The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-05-09
NUMBER III.
DEATH Doctor Lorquin, before them, parted,
unged, O d struck, crying the while:
Down, down! Morbleu! Lie DOWN.
But they heard him not

| unged, d struck, crying the while
Down, down! Morbeu! Lie down"
But they heard him not
Louise, in the midst of the tumult. thouoht
only OF protecting Catherine and Catherine
,, Imagine her horror when she cav Yegof on q
tall, bony horse, among the assailants-Yegof
his crown upon bis head, his unkempt beard
and dogBkin mantle floating on the wind, and
lance in his hand She saw him there plainly,
as II it were broad day, lourishng his long
weapon not ten PAGES from her, and she saw
his cleaning eyes fixed on hers.
The most resolute souls seem often utterly
broken by the pursuit of o relentless and in
flexible fate. What was to be done Submit
yield to that fate. Tho old woman believed
herself doomed; she saw the mingled combat
men striking and falling in the clear moon
light; she saw riderless horses dashing over
the field she saw the attic window of the for
ester's lodge open, and old Cuny aim without
daring to fire in the mass She saw all thess
things with strange distnctness, but she kept
repeating to herself, "The fool has returned:
whatever may happen, he will hang my head
to his saddle-bow. My dream is true-true
And indeed, everything seemed to Justify her
fears. The mountaineers, too feeble in num-
bers, began to give way. Soon, like q whirl-
wind, the Cossacks burst upon the road, and q
lanoes point passed through the old woman's
hair, 80 that she felt the cold steel pass across
her neck.
- wretches wretches I" she cried a. shsr
fell to the bottom of the sfedge, still holding.
however, the reins in both hands.
Doctor Lorquin, too, had fallen upon the
sledge. Frantx and the others, surrounded bv
twenty Cossacks, could render no assistance.
Louise felt hand grasp her shoulder-tho
hand of the fool, mounted on his tall steed.
At this supreme moment, the poor girl,
crazed with fear, uttered q shrek of distress:
then she saw something fash in the darkness;
1t was the barrels of Lorquin's pistols, and,
quick as lightning, she had torn them from the
doctors belt. Both flashed at once burning
regofs beard, and sending the bullets crash
Ing through the skull of IA Cossack who was
bending toward her. She seized GATHERINGS
whip, and standing Greet, pale as n corpse,
struck the horses TANKS with all her might
The animal bounded from the blow, and the
sledge dashed through the bushes it bent to
the right-to the left (; then there was q shock;
Catherine, Louise, sledge and straw, rolled
down the steep roadside in the snow. The
horse stopped short, dung back on his
launches and his mouth full of bloody foam.
he had struck against an oak.
Swift was their fall, Louise had seen some
shadows pass like the wind behind the oopse.
She heard . terrible voice-the voice of Dives
shout:
Forward Point! pofntw
1t seemed but an illusions mingled vision.
uch as at our latest hour passes before our
,lazinG eyes, but she rose, the poor girl
oubted it not; sabres were clashing twenty
aces from her, behind a curtain of trees, and
fares voice still rang on the night:
"BraVely, boys, bravely! No qaarter!'
Then she saw a dozen Cossacks climbing the
lope opposite in the midst of the bushes, like
ares, and through an opening beneath, Yegof
ying across the valley in the clear moonlight
Ike a frightened bird. Several shots re-
ounded, but they did not reach the fool and
landing erect in his stirrups while his horse
ept on at his utmost speed, he turned in tho
lddle, shook his lance de6antly, and shouted
Hurrahl" in voice like that of a heron
,caping the eagles talons. Two more shots
sshed from the foresters lodge; q rag Jew
ON the FOOLS waist, bat he still held on his
purse, again and sgain hoarsely shouting his
Harrah I" as he followed the path his com
,des had taken.
And then the vision vanished.
When Louise again became conscious, Cath
inc was stRnding beside her. They RsEed
r moment ut each other, and then en-
'aced in an ecstasy of Joy.
" Saved savedp murmured Catherine, and
ey wept In each Others arms.
" You bore yourself we'll and bravely," said
10 old woman. "Jesn-Claude, Gaspard, and
may we'll be proud of you"
Louise trembled from head to foot. The
niger passed, her gentle mature asserted it,