The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-07-04
THE
TEETH OF HI TIGER
MAURICE LEBLANC
TRANSLATED By
ALEXANDER TEIXEIRA DE MATTOS

opened and let us through. We
managed to slip quickly through
the lumber in the dark and
knocked up against a ladder.
This we climbed and reached a
loft in which we took shelter.
You entered at that moment. /.
"You know the rest: how.you
discovered the two hanging skele-
tons; how your attention was
drawn to us by an imprudent
movement Of Florence; your at
tack, to which / replied by bran
dishing the first weapon with
which chance provided me lastly,
our flight through the window in
the roof, under the fire Of your
revolver. We were free. But in
the evening, in the train, Florence
tainted. While bringing her to I
perceived that one Of your bullets
had wounded her in the shoulder.
The wound was slight and did not
hurt her, but it was enough to
increase the extreme tension Of
her nerves. When you saw. US
at LIE Mans station wasn't it,
she was asleep, with her head on
my shoulder"
Don Luis had not once inter
rupted the latter part OF this mar
r~ative, which was told in a more
and more agitated voice and
quickened by an accent of pro-
found truth. Thanks to a super
human effort Of attention, he
noted Sauverand's least words
and actions in his mind. And as
these words were uttered and
these actions performed, he re-
ceived the impression Of another
woman who rose up beside the real
Florence, a woman unspotted and
innocent Of all the shame which
he had attributed to her on the
strength of events.
Nevertheless, he did not yet
give in. How could Florence pos
sibly be innocentq No., no, the
evidence of his reason, which had
judged, both rebelled against any
such contention.
He would not admit that Flor
ence could suddenly be different
from what she really was to him /:
a crafty, cunning, cruel, blood
thirsty monster. No, no, the man
was lying with Internal clever
ness. He put things with a skill
amounting to genius, until it was
no longer possible to differentiate
between the false and the true, or
to distinguish the light from the
darkness.
He was lying! He was lying /!
And yet how sweet were the lies
he told! How beautiful was that
imaginary Florence, the Florence
compelled by destiny to commit
acts which she loathed, but free
Of all crime, free of remorse, hui
name and pitiful, with her clear
eyes and her snow-white hands
And how good it was to yield to
this fantastic dream!
CASTOR Sauverand was watch
ing the face of his former enemy.
Standing close to Don Luis, his
features lit up with the expression
Of feelings and passions which he
no longer strOve to check, he
asked, in a low voice:
"You believe me, don't you?''
"No, l don't" said Perenna,
hardening himself to resist the
mans influence.
"You must!' cried Sauverand,
with a fierce outburst of violence.
|"You must believe in the strength
of my love. 1t is the cause of
everything. My hatred for you
comes only from my love. Marie
is my life. If she were dead, there
would be nothing for me to do but
die. Oh, this morning, when
read in the papers that the poor
woman had opened her veins
and through your fault, after Hip
polyte's letters accusing her.
did not want to kill you so much
as to mflict upon you the most
barbarous tortures! My poor
Marie, what a martyrdom she
must be enduring! -.
GAS you were not back, Flor,
ence and / wandered about all
morning to have news of her: first
around the prison, next to the pc.
Ilice office and the law courts
And it was there, in the magis.
trates' corridor, that I saw You
At that moment you were men,
tioning Marie Fauville's name t.
a number of journalists and you
told them that Marie Fauville was
innocent and you informed them
Of the evidence which you pos
sessed in Marie's favor.
HMy hatred ceased then anC