Year: 1861

held a slight wreath of smoke curling up
from behind bush, and without mo-
ment's hesitation, he leveled his pistol and
fired. The aim was terribly fatal A Wild
shrek rung upon the air, and tpe next mo-
ment there sprang from behind the tree,
not the charcoal burner as was expected,
but his wife The blood was flowing CO.
piously from her forehead, and presented
horrible spectacle. She tottered to the
edge Of the wall of ro3fs and fell into the
road corpse


Had | known it to be a woman,' the
! horseman muttered, / never would have
fired But it is too late to moralze What
can have become Of my friend, the char
/ coal burner?


| As he spoke, he turned around quickly
and encountered the object of his thoughts.
1t was lucky for him that he was so
quick The charcoal burner held gleam-
ing knife in his hand, already uplitted to
strike While the horseman's attention
had been engaged by the tragical end of
the woman, he had silently crept up behind
him, aud the would-be assassin sprung for
ward making desperate pass at his breast.
The horseman still held the discharged pis-
tol in his hand, and with its long bar Ell
managed to parry the blow. ''"


He then buried the spurs deep in the
horses sides, and the goaded beast sprang
forward so violently as to dash the char
coal burner to the ground, and completely
! springng over him, dashing the knife from
his hand, leaving hin stunned in the mid
die of the road The horseman turned
instantly, and drawing his remaining pis-
tol from his holster, waited for the other
to rise. The latter staggered to his feet,
| leaning against the rocks on the side Of
the road, gazing suilehly and revengefully
on his conqueror. Thus the strange cou-
pie regarded each other for some time, un-
til at last the h6rseman broke the silence:


so my friend, he said, your career is
ended at last


yes, curse you! I'd rend you asunder
too, if


You dared, I presume put in the
stranger / doubt not your good inten-
tions, and can only thank Heaven that you
have not the power proportionate to your
will but am doubly thankful that have
been the means of ridding the earth of
sach monster. I presume you can give
a pretty good account of those mysterious
disappearance of late ? - .'''


Aye that l can you are the first rich
ly freighted traveller who has entered this
lane, and escaped the bullet Or the knife
'Pshaw do you take me for one of those
simpletons whose purses are better filed
| than their heads ?


No" exclaimed the other, with sudden
energy, ! kpoY batter. From the very
first you seemed TO have read my intention,
and you must have been sent expressly to
entrap me- In otkerwords you are de-
tcctiyc in disguise Well, you have come
out best, but you have played desperate
part, Few would lrave escaped as you
have, for my wife is q good shot. But you
seemed from the first to be fortunes tav-
orite'


Il certainly had narrow escape, re-
marked the other, pointing to the bullet
hole in his nat But it is not the first
time that fortune proved friendly to me-


Well, who are you ? at length demand
ed the other.


My name is Vidocq'


L
/ might have known it would be all up
with me, when you are pitted against me-


Yes; business at the metropolis being
rather dull, and having heard some rumors
of your doings, thought | would take a
trip out here, if only for the good of my
health But, it is late, and you must be
moving


.Where must go?'


TO the gallows, in the end was the
cool reply; but at present to the jail at
P"


TO the gallowsr returned the other
fercely. 'Never! any death but that
You shall have bullet through your
head if you prefer it,


The other ducked his head in expecta-
tion of the shot, and then made desper-
ate spring at the detective. The latter,
however, was in no hurry to fire, and cool
ly awaited the others attack. The char
coal burner grasped the reins with his left
hand, and with his right endeavored to
grasp the pistol. The detective, however,
caught his right hand with his own left,
and holding it up with an iron grasp, pas
sed his right hand under until his pistol
pressed against the others forehead, when
he fred. The other instantly relaxed his
hold, and, with a terrible cry, fell back g
corpse!


The detective having accomplished the
purpose of his visit, did not delay his re
turn to Paris, but having explained the at
fair to the authorities at P, he depart
ed.


And thus was the earth rid of two as
great monsters in human form as ever
lived


What letter would make every flower
alike?