The Penn's Grove record., 1885-08-22
saTed g Dn osr.

On q gloomy day in the month OF
November, a traveller on horseback
stopped At the door Of an inn 10 the
village Of Rouelle which adjOins the park
u MRlmaison. The hostess went out to
receive him. aud having given bis horse
70 the stable-bOy. be ordered dinner.
He was shown into the best room in the
house, and tie busy host set about pre-
pairing the repast. In a few minutes
another traveller on horseback stopped
at the inn and also ordered his dinner.
81 am very sorry l cannot accomo-
date you" said the hostess: ''but every
thing we have IN the house has been
bespoke by a gentleman who arrived d
few minutes before you"
go up stairs,H SAID the traveller,
"aud tell your guest l shall be obliged
to him if he will permit me to share
bis dinner and l will defray my portion
Of the expense"
The hostess delivered the message to
the Hrst traveller, who politely replied;
Tell the gentleman | shall be glad
OF bis company, but that 1t IS not my
practice to accept payment from persons
whom | invite TO dine with me.
The second traveller accordingly went
up stairs, and having expressed his
acknowledgements for the kind reception
he had received, they both sat down to
the table.
The dinner was as cheerful as could
be expected, considering the short ac-
qualntance of the parties; but during
the. desert, when some excellent wine
was placed before them, the converse
ton became more unrestrained, and
the second traveller ventured to ask his
obliging Amphitryon what had brought
lin into that part of the country,
where he appeared to be a stranger.
II have been ordered here, " he re-
piled, ''by the cardinal"
by the cardinalP' resumed his COM
panion. "Pardon my curiosity, sir, II
/ Inquire whether you have given his
eminence any otfence?"
''By no means" replied the first
traveller; and it is only to free myself
from any such imputation that l have
come here. The fact is, there has been
published at Rochelle, my native town,
a ~virtuleut satire upon the public con.
duct and personal character of the car
dinal, several copies of which have
been addressed to the king, and though
[ never wrote a single word that has
appeared in print, l am uDjustly ac-
cused Of being the author Of this
pamphlet. Nothing obtains such ready
belief as the whispeTings of folly and
ill-uature, and / have therefore lost no
time In obeylng the m of his
eminence in the hope Of effectually re-
futing the charge that has been brought
against me"
''Sir," said bis companion, with an
expression of marked anxiety, return
thanks to kind Providence for the for
tunate incident that introduced you to
me to-day. / have also been summon
ed hither by the cardinal, and for no
other purpose | am convinced than that
Of beheading YOU"
A thrill Of horror passed through the
the frame Of the person TO whom these
words were addressed.
YES, siT;n resumed the speaker,
''my task would baye been to behead
YOU. | am the eXecutloner of a neigh
boring town, and whenever the cardi-
nal has any secret act Of vengeance to
perform, l receive orders to repair to
the castle. The particulars l have just
heard you relate, together with the
hour of your appointment here, all con-
vince me beyond doubt that you are
marked out as a victim. But fear
nothing, l will secure your escape. Or
der your horse instantly, ana go with
me. 1 will acquit myself of the debt
of gratitude which your courtesy has
imposed upon me-"
The horror aud alarm of the poor
traveller may be more easily conceived
than described. He instantly ordered
the horse to be saddled, and having
paid the bill he and his companion set
out, taking a private road through the
wood of Bertrand.
"Do you see, " said the guide, as they
approached the castle, that grated
window, which almost reaches the
crannies of the central turret2 In that
dungeon sentences against which there
is no appeal are pronounced and execu-
ted, and the mutilated bodies hurled
down into the moat below, where they
are speedily destroyed by quicklime.
Neglect not to observe my instructions.
Conceal yourself behind that hedge,
and if within the space Of an hOur you
see a light glimmering at the window
which l have pointed out, then you
may conclude that l am ordered here
TO execute vengeance upon another;
but If, on the contrary, you see no
light, rely on 1t you yourself are the in
tended victim. In that case, lose not
an in tant. Profit by the darkness of
the night and the swiftness of your
horse. Gain the frontier, and there
plead your cause a. you see lit; but per-
NIT me to tell you that it is absurd to
justify yourself against the imputation
Of an offence which you have not com
mitted; for, where despotism reigns,
truth and Justice are powerless."
Having expressed unbounded graft
tude to his tutelar saint, the traveller
withdrew to his hiding place. The
suspicious of the cardinals agent
proved well founded. No light appear.
ed at the window OF the turret, and at
the expiration of an hour the traveller
galloped off. lie Immediately quilted
France, and did not venture back until
after the death of the cardinal.
On returning to his native country,
his first business was to visit the inn
of Rouelle, and to make inquiries re-
specting his benefactor, who, however,
had not been heard of for several years.
He then related his adventure, which
became a local tradition, and has con.
ferred celebrity on the inn of Rouele,
known by the sign of the white
Horse" The room in which the two
travellers dined is shown to this day,
and is called the Broom of the Good
Help"