Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-03
CHAPTER 1.
A Crime,

A Crime.
packed up my fishing tackle dis
consolately and started to go home
Since o'clock in the morning nae
stood on the banks of the Marine anc
had caught only half dozen roach.
AS I walked along the little zig-zae9
path before the pretty villa covered
with ivy that belonged to old "Iape
a l. Oeil," a retired army ofhcer, tne
old soldier, who was in his garden
leaned over the fence and called out:
"Barrabas! Monsieur Barrabas!'
crossed over to see. what ne
wanted, and he said, without pre-
amble: 8
Run. quickly home; woman has
just been murdered in your house,!
He turned his back on me abruptly
and was soon lost in the alley OF rose
trees which led to his villa. Inc
words were uttered so quickly and Sc
suddenly that I thought 1t was one o.
the old soldiers bad jokes.
shrugged my shoulders, laughed
and continued my walk with the same
leisurely step, putting at my pipe as
went Then. in turning the lane, from
behind the hedge Of prickly hawthorn
Mother Carrie, who was hanging out
the laundry On the line, called out, III
voice trembling with emotion:
monsieur Barrabas! Hurry home
fer the love of God! Something ter
rible has bappened!''
And in the same abrupt manner she
turned her, lack and walked quickly
Il 7 Il,
with my long artists hair and flowing
beard, had for the first time IN my
life inspired my neighbors with Ieel'
ing of terror.
mason who passed turned his
head and muttered, but no so low Dut
that l could hear:
1T is about time! Here is Bar
raras. King of Fools."
7 had never taken offence at this
sobriGuet. Why should ! more than
the old officer nicknamed rape
a. FOeil'? All our neighbors had some
sort of appellation. They were usually
without any significance. but many
were decidedly droll. Without doubt
mine was bestowed on me because my
wisdom was too patent; also because |
led quiet, simple life. / had no am
bitten I was happy with my Wlre
Gabrielle, nv son Polydore ana my
daughter Evelyne.
MY friends. who passed their lives
in making vain efforts, thought | was
good for nothing but to smoke a good
nine in the sum-, to stand for hours
soaking a thread in water and sing
from morning until night. My ac-
ouaintances pointed at me with
finger OF scorn and disdainfully called
me sthe sculptor They thought that
the statuary which + was able TO
create after long years in the atener
of Barrias was the pastime of an ldler.
In addition. there was my long now
ing beard and hair and certain love
of the paradox in my conversation, SO
that it was really not astonishing that
passed in the little village OF Bry 1or
an eccentric individual and that !
was nicknamed the King Of Fools. J,
What Mother Care had said ald
not disturb me any more than Wnat
"Tape tHOeil had said. l thought It
was some joke that had been started
in the village. 1T seemed to me an I'M:
possibility that any one could be as
sassinated in broad daylight. left
NV wife, with our son and daughter
and the maid in our home. The cot
taee was on the route Of Noisy, ana
nerhaps it was a little isolated, but II
was not sufficiently removed from the
other habitations to be exposed to
danger of this kind. Curiosity alone
made me quicken my steps. 1t was ex-
actly 11:10 O'Clock when l pushed
omen the garden gate framed in the
sweet smelling honeysuckle. The
neacefuIness of my little cottage with
the Glorie de Dijon roses. bathed IN
a golden sunlight, seemed to bene' Dy
it's discreet welcome, the tragedy
heralded by my gossiping neighbors.
The watch dog. Brutus. slept IN MS
kennel, under the shadow Of q plane
tree. He scarcely deigned to unclose
his eyelids as he wagged his tail Fcr
one brief moment he turned his big,
amber colored eyes in my direction,
then closed them again in drowsy in
dolence.
T crossed the threshold of my home.
In truth. while Kidding myself in the
hall Of my fishing tackle. was III
tie surprised that neither my wife nor
nv daughter came to meet me.
Silence everywhere!
opened the dining room door and a
horrible sight transfixed me to the
spot.
On the floor, beside the large diyan,
Gabrie]le-my wife Gabrielle-lay
With arms outstretched and hands
clin ched.
From a CHASTITY wound in her temple
the blood of life had flowed. On the
floor there was big red blot. It
seemed at this awful moment that my
heart had ceased to beat. 1t seemed
that my soul had been torn asunder,
leaving a great void.
knelt down beside the body and
took the cold. rigid hands in mine.
examined the CLASSY eyes and the
tightly closed mouth, which was shut.
Sphinx like. as though its last awful
secret should not escape. This closed
mouth terrified me even more than
the gaping wound and the vitreous
ewes. Already saw that it was a
mysterions evidence of something
could not surmise-might never know.
NV gaze fell to the floor and saw
the instrument of the crime. 1t was
nv mallet, a tool l used in my work,
which helped me to bring out OF a
slab or marble what | had preposter,