Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-01-25

will do7 Do you think that is the
way to obtain assistance from me7"
Seeing that no other way is pos
sible," flashed Gustave.
, Out Of my house! Go denounco
| me! Go to the devil, But out of
here with you"
Reflect a moment. Etiennew The
other was breathing hard, and his
| eyes famed with anger-rthe anger Of
| the baffied man. II am face TO. face
with ruin I need but a thousand
francs" ~ .
Not thousand sous, not single
sou from me, BE OFF, CIairvaux
| advanced threateningiy upon his
cousin. "Be OIL" He caught him by
the lapels. of his riding coat
Don't dare to touch met" Gustave
warned him, his voice shrflhng sud
denly. t
However, the deputy, thoroughly
enraged by now. frightened his grip,
and began TO thrust the other to-
ward the door. Gustave put out a
hand to the table, where his hat and
| whip were lying. and his fingers
closed upon that ugly riding crop of
his.
" The rest had happened almost be-
fore he realized 1t; IL was the blind
action of suddenly overwhelming
fury He twisted out of his cousins
grasp, stepped back holding that life
preserver by it's slender extremity.
swung 1t aloft. and brought the
loaded end down whistling upon the
deputy's handicapped head. :
There was a horrible sound like
the crunching of an eggshell, and
the citizen representative dropped
crushed by the blow, and lay in
shuddering, twitching heap, while
the color OF his pightcap changed
slowly from white 20 crimson under
the murderer's staring eyes.
= x
ECUSTAVE stood there, bending
over the fallen man, motionless
while one might count ten. His face
was leaden. and his mouth fooIishly
open between surprise and horror at
the thing he had done.
Not a sound disturbed the house;
not groan, not a movement from
the fallen man. Nothing but the
muffied ticking of the ormolu clock
and the buZzing of a fly that had
been disturbed. StiH Gustave. stood
there In that half-crouching attitude,
terror gaining upon him with every
throb of his pulses.
And~ then suddenly voice cut
sharply, upon the stiffness "WeIl?"
1t asked. And what do you pro-
pose to do now?"
Gustave came erect, sitting a
scream, to confront the white face
and beady eyes of Duroc, who stood
considering him from between the
parted curtains.
In a long silence Gustave stared.
his wits working briskly the while.
Who are you?" he asked at last, his
voice a hoarse whisper. How come
you here? What are you? All! A
thief-a housebreakerw
AT least" said Duroc dryiy. Il
am not murderer"
Great Heaven said Gustave, and
his wild eyes turned again upon that
tragically grotesque mass that lay at
his feet rs he's he dead?"
Unless his skull is made of iron"
said Duroc. He came forward in that
swift, noiseIess fashion of his. and
dropped on one knee beside the deputy.
He made a brief examination THE
citizen representative represents a
corpse" ne said. He is as dead as
King Capet." He rose. What are you
going to do?' he asked again.
To do?" said Gustave. Mon Dieu,
What is there TO do? If he is dead"
He checked. His knavish wits were
racing now. He looked into the others
round black eyes. you'll not betray
me-" he cried. you dare not. You
l.
Is no one else in the house. He lived
all alone. He was a misery dog, and
the old woman who serves him will not
be here until morning"
X
nUROC was watching him intently,
~ almost without appearing to OBJ
serve him. He saw the mans fingers
suddenly tighten upon the life preserver
with which he had already launched one
man across the tide of Styx that night
Put that thing down" Duroc COM
manded sharply. Put it down at once,
or I'll send you after your cousin"
And Gustave found himself covered
by a pistol. Instantly he loesed his grip
Of his murderous weapon. 1t fell with a
crash beside the body of the man 1t had
slain.
81 meant you no harm" Gustave said.
painting. do you know what wealth he
boards in these consoles. in that sec
retaire? You do, for that is what you
came for. Well. take it, take it all.
But let me go, let me get away from
this. Il" He seemed to stife in
his terror.
Duroc's lipless mouth distended in a
smile. Am OBTAINING your" he asked.
You didn't suppose 1 was going to drag
you to the nearest corps de garde, did
you? Go, man, II you want to go. In
your place, should have gone already"
Gustave stared at him almost incred-
ulously, as II doubling his own good
fortune. Then, suddenly perceiying the
motives that swayed the other, and ask
ing nothing better for himself than to
be gone, he turned, and, without another
word. fed from the room and the house,
his one anxiety to put as great a dis
tance between himself and his crime as
possible.
Duroc watched that sudden scared
flight, still smiling. Then he coolly
crossed the room, took up the dead
mans candle and placed 1t upon the
secretaire. He pulled up a chair-there
was no longer any need to proceed with