Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1914-09-19
Synopsis
Of Opening
Chapters
CHAPTER |.
A Gruesome Discovery.

A GruesOme Discovery.
Day was breaking, and the work
men and country folks were ready to
begin their labor. The silence OF the
night was at last disturbed by the
heavy rumbling of carts. The morn
ing mists rose slowly from the
ground, the grayish vapor creeping
up from the earth until 1t reached
the highest branches Of the trees,
lingering there for moment, and
then fading away into the rising sun
which touched the hilltOps with red
dish tints.
Inside the Notifications Paris still
slept Employees at the excise office
went about their duties with half
closed eyes. searching but carelessly
i'm the carts which entered the city
gates. The workmen's train rolled
round Paris, throwing out a cloud OF
smoke.
Father Teroigne and his son were
returning from the halles with their
cart full of fresh vegetables and lus-
cious fruit. The guard at the excise
office nodded to him as he pulled up
his horse at the city gates.
Zine day, Ell, Father Teroigne ~
he remarked.
Fine! If you're going off duty
now, NJ. Millette, III give you a lift
to your place"
Good. I'll be through in few
minutes"
The carts passed-some going into
the city, some coming out. There
was continual cry from the
officials:
Anything to declare? Anything
to declare"
mo; nothing" came the response.
The excise employee poked into the
baskets and cases and rummaged
through the straw.
Nothing; pass on" 1t was time
for Millette to go off duty. He
jumped up beside Father TerOigne
and they drove off.
MANY orders today" asked the
excise employee
1.-TWO large baskets Of the choicest
fruits and vegetables for the Far
AIDES I'm going there now. Well
turn to the right
The cart stopped at the e..trance
of an avenue which led to the Far
AIDES garden. The three men got
down. Millette held the horses head.
''Son, you take that one in for NJ.
Louis, and I'll take this for NJ. Ar
thur" said Father Teroigne.
The two men with their fruits and
vegetables went into the separate
gardens, the grounds of which were
divided by low hedge.
"No need to wake up the servants.
Let's leave them on the stoOp," said
the son. They deposited their bas
kets on the steps and walked back
down the garden path. Inquisitive
Millette stood at the gate peeping in.
He had left the horse to look after
itself. Father and son had reached
an old well which stood between the
two gardens.
Lets take drink. The water is
always cold and fresh here said the
younger Teroigne.
"You draw your own drink and I'll
draw mine and NJ. Millette's," said
the father: there is no better water
anywhere than in this old well-it's
worth any wine you can buy"
Above the we'll were two pulleys
so that each household had its own
buckets and ropes. The two men
pulled on the ropes-old Teroigne
drew up his bucket. He looked into
the clear water and then uttered a
cry of surprise.
"God bless me- he exclaimed, "if
Mademoisele Valentine didn't drop
her diamond ring down therew
He picked out of the bucket a
thick gold ring set with a magnifi-
cent diamond.
"Confound it," cried young Te-
roigne on the other side of the
hedge, my bucket won't come up
something's caught on it down be-
lowv
The three men tried to pull up the
bucket, but their efforts were futile
They leaned over the brink and
peeTed down into the well. When
they raised their heads their faces
were pale, for in the depths of the
old well they had seen a dark form.
lnstinctively they turned their
eyes toward the two handsome
houses, the gardens of which over
looked the Avenue du Pare des
Princes. The three men continued
to stare at the suffered windows.
Millette was the first TO speak.
"Has something happened up
there ?" he asked in 2 whisper.
"There never were two families
more united than those two" vouched
Father Teroigne. "Those two broth
ers used TO be the best of friends,
but lately they have not been hardly
on speaking terms. What's hap
pened? What's the ring doing in
this bucket, and what's that black
thing down there ?"
perhaps it's an old dress than got
chucked in y mistake" hazarded
the son.
Finally hey decided to knock at
the kitchen door. monster /, Arthur's
man servant and Monsieur Louis S
cook appeared. Both were grumb-
ling at being disturbed at that early