The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1882-04-06

The blow of his hand had set the glasses
trembling, but it did not III the least shake
Jeanne's resolution.
A few days previous to this occurrence
Raymond had sent from Rennes q picture
represent ng himself in his character Of ar
tilleryman. This photograph was indeed
work Of art. The stripes OF his pantaloons
and the facings of his coat were painted
red, and his big white gloved hands were
crossed Oh his sword. Pale with anger ,she
handed it to her father, saving:
! And it is this BOBBY you would have me
marry. Very we'll; will answer You in
| your own words: never, never, never!" And
she tore the card into pieces, thus venting
her rage.
I She was threatened with an attack of ill.,
ness, and Simon yielded. That IS the way
with these fathers.
One evening NJ. Pielinot entered tho inn
in person. The notary spoke in low tone,
blinking mis- eyes behind his blue goggles;
but as he was taking his departure, behind
the half open door, the strained ears caught
these words:
They TaSt be- waF E; M Esu d HS3
understand"
| NJ. Pielinot's do you understand" was
more effective than the most eloquent ap-
| peal. Pere Simon understood, and so do
Jeanne, who immediately recovered her
health and good spirits. When Raymond
returned home, his term having expired, all
was in readiness for the wedding, the day
fixed, the music engaged. A scere was an
| tlcipated-some violent demonstration on
tho part of the Tilted lover. His associates
anticipated no little pleasure in being w.t.
ness to SO interesting combat as the one
in view. But, to the establishment of all
who knew him, Raymond received the news
with the utmost sang ;froid. He lost color
momentarily, drank in single swallow
large glass of brandy, then, changing the
subject of conversation, spoke of the hay
about to be harvested, and of the apple
crop, which was unusually late. On the
following day he went back to work, and
accomplished more than any four men.
Pere Ii Thiele, delighted to find him so
| calm, pointed him out to me as he bent over
| his scythe, and said:
! 1T takes the army to subdue q man s
passions" He had feared evil
| Every year on the fifteenth of August, to
inaugurate the hunting season. party OF
hunters, duly equipped, scour our prairies.
AS went before dawn, to prevent tres
passing upon the counts enclosure, which
on this particular day is never open to tho
chase, passing near the mill I encountered
|
tune brand new, for he was as yet but a
novice in the sport.
You are early, II. Delaporte," said I.
| IAN the first?"
ut is to be hoped so, as it is not yet
daybreak. With the three exceptions
| Of you, myself, and that great bull yondtr,
who IS regarding US so intently while chew
| ing the cUd all the world is asleep, God be
praised that is to say, all the Saint Georg-
es world"
| $50 much the better" So saying,
| Delaporte walked off with long strides, and
soon disappeared in the light fog that
! doated over the meadows. [ then called
to mind the fact that on the previous day
| had pointed out to him covey Of snipe
On the upper marsh lands. Doubtless he
| thought to effect master stroke and sur
! PRISE them before day.
Near Pe1e La Thiele's thought detect
| ed something like a shadow gliding along
through the trees and taking the same d.
| rection as that taken by Jules. another
hunter thought I to myself; "but no
| no one but Jules Delaporte is such a sim
| pleton as to beat the prairie before it is
| sufficiently light enough to see distinctly,
at the risk of startling the game while yet
! unable to take aim with any degree of
decision"
Tie new day had but just shown itself
above the horizon when the first shot re-
| sounded in the distance. my friend
Jules" thought I, is frightening the
! ducks.'
Soon all was astir on the marsh. The
snipe, screaming with alright, set at def
| ance the unskilled huntsman by flying over
| his head far beyond his reach, whilst the
| rail and curlew ran under the very noses of
the dogs, secreting themselves in the rush
| es. On all sides the shots resounded, like
a volley Of lnusketry, until at sunset men
and dogs. alike too weary to take another
| step, filed homeward, wet, dirty, and tired.
It vas niiyghtfa}l wheH: returning home, !
met Pere Slmon's stable-boy. He looked
frightened and anxious. Monsieur Della.
! porte had not returned. Mademoiselle
Jeanne, after several hours of anxious sus-
pense, had set off, as though distracted, in
search Of her lover. The whole night was
| spent in exploring the prairies with the aid
ing we heard call for help. 1t was but a
flock of curlew that, flying over our heads,
| pierced the black and still expanse of heav-
| en- with their mournful cry. 1t was not un-
| til daylight that Jules was found, there, sir,
right there, opposite where you are now
sitting, ain the bottom of the creek, with his
head buried in the mud, his arms extended,
! his hands already shriveled. at first it was
supposed that he had been drowned; but
after extricating him with no little difficult
| ty, and removing the mask of mud from
his face, it was discovered to be terribly
dis6gured, literally peppered with littlo
black holes, from which had oozed streams
OF blood. His gun was found in the rushes
within distance OF some thirty feet with
both barrels discharged.
Upon examination the physician decided
that the wounds had not been mortal. but
the unfortunate man, blinded by the dis
charge, after having turned several times
in his bewilderment- the tracks of his
footsteps were clearly discernible in the
mud-had finally sunk in the quagmire,
where he had died from suffocation, and
the incoming tide had covered him over.
Jeanne regarded the corpse with that
fixed vacant stare which you saw in her
eyes just now. Then with piercing
He killed him! It is he who killed him!"
The tone in which these words were ut
tered was heart-rending. The next instan,
she fell upon the ground insensible.
From that day the poor girl has been
crazy. But the fever has pitied her in her
misery, and will soon send her to join in
the cemetery him whom she still seeks
among the rushes.
@AAN SA0 HuIAO1 VI tuo Cilul01 SGlQ.
LIT was not a crime" Noel replied,
struggling his shoulders; "a simple acct
dent of the chase, that was all-such, at
least, was the verdict of the coroners jury.
Raymond, who was Immediately accused,
brought witnesses to prove that at the time
of the accident he was in town, whittier he
bad carried a load Of hay. It was after
wards recalledto mind that two young men,
strangers to the rest, had precipitately
withdrawn, after scarcely an hours hunt
ing. They were seen later, looking some
what anxious and troubled. Some advanced
the opinion that it was not improbable
that, owing, to the high rushes and the
heavy fog Of the m orning, the involuntary
author of the crime had gone his way.
happily UNCONSCIOUS of the occurrence"
And you? What is your opinion, Mast
er Noel?" said I.
1T is my opinion, monsieur, that the
sun IS sinking; therefore high time that
we return home"