The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1905-08-11

udu put 1t out, DuI luluh WudL Noulu
have happened!
Madame (white beneath her rouge
lis this true?
Monsieur-True as | am sitting here.
Madame tfaintly)-Oh!i!
| Monsieur sarcastic in his turn)-SO
I always growl, do l? Didn't | forbid
| Eudoxie TO say word to you about it!
Madame-Does she know about it?
MonSieur-Of course. There is noll-
| ing else talked about downtown! She
| came back shaking from the MARKET
Madame noticed that something
| was the matter, but | thought she had
the dinner on her mind. Are you sure
it was a saucepan?
Monsieur-Well, perhaps it was a
pot.
Madame-Did you see it?
Monsieur-No, it wasn't there when
| went to the building.
Madame-Had they taken it away ?
Monsieur-It was necessary. So the
soldiers took it.
Madame-Where? To the barracks i?
Poor things! What if it should ex-
plode?
Monsieur-I don't know what became
of the terrible machine. Doubtless the
proper precautions were taken in order
to avoid all possible accidents.
Madame-Let rs hope SO! What a
terrible time this is to live in. Such
things never happened before.
Monsieur (smiling retrospectively)-
Terrible, as you say! All, hear the
click of the gate-some one is COM
ing,
They both sit down. a proper smile
Of welcome on their faces. Madame
plays with her fan and casts coQuet-
tish glances in the mirror. But no one
appears at the door.
NJ. RobiGuet is the first to lose pa
tience. He is Just starting toward the
door himself " hen hoarse voice cries
loudly:
THE bomb is in the kitchen."
Before either monsieur or madame
can grasp the meaning of the danger
which is threatening them, they hear
the crunch OF the gravel beneath hasty
steps and q wagon drives hurriedly
away.
Madame utters one scream and
promptly faints. Monsieur looks about
him with large, frightened eyes, too
scared to move. 1t seems to him that
the slightest gesture will set loose the
were already blown into a thousand
fragments-he has an expression Of ter
ritied expectancy on his face.
A glance at his wife, however, re-
stores his self-possession by arousing
him to his responsibilities. He calls
to the waitress and they go together
to the kitchen, where he expects to
see EudoXie weltering in her gore. She
must have been killed very quickly,
for there has not been the slightest
sound OF struggle.
But EudoXie is not dead. She is
huddled in a mass on the back stairs
murmuring. with quivering lips:
'Bomb-bomb-bo
Monsieur endeavors to lift her, sup
porting his wife on the otner arm, but
to reach the door they must pass
through the kitchen. HeSitating at
first, they at last dash through WIN
desperate courage and their eyes shut.
Once safe outside. they rush in body
to the street. Eudoxie has found her
voice and explains that she had just
gone to the linen closet for the en-
brOidered napkins when she heard a
wagon stop at the back door and then
some one come in.
She came back in time to receive
the terrible announcement that: The
bomb was in the kitchen." and she
caught sight Of a mal in blue blouse
hurrying away.
Monsfeur-Oh the fuse! l must go
and put out the fusei
He takes one step forward, but ma
dame. who has come to, clutches at his
coat tails.
Madame (wildly)--You shall not go!
You shall not! l will not allow it!
EudoXie (shriektng) Don't go!
Don't go! Oh! Fire! Murder! Thieves!
Just then group of people came
laughing down the road. They are the
Robiquet's guests, who have decided
to improve the beautiful summer even
ing by walking.