Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-07-19
{ THE INDICATION OF CAPT. DREYFUS

Do you think that | do not know for
whom that pitcher of broth was in
tended? Or who will now have to fast
tonight? | tell you l know all thess
Your house is full of soldiers:
your servants were watched anG could
not leave. You had to come yourself
and get food for him.
She clutched at the hand-rail Of the
bridge and for an instant chung to it for
support. Her face, from which the
shawl had fallen, glimmered white in
the shadow of the trees. A. last l had
shaken her pride. At last! What is
your price," she murmured family
81 am going to tell you," / replied.
speaking so that every word might
fall distinctly on her ears, and sating
my eyes on her proud face. had
never dreamed of such revenge as this!
about a fortnight ago, M. de Coche-
foret left here at night with a little
orange-colored sachet in his posses
sion"
She uttered a stifed cry, and drew
herself stifiy erect.
SIT contained-but there, Mademoi-
selle, you know its contents" went
on. Whatever they were, M. de Coch-
foret lost 1t and them at starting. A
week ago he came back-unfortunate-
ly for himself-to seek them"
She was looking full in my face
--- Oh .oarnn I'd oanroo1y fn hrnothn
in the intensity of her surprise and ex-
pectation. "You had a search made,
Mademoiselle," continued quietly,
Your servants left no place unex-
plored. The paths, the roads, the very
woods were ransacked. But in vain.
because all the while the orange sachet
lay whole and unopened in my pocket"
mol" she cried impetuously. "You
lie, Sir! The sachet was found, torn
open, many leagues from this place!"
Where I threw it, MademoiseHe,"
l replied, "that l might mislead your
rascals and be free to return. Oh! be-
lieve me-" l continued, letting some
thing of myself, something of my tri-
umph, appear at last in my voice. "You
have made a mistake! You
would have done better had you trusted
me. l am no bundle of sawdust, Mad
emoiselle, but a man; a man with an
arm to shield and a brain to serve
and-as I am going to teach you-a
heart also!"
She shivered.
"In the orange-colored sachet that
you lost | believe there were IS stones
of great value?"
She made no answer, but she looked
at me as if l fascinated her. Hel
very breath seemed to pause and wal
on my words. She was so little con
scious of anything else, of anything
outside ourselves, that a score o
men might have come up behind he:
unseen and unnoticed.
I took from my breast a little packe
wrapped in soft leather, and held i
towards her. "Will you open this?
l said. 81 believe it contains wha
you lost. That it contains all will no
answer Mademoiselle, because I splice
the stones on the floor of my room
and l may have failed to find some
But the others a be recovered
know where they are"
She took the packet slowly and be
gan to unroll it, her fingers shaking
A few turns and the mild lustre O
the stones made a kind of moonligh
in her hands-such a shimmering glor
of imprisoned light as has ruined man
a woman and robbed many a man c
his honor. Morbleu! as | looked
them-and as she stood looking
them in dull, %entranced perplexity-
I wondered how I had come to resis
the temptation.
While I gazed her hands began t
waver. 81 cannot count" she mu-
tered helplessly. "How many ar
there?"
"In all, 49,"
"They should be 49," she said.
She closed her hand on them wit
l that, and opened it again, and did S
: twice, as if to reassure herself thu
: the stones were real and that she We
not dreaming. Then she turned to n
7 with sudden ferceness, and | say Thu
her beautiful face, sharpened by tt
greed Of possession, was grown as kee
| and vicious as before. "Well?" 81
muttered between her teeth. "Yol
r price man? Your price,"
l g" am coming to it now, Mademo
i %selle," | said gravely. 1T is a sir
pie matter. You remember the afte
noon when I followed you-clumsi
!. and thoughtlessly perhaps-throus
the wood to restore these things?
seems about a mnnth ago. I believe
happened the Gay before yesterda
You called me then some very hars
4 names, which l will not hurt you |
repeating. The only price I ask fl
t restoring your jewels is that you 7
r call those names"
"How?' she muttered. 81 do n
understand.
| repeated my words very slowl
a "The only price or reward | ask, Ma
3 emoiselle, is that you take back tho
names, and say that they were not d
d served"
Q "And the jewels?" size exclaim,
I hoarsely.
' '"They are yours. They are nothil
' to me. Take them, and say that "
. do not think of me- Nay, I cam
say the words, Mademoiselle."
IA But there is something-els
, What else?" she cried, her hei
:, thrown back, her eyes, bright as al
wild animals searching mine. III
! my brother? What of him? What
: him, Sir?"
M -