University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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THE REDWOOD. RETRIBUTION HAROLD R. McKINNON The eighteenth century was nearing its close with Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette on the throne. Affairs in France had come to such a pass that the entire nation felt the hour was at hand when either life or death had to be chosen by them, — the republic or a monarchy. It was the talk of the court, engrossed in all its luxury; it constituted the never ending prattle of the peasantry ; it was the daily theme of the lounger at the inn, and of the nobleman in the gay salons ; it was the hope of the oppressed, the terror of the royal officer. But interesting and important as it was to others, it was the one set pur- pose in the life of Monsieur Gabelle — Monsieur Gabelle in his dingy little tailor shop in one of the dingy little shacks of the village of St. Croix, out- side Paris, and it was the sole object, too, of the only other occupant of this stuffy unfrequnented chamber, for there was but one room. This per- son was none but Madame Gabelle herself — crafty, deceiving, and wicked, yet skillful and talented enough to be the more influential of the two. As for Monsieur Gabelle — he was short though heavily set and powerful of physique. His face, owing probab- ly to the treatment of his wife greatly resembled that of a scared wolf. He slunk around, — did not walk, and sel- dom seemed to notice anything. As a matter of fact, he didn ' t. He only thought. Except for the work which he performed for an occasional patron, this was his occupation. Even on the street (though seldom seen there), he was ever en- grossed with his own unpleasant thoughts. If one were asked to ex- plain the peculiar face of that Monsieur Gabelle, whose livelihood depended upon the patronage of a needy popu- lace, he would find it a difficult task. That ill-omened air of secrecy, how- ever, which the iron-jawed little man carried about him was in itself suf- ficient to ward off trifling company. That air of constant mqditation in- voluntarily refused interruption. As far as the village of St. Croix was con- cerned. Monsieur Gabelle could be briefly analyzed in the words of Du Bois, the gray haired old innkeeper who would explain him thus : Gabelle minds his business. We mind ours. For Monsieur ' s love of solitude there was, however, reason. In his earlier years he had been remarkable for skill with the sword, and in the dis sipated brawls which marked his younger days, he had often resorted to it. With the life of more than one of his drunken opponents upon his

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THE REDWOOD. NOCTURNE walked beneath the olives when the sun Hung low in a reddening u-est. And every leaf was trembling, till the ivirid Called, and they answered with cries and clapping of hands. And beckoning they bade that I look. Ihere! There! What wast they saw, what saw? I looked again. The sinking sun had bathed them all in blood. Blood ' neath the olives ! I knew when I gazed I blushed as I looked to be man amongst men, Blushed with the leaves. And when the branches tvere bent Like One praying, His face to the earth, His lips in the dust, Prayed and shuddered and wept, Prayed and was dumb, Prayed, and the rivers of life Left their red courses and strayed, L bent down my face in the red dust and wept. And the crickets far off cried. Peace, Peace and Good Will. And the olive-branches cried. Peace, Peace. I walked beneath the olives rvhen the sun Hung low in a reddening ivest. Thomas E. Percy-

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10 THE REDWOOD. conscience, he had in his more sober years, become dreadful even to him- self. Besides, Monsieur Gabelle had brooded for years over the loss of a favorite brother. Dropping mysteriously from the quaint home life of a lowly household, Leon Gabelle had never been heard of since. Like his younger brother he too had been a tailor, for it was the characteristic occupation of his family as far back as the old Bible on the shelf over the fireplace in Gabelle ' s shop chronicled the family ' s history. The failure of the elder brother to return from work on the evening of that perplexing day some years be- fore, and his subsequent absence in the first few days that followed, was as thoroughly argued and conjec- tured over as it was grieved over. Young, not yet twenty-five, thrifty, hard working, honest, — the joy and the hope of the humble circle had left them or had been taken away, leaving not the slightest hint as to his where- abouts or as to the cause of his sudden disappearance. The family waited and wondered. Surmises were many. Suicide, — that was out of the question. No young man could have been pos- sessed of a more buoyant disposition, none less throttled by serious cares. Accident? What could happen to an ordinary tailor? What grave dangers perturbed his safety? Then again, he had not prepared for nor had he, at any time, anticipated any journey. And thus the various presumptions eliminated themselves until, as a last probable reason, they thought of pos- sible abduction. Now the Law of Sus- pects was enforced and carried out with terrible partiality in that unset- tled age ; innocent men had been taken into custody in fearful mockery of jus- tice. Men, guiltless of any crime, were in prison in satisfaction of the mere whim of some fop favored by the court. But who , they asked them- selves, could have borne such hatred against Leon? Certainly none had been injured by their peaceful relative and hence would have found pleasure in doing him wrong. As a last stand, however, this idea gradually took pos- session of the minds of all save one, — and this one a , ' short, square-jawed little man, not over forty, with the suspicious air of a criminal about him, who muttered over his work or talked to his wife in the dingy little tailor shop of St. Croix. Moreover, even in his maturer years, Gabelle, it seemed, had made personal enemies, and, somehow or other, chiefly among the nobility. The taxes can be ascribed as the rea- son for hatred between him and the higher classes. The levies, at this time, were overbearing in the ex- treme and the collectors, no doubt, found Gabelle an obstinate fellow on their rounds. Yet the royal stat- statutes had to be fulfilled and Ga- belle, the tailor, was always forced to submit. Gabelle told his wife that he had been wronged. His wife told Ga-