A FRENCH STORY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1639, 18 August 1887, Page 2

A FRENCH STORY

A London correspondent of the "N.JJ. Times " geta off the following :— A.atrange story oinea to us from Paris, which, if it had ocourred to the imagination of oar romancers, might have been a little fortune to its poiaeosor. The police, it appears, arroatcd cne morning a drunken cook, who was found to be m poaitaslon of a large aum of gold, and being asked for an explanation, told the following tale-— namely, how that, sauntering oae day near the Central Market, he was accosted by a well dresaed man, who Baked him if he would like to earn an honeat penoy. Not beiog averße to this proposal, he accompanied hla patron to a large house m the Rue de Rivoli, and being conducted into a private room, he was abruptly addressed thua : "Mon garooD, you must kill me ?" For a moment the cook thought be had got hold of a madman, but the explanation was well — reasonable enough!— lf you like, viz, that he, the individual deiiring extinction, had, unfortunately, been speculating with hia mother's money, and dropped some thing to iho tune of lssO.ooo francs. His life was insured up to 200,000 franca, to that his death, other than by his own hand, would recoup his parent and leave a handsome surplus. Animated by this filHal motive, therefore, ho was willing, he said to give hia murderer 80,000 frauoa, and he then and there offered an instalment of 2000, and this amount the cook aooepte 3, promising next day to call and fulfil the contract. Howeyec, when, the time drew near, courage failed, him and the same evening, having dru k too freely, ho wai arreated, at alre^ly «jl;ated, and made a confession. Next day the police aooom* panled him to tho house, and there, sore enongh, found the would-ba suioide, for such m effect he was, aud at onoe arrested him on the doable cba-ge of inolting crime and seeking to defraud the insurance. Thia was rather un unexpected result, and the disappointed man heaped bitter reproaches on the head of hia betrayer. The atory, atrauge a» it is, seems perfectly true ; and I think it will be agreii it offers the b»alB for a oapital aenaatioual novel of the first water.