The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-01-28
CHAPTER xvI

M. Gtnory, M. Leriche, the chief;
Bernardet, and, In fact, all the judi
ciary believed that Charles Prades was
guilty Of the murder of Revere. Ber-
nardet. who had been an actor in this
dramas had now become a spectator.
Paul Rodier. a good reporter, had
learned before his conferes OF the ar
rest OF the young man, and abandon
ing what he had called his trail OF the
woman In black he abruptly whirled
about and quickly invented q sensa-
uonal biography OF the newcomer.
Charles Henri Prades, or, rather, Carlos
Prades, as he called himself. had been
a gauoho, a buffalo tanner, a cowboy,
using, turn by turn, the American re-
volver against the redskins and the
Mexican lasso against the Yankees.
The Journalist had obtained q sigma
ture, picked up by the lodging house
keeper where the guilty man had been
hunted down, and published In his pa
per the photographic Characters. He had
deduced from them some dramatic OBJ
seryations. Cooper of former times.
Gustave Aymard OF yesterday, Rudyard
Kipling or Bret Harte OF today. had
never met a parsonage more dreadful
and az the same time more heroic.
Carlos Trades used the navajo (Spanfsh
knife) with the terrible rapidity of a.
Catalan. He had felt since the DAYS of
Buenos Ayres a fierce hate for the ex-
consul, and this crime, which some OF
his brother reporters. rabitually indif-
ferently informed Qt was Paul Rodier
VINO spoke), now attributed alone to the
aVar1ce OF this cambrioleur from over
the sea. He (Rodler) gave tbs note as
the cause OF vengeance, and built there
upon a romance which made his read
ers shiyer, or, rather, he said nothing
outright He permitted one a glimpss
into, he outlined, one knows not what
dark history. Soon he made this Carlos
Trades the instrument and the arm OF
an association or vengeance. He could
even believe that there was anarchy "a
the affair. Then he had the young man
mixed In some love affair, a drama 81
passion, with the Argentine Republic
for the theater.
As q result, he had succeeded in maxi
ing interesting the man whom Bernar-
aet mad pushed a few nights before into
the station house.
And, what was a singular thing, the
reporter had OWNED part Of the truth.
II was still another episode ia his past
that Revere expiated when he found
himself n day, in his salon IN the
Boulevard de CIichy, face to face with
the man who was to be his murderer.
al buenos Ayres the ex-consul had been
associated in a large Agricultural enter
prise with a man whose Hazardous
speculations, play and various adven-
lures had completely ruined him. and
who had left two children-a Young
girl whom Revere thought for a mo-
ment of marrying, and a son, younger
beings or whom the consul, pay
ing his partners debts, seemed the
natural protector. Jean Prades. IN
committing suicide-he had killed him
SELF frightened at the magnitude OF his
debts-had commended his children TO
Rovere's care.
II Carlotta had lived, without doubt
Royere would nave made her his wife.
He loved her with a deep and respect
ful tenderness. The poor girl died very
suddenly, n there remained to Ro-
we're only his dream, one Of those re-
membranes of a Preside, n OF those
specters which brush the forehead with
their wings or the folds OF their wind
ing sheets, when In the solitude in
which he has voluntarily. buried him
self the searcher after adventures re-
calls the past-the past of YESTERDAY.
illusions, disillusions, old loves, mis-
cries.
Revere gave to this brother of the
lead girl the affection which he had
fSlt for her. He remembered also the
Iathers request. Prades' son passion
ate, eager to live. tempted In all his
appetites, accepted as his due Rovere's
truly paternal devotion. worked ON the
sympathy of this man, who. through
pity and duty, too, gave to Charles a
nttle or the affection which he had seit
tor n sister, almost his fiance. and
Tor n father, dead by his own band.
But, little by little, the. solicitations,
the unreasonable demands of Prades,
VINO; believing that he had a just claim
on his fathers old partner, found IL
very natural that Revere should devote
himself to him--these continual and
pressing demands became for the con
SUI Irritating obsessions. Revere seemed
70 this young man who was a spend
thrift n a gambler--a gambler pos
sessed With atavistic frenzy--a sort OF
living savings bank, from which he
could draw without counting. His i'm
portunities at last seemed fatiguing
n excessive, n Prades was advised
one beautiful day that he no longer
need count from that moment on the
generosity OF his b~enefactor. All this
happened at Buenos Ayres and about
time OF the consurs departure for