The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-16
1907, BY IRVING XII

 1 returning from his labors in America.
 In Paris itself were living already 1 three others to whom similar medals had | descended. One was the beautiful Adrien- ne de Cardoville, orphaned daughter of l the Count-Duke de Cardoville; the other | two were M Hardy, manufacturer of | Plessis, and Jacques Rennepont drunk en vagabond who worked occasionally and drank all the time.
 A century and half before, Marius | Rennepont had instrusted the remnant | of his fortune, the sume of 10000 crowns to a faithful Jew to be invested, and the resulting fortune was to be distrib- l uted among his heirs on February 13 1892 But an evil power more formidable | than the passionate good wishes of He rodias and the Wandering Jew was ac- | lively opposing itself to the assembling | of the Rennepont heirs on the designated | date.
 In a large and plainly furnished room l in an unpretnetious house in the Rue du . kf:liev-des- -Ursns. M. Rodin sat at an es.erz table filtered with papers, buslly Yysiting M Rodip was fifty years old. His 1 gray hairs fell limp and fiat on his temples and crowned his bald fore | head his eyebrows were scarcely | marked: his upper eyelids were shriveled | and fell low like the membrane of serpent's eye. His eyes were small and | black, sharp and piercing; his lips, thin ! aDSOlutelX the wan hue of his lank visage. His l finger nails needed cleaning and his hands washing.
 | M Rodin was not pleasant to look up | on. Yet within that unlovely exterior was concealed boundless ambition, strong and 1emorseless will and such an abso- lute penetration into the hearts of men that he could play upon them as upon ] stringed instruments.
 M Rodin was secretark to M. FAbbe 1 q dAigrigny, Provincial of the Jesults, who I presently entered the room and haught- fly began dictating some letters M, rAbbe was formerly M .ae Marquis | d,Aigrigny. emigre In the days of the 1 Revolution and the empire, colonel serving against France, who received ms reward upon the restoration. But though not yet forty, the MarquisA Algrisny had suddenly forsake the army and the world to take upon himself the habit Of | a Jesuit
 The Abbe d'Aigrigny fancied himself powerful and a master of intrigue. As n matter of fact, he was tool in the hands of Rodin. who used him until the time should come to destroy him.
 well, Rodin," said the Marquis loft ily "all goes well with regard to the Rennepont inheritance. The daughters of 1 General Simon have arrived in Paris In spite of my endeavors, 1t Is true; but the wife of Dagobert Is pious woman, and in her husbands temporary absence i I have persuaded her to place the girls ! in convent for religious instruction w..ere they will be kept until after to- | morrow"
 And M. Hardy" insinuated the sec retary. lis, I believe now travelling in the south of France? =.
 ''Yes," replied d'Aigrigny, with a smile. .'l have certain incriminating papers con- | cerning his bosom friend M. de Blessac, and by this means have induced that es. timable person to lure M. Hardy away from Paris Jasaues Rennepont Is in jail for debt and Adrienne de Cardovllle has been placed by her aunt, the Princess Saint Dizier, in an insane asylum. Prince, Djalma as you know, will not trouble us. though my agent in Batavia blun- dered and let him arrive In Paris Gabriel has returned from his mission to Amer ica, s now in Paris and awaits my or ders to appear tomorrow and receive the inheritance which he has already as- signed to me. It is success, Rodin, sue cessv'
 The snaky little eyes of the secretary regarded the vain Marquis with side long glance of contempt Ah that Rodin! Tn his room he had a picture of peas ant youth swineherd, surrounded by his charges. Under it was written, The Youth of Sixtus Quintus"
 Opposite 1t hung another representing a peasant woman holding her boy by the hand while a sybil was telling the child's fortune Under it was written .sera Papar' He will be Pope" It was inc nrediction of the papacy of the sub iect of the first picture-Sixtus Quintus. Rodiu liked to look at these two pie tures and dream; for, like all strong characters he liked sometimes to shut himself up alone with his day dreams. | Sixtus Ouintus was Pope-Rodin would be Pope This master Of intrigue con 1,t suits and against the papacy. He would first become General of the Order, then Pope. and being Pope he would destroy the order. He was using the order now; | subsequently, he would be to 1t what Mahmud IT. was to the Janizaries and | Mehemet Ali to the Mamelukes.
 The possession of the Rennepont in- heritance which must now have grown l to an enormous sum, was the lever by which he would move those wheels that had not already been set in motion In ms complicated machinery. The vast wealth once in his hands. added to his own mar vicious skill in intrigue, would give hlm that which alone he coveted-Power
 The morning of February 13 saw the custodian of the closed house in the Rue St. Francois, an aged Jew named i Samuel. seated in the porters lodge Tn the wall which divided the disused gar | den from the street. and putting his papers in final order for the ceremonies of the day. For three generations in his family had been the custodians of the walled-up house and of the inheritance of the Renneponts. Owing to their re- markable longevity this guardianship | had extended over 150 years.
 .Bathesheba," said the old man to his wife. "check off the items as I read.' and when this had been done he said: .'That Is all The inheritance has grown from the 10000 crowns intrusted to my ancestors to 212.175,OO0 francs" tmore than $40. .0oO, COO.
 Soon there arrived M. rAbbe d'Aigrigny and his secretary Rodin Then arrived Father Gabriel. the good priest the mis- sionary recently returned from the Rocky mountains; and following him came the notary and workmen to open the doors | of the house In the courtyard and take the lesden covering from the windows | of one room. the red chamber, according to the written instructions left by Marius ! Rennepont A century and half before. Gabriel Renneoont had the countenance of an angel and disposition as sweet