2
UNJUST SUSPICIONS.
The train from N'ainuf lumbered
hea'lly into the station at Melreux and
J V v-akened into momentary life its
' i" sleepy stagnation. About half a dog
en passengers alighted, among whom
was a tall, bronzed Englishman. IBs
searching glance wanned Into a smlid
fit pleasure as he strode hastily toward
a Belgian gentlcmau who rushed to
greet him with outstretched arms.
With a string of questions the Bel
gian led the way into the station yard,
where an English doe cart was wait
ing. They got in and away they
dashed iu a cloud of white dust to
ward the little vtih.ge of Durbuy. Af
ter half an hour's brisk run they rat
tled noisily through the village and
drew up before a pair of uiHssivo
wrought-iron gates. The house lay at
the farther end of a short avenue of
elms, along which they drove smartly.
As the Belgian alighted a clock
chimed musically.
"A quarter to twelve," said he. "You
will just have tune to get rid of your
travel stains before lunch."
"Yes, M. Barvaux, I should like to
make myself rather irfore presentable
before meeting the ladles," replied his
friend, Jack Hague. In less than ten
minutes he was once more spick and
span, and as he went down-stairs he
found M. Barvaux awaiting him. As
they entered the morning-room in
which lunch was to be served they
were greeted by a couple of ladies,
whom M. Barvaux Introduced as his
wife and her niece, Mile. lUehert.
The charming manner of his host
soon made Jack perfectly at home. M.
Barvaux spoke English quite fluently,
and was rather proud of his accom
plishment. but Jack was rather shy
with his French at first, although the
kind way in which the girl beiped him
over ills difficulties enabled him to get
along smoothly enough. But he found
it much more pleasant to listen than
to talk, and when Mile. Illehert began
to speak of her love for the Ardennes
he instantly became all eyes aud ears.
It was quite a jolly little luncheon
party, but amid the pleasantness there
• was something which Jack could not
understand. Ever and anon the girl
appeared abstracted and seemed to be
watching M. Barvaux with a look of
deep anxiety, aud once when his wife
placed her arm round the giri's neck
affectionately Jack thought lie per
ceived an expression of mingled hate
aud fear c.n the face of the Belgian
as he gazed under his heavy eyebrows
a.t the g "1. At first Jack put it down
as u T"i.v bis fancy, but further ob
servation convinced him that there
was something wrong.
The days sped by all too quickly.
Fishing in the Ourihe, which run close
by, -or long rambles In the woods,
gathering bli-bcrrlcs. occupied the
\ hours of daylight, and in the evenings
.Tack sat as though under a spell while
Mile. Ilichert sang dainty old French
love songs or extemporized dreamy
melodies on the piano.
But still the Jailing note which hud
struck .lack disturbed the pleasant
„ harmony, and as duy followed day his
first suspicions were confirmed and in
tensified, However, he could discover
no lutoklglble explanation of the num
berless trivial incidents which, hnd not
his attention been roused, would have
entirely escaped him. All he could be
certain about was that his host un
mistakably manifested a strange an
tipathy toward his niece. This how
ever, did not prevent Jack and the girl
from becoming close friends, and it
seemed, at least to M. Barvaux, that
their friendship was rapidly ripening
Into a much stronger feeling. Jack
felt that Ills host was displeased at
the turn of affairs, and he was there
fore not very much surprised when M.
Barvaux, seizing a suitable opportun
. lty, asked him pol.it blank what wore
3 • his feelings toward the young lady.
He replied with perfect frankness
that he was over head and ears in
love with her.
"■ "Ah. my friend." replied M. Bar
vaux, "I am very sorry for you. I
should have warned you earlier."
Sinking his voice ':< a hoarse whisper
he continued. "She is a murderess."
\ Jack stared at him in amazement.
Had he suddenly taken leave of his
6enses? No, he seemed perfectly ra
tional. although very agitated. In an
exlclted voice he went on to describe
£ how the girl was trying to poison him.
Jack came to the conclusion that his
fc friend was the victim of a hallucina
tion and resolved to humor him.
| . "But she Is so devoted to your wife,"
said he.
"Yes. and that Is why I dare not
speak. My wife thinks Angellne is an
angel, and I am afraid to say any
t- thing."
, v pn the next evening, the last one of
K"..' Jack's stay, he was sitting in an easy
|r v chair among the window curtains
E when suddenly he heard the soft
sweep of a woman's dress in the room.
He turned and saw a figure in white.
"Angcline," was on his lips, and he
fc was about to spring to his feet when
I he saw something which turned him
to 3tone. She was standing at the
sideboard with a thick, green glass
| vial, the contents of which she was
pouring into the decanter of wine
specially reserved for M. Barvaux.
His host's suspicions were, t.heD, cor
rect. Oh. the horror of it! The girl
he loved a poisoner! He could scarce
; ly believe his senses, but after what
M. Barvaux had told him doubt
seemed no longer possible. The girl
left the room as quietly as she had
entered, closing t>a door as though
afraid of being heard. Jack rushed
to the sideboard. • He unstop pered the
; dooaoter. lies, thero was certainly a
strange smell, which was not that of
wine. What ahouid- he do—call An
gellne an accuse her en the spot? He
could not. Should he tell his host?
Should he potir away the poisoned
>vi S Id h ~uV b "ere he
could make op his mind, M. Barvaux,
looking father pale and dlsiuruea,
walked In from the garden, and a a
he did so his wife nnd Angeline en
tered the room, nn.i dinner was served.
The girl was dressed t: white, and a
couple of glorious red roses gleamed
In her Mack hair. Never before had
she seemed so beautiful to Jack. Ho
asked himself If it were possible that
so divine a creature could nurse
thoughts of nttirder in her soul. But
he could not forgot what lie had just
witnessed, and he resolved to lie on
his guard and prevent SI. Barvaux
drinking the wine.
Supposing, after all, he wore to be
wrong, how could lie face the girl lie
ioved after accusing her of saoh a
foul and unnatural deed? lie was too
agitated to eat. and he observed that
both SI. Barvnux and Angeliue seemed
also preoccupied and ill at ease. At
length he managed to make Ills host
understand that he was not to u nob
the wine. The Belgian smiled with
an almost sardonic expression and
eyed Augellne curiously. Presently
he raised the decanter and leaned over
the table, looking at her the while
with his deep set black eyes.
"Allow me, Aug?!,i.e." lie said, "to
pour you out a glass of wine."
"Mo—no, thank you," stammered
the girl in an agitated manner.
"Come—l insist. I will take no re
fusal." he cried, springing to his feet
aud tilling her glass. The girl turned
pale as death and seemed to lose her
power of self-will. Half mechanically
she took the glass of wine and raised
it to her lips. She emptied it at one
.Till]), and then sank back in her chair,
where she lay still and white. With
a cry of terror Mate. Barvnux rushed
to her assistance, but her husbhnd
comma tided her net to touch the girl.
Jack was on his feet In an instant, but
too bewildered to know how to act.
With a sickening cense of the con
firmation of his worst suspicions ho
concluded that the girl was poisoned,
nnd off lie rushed 'or the doctor. By
co>d fortune he rut. across the vcrv
person he was seeking. In a few
words lie told him bis errand and im
plored him to return with him in all
haste.
"It Is a matter of life and death,"
he cried. "Let us ran."
_ "Certainly, if you wish It." replied
the doctor, "although I may tell you
matters are not to serious as you
Imagine."
"But "
Permit r.ie to explain, monsieur.
The young lady is not poisoned at ail,
as you will see. The wine she drank
was intended for M. Barvaux, was it
not?"
"Ics, I believe BO."
"Well, you rousr know that he Is
subject to periodical tits of homicidal
madness, and when these attacks art?
coming on it becomes necessary to ad
minister powerful opiates to him with
out his knowledge. The paroxysm
passed, he is oc more the calm and
cultured gentleman you know, but at
times he is very dangerous, and but
for my treatment it would probably
become necessary to put him under re
straint. I was just about to pay my
customary visit to-night when you met
Die, for I was expecting an outbreak."
Jack was relieved beyond measure
on hearing the doctor's story, but the
thought that he had left the girl he
laved with a man subject to homicidal
mania moderated his feelings of sat
isfaction. and, anxious to get back to
assure himself of her safety, he tore
away from the doctor, for he felt that,
if an attack suddenly manifested it
self in it. Barvacx, Angellne, as being
the person who had laised his sus
picions, would probsbly be the first
victim of his made rage.
Indeed, he arrived none to soon.
Mtfie. Earvaux was crouching in an
agony of terror at the feet of the un
conscious girl, while her husband was
standing over them gesticulating
wildly. Jack speedily overpowered
him, and a few minutes afterward the
doctor arrived, whose presence had a
wonderfully soothing effect on the un
fortunate gentleman. Under the doc
tor's care Angellne soon recovered,
■but both she and Mine. Barvaux were
very muelr upset and were glad when
Jack decided to stay a few days long
er. They were days of infinite hap
piness for both him and Angcline, and
when at length his stay came to its
end the Brussels ex press bore away
a reluctant but very happy mau, to
whose eats the rnythmle rumble of
the wheels seemed to say, "Angellne,
Angellne, Angelina!"
A I'ldycronud on a Roof.
The boys of St. Paul's Cathedral
choir, says Quiver, have a cricket and
football field out of London, where, on
the weekly half holidays they play
among themselves, and with other
schools and choir schools. For the rest
of the week they possess wh'at is cer
tainly the strangest playground In
England. The top of the roof of the
school is enclosed by means of strong
beams and wire netting, so that balls
canndt fall upon the unsuspecting pas-
Rersby. Here on the leads, hockey,
stump cricket and the like go briskly
forward in any of the odd moments
which they have to themselves. In
winter a thin sheet of water, which
quickly freezoa, converts tb% roof into
a skating pond, whereon the most anx
ious parent could trust son with
out fear of Ms "falling through."
Those who know choir boys only with
those solemn faces which they Inva
riably assume when seated in their
stalls Ir the cathedral, would be as
tonished to find what remarkable light
hearted youngsters they are when
skipping about op this roof of theirs,
despite the smuts sud an occasional
whiff of smoke from a neighboring
cKlmney.
'"Johnnie," eatd a mother to her six
old son, "is it pc-saiUe that I over
hear you teaching the parrot to
•wear?"
"No. mamma." replied Johnr.tr.
wm just telling jf what It mustn't aay,"
9 \ /
THE COLUMBIAN. BLOOMSBURG, P A
Pointed Paragraphs.
Confidence often begets fconfidence
—men.
Potters are not the oitly people
wno make family jars.
Fuzzless peaches are more plentiful
than fuzzless women.
Fools watt for things to turn up ;
wise men go and tnrn them up.
Boarding-house beefsteak is apt to
be rare, because one seldom gets it.
When a man can't do anything else
he can develop into a chronic kicker.
Art may be long, but time is too
short for some people to become
artists.
The small boy with a tin can
doesn't worry the bob tailed dog very
much.
A matinee girl says that it's a poor
villain who doesn't attempt to kiss
the heroine when he gets a good op
portunity.
About the time a man gets a large
family of children off his hands he has
to begin setting his sons in-law on
their feet.
Meets If our Needs-
When you feel tired, languid, ner
vous and are troubled with pimples
and eruptions, you will find Hood's
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It purifies and enriches the blood and
imparts to it the qualities needed to
tone the nerves and nourish the whole
system. It cures all blood humors.
Hood's Pills cure sick headache,
nausea, biliousness and all liver ills.
Price 25 cents.
Hoax—"He's an idiot. He's
crazy over cornet solos." Joax —
"Likes'em, eh?" Hoax—"Yes. I'll
bet he'll rise up from his grave on the
last day and insist on an encore from
Gabriel."
Rubv lips and a clear complexion,
the pride of woman. Have you lost
these charms through torpid liver,
constipation, biliousness, or nervous
ness ? Dr. Agnew's Liver Pills will
restore them to you—40 Little " Ru
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charm. Never gripe. Sold by C. A.
Kleim. 4
"We want to rush one of our men
over to Franre right away," remarked
the head of the firm. "Why?"
asked the silent partner. "To intro
duce our armor-clad undershirt.
There's bound to be a number of
duels over this Dreyfus business."
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" A
TID-BITS FOR MA' HONEY!
and tender little juicelets for the chil
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boys" want a good, big, juicy steak,
roast or chop when business or school
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THE MARKETS.
BLOOMSBURG MARKETS.
CORRECTED WBRK LY. RETAIL PRICES.
Butter per lb $ , at
Kggs per dozen .16
Lard per lb c 8
Hani per pound ,10
Pork, whole, per pound ,06
Beef, quarter, per pound,,., .07
Wheat per bushel .80
Oats " " . e
Rye " " .50
Wheat flour per bbl 4,80
Hay per ton 9 to $lO
Potatoes per bushel, .80
Turnips " " , a j
Onions " " 100
Sweet potatoes per peck ,25
Tallow per lb .05
Shoulder " " ,09
Side meat " " ,c 8
'Vinegar, perqt ,05
Dried apples per lb 05
Dried cherries, pitted .12
Raspberries ** . la
Cow Hides per lb ,1
Steer " " " os
Calf Skin .g 0
Sheep pelts "75
Shelled corn per bus .60
Corn meal, cwt E 25
Bran, " „ s
Chop " .95
Middlings " ,9^
Chickens per lb new .12
" " "old 10
Turkeys " " jjl
Geese " " >f 4
Ducks " " . c g
COAL.
No. 6, delivered a.fio
" 4 and 5 " 3.85
" 6 at yard a .^s
" 4 and 5 at yard 3.6,3
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'l
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