The Osceola times., 1884-10-18
THE DEATH KISS.
is II true, girlr
Father. father."
sis n true I saxT'

rs II true. sayr'
But swear to you, father"
Then 1t is true" said the old man in ter
rible voice and with eyes that made spots Of
fierce light In his dark, weather-beaten face.
'Ah, the scoundrel! what good ever could
come Of forester or q forester's breedg'
II was early morning in the poachers cabin
on the verge Of the forest Of Chantilly. The
light of the fire alone lent faint illumina-
tion 10 the poor and gloomy interior. Out Of
doors the fog, gray and heavy, banked itself
against the veatber-wom timbers Of the lit
tie hut like q drift Of snow.
yArHER cLAUDE's WOLF.
Father Claude sat staring at the FIRE, his
daughter crouched at his feet, sobbing, with
her face buried In her hands. A pheasant
and 4 couple Of hares. the fruits OF the
nights forsy, were scattered ON the table,
and the wires which had shared them still
around their necks.
swell" said Father Claude in q h0arse
voice, II suppose one must eat anyhow.
Give me my breakfast"
The girl took the thin soup Oh the fire, on
which Il was stewing In an old earthen pot
and sct II on the table. She brought bat
tered wooden spoon and black crust. Then
she squsttd In the corner Of the fireplace
and hid her face again. She had not looked
st her father. but he had followed her move
nnents with catlike eyes. When she finished
her preparations he began to eat, murmur-
ing between the rnorsels:
"We shall seep'
His breakfast finished, he got up, went to
corner and brought from 1t an old and
heavy but carefully oiled and polished gun.
His daughter cried out:
"What are you going to doY' r
Y II an going out, he answered.
"But you have been out all night"
Il know 1t" Nff
you are wet through"
"Well, an neither sugar nor salt. There
b wolf out In the deer park. l want the
ten francs his scalp Is worth"
And he went out leaving the door open
and the fresh, damp air puffing into the
smoky hut In refreshing gusts.
PoAcHER AND WOLF HUNTER
The girl sprAng up and ran to the door,
but her father had already disappeared In
the fog. She knew the wolf he was after,
but she knew the hunter too. Father Claude
an old soldier Of the Algerian and Crimean
campaigns, q veteran whose scars had
brought him no fortune, was famons as the
most daring and desperate Of the poachers
who preyed on the imperial domains at
Chanully. He was popular In the district
and WAS never arrested, though he might
have been dozen OF times at least. But
the gendarmes feared his strong arm and
the eagle eye which sighted his deadly old
gun, and would not attack him without or
ders. These never came, because the COM
mandante Of the district q veteran officer of
the line himself, would not issue them
They use US for powder food All we are
useless for anything else, he said. land then
they cast us out II the government will not
support US, IT can be no crime for us TO sup
port ourselves with what the state has no
need Of"
This philosophy was sounder than the
commentaries observances OF duty and
discipline, ss will be admitted. But II saved
Father Claude from many apunishm ent hi
defiant violation OF the law entitled him to.
Beside, Father Claude was In one sense
valuable member Of the community. He
was dsad shSt, and slew from year to year
some dozen Of the feroci0us wolves which
made the district so dangerous that reward
Of ten francs apiece was paid for their
scalps
The daughter Of the poaeher and wolf
hunter strained her eyes into the fog in
which her father had vanished. Then she
gave vent TO groan Of anguish.
He will kill him!" she screamed. sNy
Godl he will kill himp
on which she had slept-f0r she was half
naked, having only risen from her bed on
her fathers refurn-she wrapped IL around
her, nur1nunng:
Not can help II though"
AK AND BULLET.
Father Claude, meanwhile, had left his
cabin far behind him. The forest was gray
with dawn, but still obscured by the fog, but
ne knew, every foot Of the ground, aud
measured 1t with rapid and angry strides.
A walk OF q quarter Of an hour brought him
70 little clearing, where q forester's cottage
stood, with It's vegetable garden. A sleei,y
boy was 4 cutting some salad within the PAL
lnRgI he garden.
HWhere Is your brotherg' demanded Fa-
ther Claude brusquely.
Jules, Is it?" asked the youngster. rub
bing his eyea
Have you dozen brothers, OF only oney,
He Is cutting wood at the pond" ans
wered the boy, and he dropped his knife and
ran Into the house 10 tell his mother that
old Claude was asking for his brother,
Father Claude turned his back ON the cab
IN and plunged into the forest again. In a
few minutes he heard the sound of an AZ.
A moment more and he stood concealed by
thicket on the verge Of clearing, where
lusty and handsome young fellow was
Sox Blowing ne @se stpp ra aa s4ssS %ssS
his forehead, for he was pefspiring In spite
"A coSpis mcrs, the old man heard him
say si6ud, "and II will be down"
,Andhe raised the Ak again. But the blow
shsrpneaA vas desfsned by the fog, and the
woodnan tumbled In 3 heap, with one deep
gp6aA, md lay quite stilL
my eye Is not blind yet" murmured- Fa-
'n' o's3''ee' t.,r ron LIFE.
The cIdmsn nadyanced Into the clearing
The coIpee had fallen Just In the line IN
and tho I1osshert quick eye noted It. lie
seized the Ak and added. Q couple 0f, deep
cull y the sapipk wound his victim had al,
ready made " the trunk. The great birch
Qulykrod and cracked as II In agony.
Father Claude threw the AK aside. and
seized the end OF the long cord fastened 10
one Of The branches of fhe tree to lTull il
cysFt@. U stsered back Sut q reach of
I'm igx - - eoscksdt but alll II 10
81 J: ~ &:is::'; e Z: n; 4. s.i; ::