The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-06-20
know Florence Levasseur, tina,

Sauverand appeared disconcert-
ed by this unexpected threat,
Florence, standing beside him,
had turned livid. A mad anguish
distorted her features. She STAN.
mered:
"Oh, it is awful! No, no, I
can't endure it'll"
And, rushing at Don Luis:
Coward Coward! It's you
who r betraying us; Coward !
Oh, l knew that you were capable
Of the meanest treachery! There
you stand like an executioner !!
Oh, you villain, you coward!"
She fell into her chair, ex-
hausted and sobbing, with her
hand to her face.
Don Luis turned away. Strange
to say, he experienced no sense Of
pity; and Florence s tears affect,
ed him no more than her insults
had done, no more than if he had
never loved the girl. He was glad
OF this release. The horror with
which she filled him had killed
his love.
But, when he once more stood
in front of them after taking a
few steps across the room, he saw
that they were holding each
others hands, like two friends in
distress, trying to give each other
courage; and, again yielding to
a sudden impulse of hatred, for a
moment beside himself, he
gripped the mans arm:
81 forbid you By what
right - Is she your wife
Your m~istress9 Then"
His voice became perplexed.
He himself felt the strangeness
Of that fit Of anger which sudden
ly revealed, in all it's force and
all its blindness, a passion which
he thought dead. And he blushed,
for CASTOR Sauverand was look
ing at him in amazement and he
did not doubt that the enemy had
penetrated his secret.
A long pause followed, during
which he met Florence s eyes, hos
tile eyes, full Of rebellion and dis
dain. Had she, too, guessed?
He dared not speak another
word. He waited for Sauverand's
explanation. And, while waiting,
he gave not a thought to the COM
ing relations, nor to the tremen-
dous problems of which he was at
last about to know the solution,
nor to the tragic events at hand.
He thought Of one thing only.
thought of it with the fevered
throbbing Of his whole being,
thought Of what he was on the
point Of learning about Florence,
about the girls affections, about
her past, about her love for
Sauverand. That alone interested
him.
Every WE'LL" said Sauverand.
II am caught in a trap. Fate must
take it's course. Nevertheless,
can | speak to your 1t is the only
wish that remains to me-"
Speak replied Don Luis.
"The door is locked. I shall not
open it until 1 think fit. Speak"
II shall be BRIEF" said CASTOR
S%auverand. For one thing, what
| can tell you is not much. l do
not ask you to believe it, but to
listen to it as if 1 were possibly
telling the truth, the whole
truth"
And he expressed himself in the
following words:
q ne-er met Hippolyte and
Marie Fauville, though l used to
correspond with them-you will
remember that we were all cous-
sins-until five years ago, when
chance brought us together at
Palmero. They were passing the
winter there while their new
house on the Boulevard Suchet
was being built.
1--WE spent five months at Pal
nero, seeing one another daily.
Hippolyte and Marie were not on
the best of terms. One evening
after they had been quarrelling
more violently than usual 1 found
her crying. Her tears upset me
and | could not longer conceal my
secret. l had loved Marie from
the first moment when we met. l
was to love her always and to love
her more and more"
"You lie!" cried Don Luis, los
ing his self restraint. II saw the
two Of you yesterday in the train
that brought you back from Allen
CASTOR Sauverand looked at
Florence. She sat silent, with her
hands to her face and her elbows
on her knees. Without replying
to Don Luis exclamation, he
went on: