The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-07-04

master to whom one kneels. SO
you had had the wonderful cour-
age to repudiate all your work
and to devote yourself to Marie s
rescue! I ran off, trembling with
joy and hope, and, as ] joined
Florence, l shouted, Marie is
saved! He proclaims her inno-
)cent! l must see him and speak
to him!' -.
eve came back here. Florence
refused to lay down her arms and
begged me not to carry out my
plan before your new attitude in
the case was confirmed by deeds.
1 promised everything that she
asked. But my mind was made
up. And my will was still further
strengthened when l had read
your declaration in the newspa-
per. | would place Marie's fate
in your hands whatever happened
and without an hours delay, /
waited for your return and came
up here"
He was no longer the same man
who had displayed such GOODNESS
at the commencement of the in
terview. Exhausted by his efforts
and by a struggle that had lasted
for weeks, costing him so much
fruitless energy, he was now
trembling; and clinging to Don
Luis, with one Of his knees on the
chair beside which Don Luis was
standing, he stammered:
"Save her, l implore you! You
have it in your power. Yes, you
can do anything. l learned to
know you in fighting you. There
was more than your genius de-
Tending you against me; there is
a luck that protects you. You
are different from other men.
Why, the mere fact of your not
killing me at once, though / had
pursued you so savagely, the fact
of your listening to the inconceiv-
able truth of the innocence of all
three of us and accepting it as
admissible, surely these constitute
an unprecedented miracle.
"While | was waiting for you
and preparing to speak to you, l
received an intuition of it ALP
he exclaimed. II saw clearly that
the man who was proclaiming Ma
rie's innocence with nothing to
guide him but his reason, | saw
that this man alone could save
her and hat we would save her.
All, l beseech you, save her-and
save her at once. Otherwise it will
be too late.
"In a few days Marie will have
ended her life. She cannot go on
living in prison. You see, she
means to die. No obstacle can
prevent her. Can any one be pre-
vented from committing suicide ?
And how horrible if she were to
die -. Oh, if the law requires
a criminal l will confess anything
that / am asked to. l will joy
fully accept every charge and pay
every penalty, provided that Ma
RE is free! Save her! :. | did
not know, l do not yet know the
best thing to be done! Save her
from prison and death, save her,
for Gods sake, save her!"
Tears flowed down his anguish
stricken face. Florence also was
crying, bowed down with sorrow.
And Perenna suddenly felt the
most terrible dread steal over
him.
Although, ever since the begin
ming Of the interview, a fresh con-
viction had gradually been mas
tering him, it vas only as it were
a glance that he became aware of
it. Suddenly he perceived that
his belief in Sauverand' words
was unrestricted, and that Flor
ence was perhaps not the loath-
some creature that he had had the
right to think, but a woman
whose eyes did not lie and whose
face and soul were alike beautiful.
Suddenly he learned that the
two people before him, as well as
Marie Fauville, for love of whom
they had fought so unskilful a
fight, were imprisoned in an iron
circle which their efforts would
not succeed in breaking. And
that circle traced by an unknown
hand he, Perenna, had drawn
tighter around them with the most
ruthless determination.
eff only it is not too late !" he
muttered.
He staggered under the shock
Of the sensations and ideas that
crowded upon him. Everything
FLASHED in his brain with tragic
violence: certainty, joy, dismay,
despair, fury. He was struggling