Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1912-02-20

ing IN his eager search, and he passed !
his closed fists against his breast ae
If to still the furious beating Of his
heart.
Here they arei" suddenly shouted
the victorious voice. Here they are.
my louis. my dear treasure; and In
the Sunday vest of that little hypo.
critic OF Limousinl Look, landlord,
they are just as I told you Here is
the Napoleon, the man with a queue.
and the Philippe that I have bitten.
See the dentist All. the little beggar |
with the sanctiied air. I should have
much sooner suspected the other All,
The wretchl Well, he must go to the
convict prison.
AZ this moment Jean Francois
heard the well-known step Of Savin-
len coming slowly up the stairs.
He is going to his destruction,
thought he. Three stories. have
time!
And, pushing open the door, he en-
tered the room, pale as death. where
he saw the landlord and the servant
stupefed in a corner while the Auver-
gnat, on his knees, in the disordered
heap of clothes, was kissing the
pieces of gold
Enough of this" he said, IN thick
voice; Il took the money, and put It
in my comrades trunk. But that ia
too bad. am thief, but not Judas.
Call the police; viii not try to es-
cape, only must say a word to Sa-
vinien in private. Here he is"
In fact, the little Limousin had just
arrived; and seeing his crime discov-
cred, believing himself lost, he stood
there, his eyes fixed, his arms hang
ing.
Jean Francois seized him forcibly
by the neck, as if to embrace him; he
put his mouth close to Savinien's ear,
and said to him in low, supplicating
voice:
Keep quiet"
Then turning toward the others:
Leave me alone with him. | tell
you / won't go away. Lock us in If
you wish, but leave us alone"
With a commanding gesture he
showed them the door.
Iney went out.
Savinien, broken by grief, was sit
ting on the bed, and lowered HIS eyes
without understanding anything
Listen" said Jean Francois, who
came and took him by the hands. 81
understand! You have stolen three
gold pieces to buy some trife for a
girl. That costs six months in prison.
But one only comes out from there to
go back again, and you will become a
pillar of police, courts and tribunals.
/ understand it, / have been seven
years at the reform school, a year at
Sainte Pelagie, three years at Poissy,
five years at Toulon. Now, don't be
afraid. Everything is arranged. II
have taken it on my shoulders"
1T is dreadful" said Savinien; but
hope was springing up again in his
cowardly heart.
when the elder brother is under
the flag, the younger one does not go"
replied Jean Francois. 81 am your
substitute, that's all. You care for
me little, do you not? l am paid
Don't be childish-don't refuse, They
would have taken me again one of
these days, for I am a runaway from
exile. And then, do you see, that life
will be less hard for me than for YOU
know it all, and shall not complain
II have not done you this service for
nothing, and if you swear to me that
you will never do it again. Savinien,
l have loved you well, and your friend
ship has made me happy. It is through
1t that, since l have known you, l.
have been honest and pure, as j
might always have been, perhaps, ii
| had had, like you, father to put
tool in my hands, a mother to teach
me my prayers. 1t was my sole regret
that | was useless to you, and that /
deceived you concerning myself To.
day have unmasked in saving you.
1t is all right. Do not cry, and EN-.
brace me, for already l hear heavy
boots on the stairs. They are coming
with the posse, and we must not seem
to know each other so we'll before
those chaps
He pressed Sayinien quickly to his
breast, then pushed him from him,
when the door was thrown wide
open. r
1t was the landlord and the Auver.
gnat, who brought the police. Jean
Francois sprang forward to the land.
ing place, held out his hands for the
handouts, and said. laughing, "For.
ward, bad lott"
Today he is at Cayenne. condemned
for life aH an ineorrigible.