St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1908-09-12

| farther from me? Can't you see my
cause is honest? Can't you understand
| that I am no fugitive-that want only
| to come up with this man? That he
has robbed me, and these formalities
that help to cover his flight are an out
rage against justice!"
Pardon, monsieur; if the gentleman
has robbed you, it is best for you to
wait here and let the law-the Off
Gals, monsieur-seek him."
'The law again!"
| Eyes, monsieur"
Then have lost her forever!" The
| traveller, who for some ten minutes
had been pleading with the courteous
official to honor his expired passport
and allow him to cross from France
into Spain, sank down upon chair
in the private quarters of the French
railway station and buried his face
in his hands.
Lost her, monsieur" the official
questioned, with new show of inter
est. rs it LADY,"
"Yes!" the other groaned. "He has
robbed me of my wife!"
"And the LADY,"
rs with him.
Pardon again, monsieur; the gen
tleman you seek journeyed alone. All,
monsieur is mistaken! He need not
despair! Take courage! The gentle
man journeyed alone!"
mo, say. She is with him-and az
helpless as the dead"
Monsieur"
IT say, yes-she is with him
| "In spirit, monsieur"
| ''In body"
will monsieur explain to the off,
Gals how the gentleman has robbed
him of his wife? We have the tele-
graph and may the gentleman detain
before he reaches the sea coast. But
if monsieur will listen, he will learn
how the gentleman was not accom-
panied by lady, nor by servant at
tended
"The lady is dead!" came the amaz-
ing reply.
Dead, monsieur" exclaimed the Of
fetal. "Ah!" A doubt as to the others
sanity seemed to strike the French
man and he looked about uneasily.
"Will monsieur read to pass the
time?" he questioned.
Read" The American traveller
laubhed an unpleasant laugh. Then
his smothered Impotence broke out.
Cant I follow him on foot without
a passport"
mo, monsieur; not into territory
Spanish"
MAY death stop him them" the 9TH
er cried with uplifted hands.
The Frenchman's suspicious deep
ened; but, courteous even to a mad
man, he only begged the other to have
patience.
Yes, I know you think / rave" the
American broke in, passionately; "and
you would think me mad if told you
the whole truth. Yet l say he has
robbed me of my wife and she is with
him in person. You, yourself, saw
her"
Pardon, monsieur; I saw her not"
did he not wear great diamond
upon his hand?'
Monsieur is right"
Then"
at was a pool of light, monsieur"
continued the Frenchman. "Ah, it is
monsieur's jewel. and so lovely that he
calls it his wife!"
TT is my wife," came the amazing
reply.
For a moment the other was wholly
nonplused Then he questioned:
Has monsieur welded jewell"
"'No-I have welded no jewel. That
stone, say, is no jewel! it is wom-
an-my wife-f1esh and blood! All,
honor the passport and let me go!"
Before the Frenchman could an
swer the sudden changing of bell,
a hiss of escaping steam and the rum
BILE of car wheels was heard without.
Both men rushed to the door and out
upon the platform. An engine with
three passenger coaches attached
drew into the station from the wrong
direction and contrary to official time.
What was wrong? The men were
soon to learn. Two coaches from the
rear of the train which had drawn out
of the station about half an hour be-
fore had broken from their couplings
and been wrecked and, high French
official being among the number in
iured, the engineer had reversed his
engine and returned for surgical aid
into French territory.
Despite the tragic nature of this re-
turn, the American gave a cry of joy
and began searching among the pas
sengers for the fugitive-the false
friend who had robbed him of his
ring.
That friend was not to be found
among the living, nor among the in
/ iured, and four of the five dead had
already been removed from the rear
coach to the station! Would the fifth