balzac called Message? A
young man is accused by a friend of
carrying letter to a young married
woman. Except for the existence of
secret love the situation was identical.
The stranger who called at the villa near
Sceaux was bringing a message. letter
from a boarding school friend, which
by chance he handed TO her just at the
moment Othello appeared on the scene.
You know the rest"
IA minister
Yes but the young man, as you may
suppose, will not let matters rest there.
AS Comte de S. can not give back his
ears. he intends to make him pay dam
ages. Complaint has been brought. with
a demand for valuation to serve as a
basis for estimating the damages, which
will not be less than 100000 francs"
what are you saying? Ahundred
thousand francs a piece? Come. that's
pretty dear.'
would you give your ears for that
sumo
mo. of course not: but, that isn't the
question. We are wandering from the
drama. Permit me to return to it, What
vast he messake sent by one boarding
school friend to the other? 1t must be
known. The examination would not fail
to reveal it..
1.-The examination did reveal ii. Since
the message was opened and read. The
Young beauty in PARIS wrote to her
schoolmate in SceauX: 4 have just con-
suited Dr. T.. whom all the young wom-
en- in, Paris are questioning about their
compilations. l generously send you ms
prescription: IL you want TO have fresh
complexion throughout the year bath your
face daily, during the month of May, with
dandelion juice. Alice u.
what. Has dandelion juice been the
cause of a jealous husband's cutting on
an innocent mans ears and making the
Palais de Justice echo with the absurd
lawsuit
..As you see. monsieur" = From the
French, in Gren Bag.