The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-12-30
TIE WIDOW |
I,ER0UCE |
bly,
Il. EMILE GAB0RIAU. 5
CHAPTER vi.

WAS ever man." continued he.
more cruelty deceived, more miser
ably duped, than l have been! |, who
loved this woman, who knew not how
to show my affection for her, who, for
her sake, sacrificed my youth. How
she must have laughed at me- Her
infamy dates from the moment when
for the first time she took me on her
knees; and, until these few days past,
she has sustained without falteriHg
her eXecrable role. Her love for me
was nothing but hypocrisy, her devo-
ton, falsehood! her caresses, lies, And
adored her. All! why can | not take
hack all the embraces l bestowed on
her in exchange for her Judas kisses?
And for what was all this heroism of
deception, this caution, this duplicity?
To betray me more securely, to desnoil
me to rob me, to give to her all that
lawfully appertained to me; my name,
noble name, my fortune, a princely
Entertained"
This is very serious, all that you
have been saying, my dear Noel, ter
ribly serious. We must believe Ma
dame Gerdy possessed of an amount
of audacity and ability rarely to be
met with In woman. She must have
been assisted, advised. compelled per-
haps Who have been her accom-
plices? She could never have managed
this unaided; perhaps her husband
himself"
Her husband" interrupted the
barrister, with bitter laugh. An!
you, too. have believed her widow,
Pshaw! She never had husband, the
defunct Gerdy never existed. l was
Noel, son of girl Gerdy, and an UNI
known father"
"Ah!" cried the old fellow: that
then was the reason why your mar
rage with Mademoiselle Levernois
was broken off four years ago."
Eyes, my friend. that was the rea-
son. And what misfortunes might
have been averted by this marriage
with a young girl whom / loved! How
1 then called mother. She wept, she
accused herself, she seemed ready to
die OF grief; and ], poor fool! l con-
BOled her as best I.could, | dried her
tears, and excused her in her own
eyes. No, there was no husband Do
such women as she have husbands?
She was my fathers mistress; and, on
the day when he had had enough OF
her, he took up his hat and threw her
three hundred thousand francs, the
price of the pleasure she had given
him."
My dear boy" said Tabaret, do
not let us digress. You ask me for
advice; and l am, perhaps, the best
adviser you could have chosen. Come,
then, to the point. How have you
learned this? Have you any proofs?
where are they?"
II have known the truth for three
weeks past. made the discovery by
chance. have important moral
proofs; but they are mere presump-
tive evidence. A word from Widow
Lerouge, one single word. would have
rendered them decisive. This word
she cannot now pronounce, since they
have killed her; but she had said it
to me. Now, Madame Gerdy will
deny all. / know her; with her head
on the block, she will deny it. My
father doubtless will turn against me.
I am certain. and possess proofs;
now this crime makes my gertrude
but a vain boast, and renders my
proofs null and void"
Explain 1t all to me-" said old
Tabaret. after pause. all, you IN
derstand. We old ones are sometimes
able to give good advice We will
decide what's to be done afterward.'
Three weeks ago." commenced
Il Noel. searching for some old docu-
lnents. opened Madame Gerdy's sec
rotary. Accidentally displaced one
Of the small shelves; some papers
tumbled out, and packet of letters
fell In front Of my eyes, A mechani-
cal impulse, which j cannot explain
prompted me to untiesthe string, and
dmpelled by an invincible curiosity
read the first letter which came to
my hand. At the end of ten lines, ]
WAS convinced that these letters were
from my father, whose name Madame
Gerdy, In spite Of my prayers, had
always hidden from me. You cannot
& understand my emotion. carried on
the packet, shut myself in this room
ana deyoured the correspondence
from beginning TO end"
And you have been cruelty pun
ished, my poor boy!n
IT Is true; but who in my position
could have resisted? These letters
have given me great pain; but they
afford the proof 81 what ! just now
told yOli. ]"
81 You have II least preserved these
letters sss
hays them here. =. Tabaret.'
replied Noel. "end, that you may un
S1srstand ~ cass u which ! have 80