San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-11-26

/ MatCltu MN Is nc SLOut from the room
with his gun over his shoulder The young,
ster looked up and around in the bitter
morning air, and saw a light in Oliyia's
chamber window.
why couldn't the hgistOrm have lasted
another half al hvu.?' he thought, regret
fully. You must make haste" he said.
aloud. 1--WE are three-quarters Of an hour
late already
Joseph mounted Ieisu.rIy. and proceeded
to wrap up his legs with glrat deliberatiOn,
then cracking his whip Vi.' ~ much noise
as would have been Md. by emptying a
brace of reyOlyerS, started his thick-set
| flemish ste d at numbering tot which al
the end Of twenty yariS subsidized into a
walk.
The traveller drawing his rugs still closer
about him, let his thoughts drift to where
they would. He closed his eyes to the wintry
landscape, and his mind made pictures for
him. Now he saw himself and Chi Lung, as
| If in picture, and beheld his own figure
| at little distance, with her glOved hand
resting on the open door, stood Olivia, with
her wandering golden curls still powdered
with the snow. Now Chi Lung was out OF
the picture, and the fat old Baron was in it,
comfortably smoking by the stove, and the
dreamer himself was looking into the lady's
eyes again when he ought to have been COM
pairing the ArdennrS with Switzerland, and
found himself caught in the act aud blush
ing at detection. Now the golden head in
the dim light Of the two lamps seemed float
ing up the stairs again. Suddenly the pic
lures ceased to form, and the most singular
thing in the world seemed to happen. With
strange sweet thrill If warmth the golden
head nestled at his heart, and the young
man started wide awake to find himself
blushing and thrilling all over. Yet this re-
markable fancy had been so strangely sweet
that he lOnged to have it back again, and he
closed his eyes and lay back once more in
his corner. The fancy came, obedient to
his summons. The golden head nestled on
his breast, and tue dark eyes looked up at
him.
Even Joseph and the Flemish horse in
combination could not make the Journey
from MOntcOur,oi> 10 Sanceau last forever,
and the hmua.r mmelCSS hOstelry of the
latter VILLAGE Wa, reached at length
THE spOrtsmen and the beaters have gone
on" said barehradCd lad, who stood dane
Ing in his SaIOtS 1T the door of the inn. Can
| show monsieur the way%' Lawrence de-
Scended and threw his OyercOat to Joseph.
Il am one OF the traqueurs, monsieur" said
the little fellow, with dignity. There is a
troop of wild boar in the FOsse aux LOups.
II was | who saw them enter. One can see
their fresh traces in the snow. 1t is because
OF that | am permitted to be a traqueur l
lave never tracked for big game before.
One Is monster, monsieur, the one who
went first, and he had tasks like reaping-
hook. | saw him quite close, and | counted
ten who followed him."
Lawrence's blood began to thrill, but he
said nothing. For half mile after the vii
lage the country was open, and beyond the
snow-cOvered ridges of the fields lay the
forest in purple and brown. When the
sportsman and his tOw-haired, bareheaded
guide reached the forest path they saw a
long trail of men in Indian file, threading
their way down clearing, and the boy laid
a finger on his lips, and ran with a noise
less, Looping stride after them, leaving Law
renee to follow The last man in the line
turned and nodded sOemnly at the young
Elglishman, who fell in behind him, and
the whole tribe went across the snow al
most without sound stiff-set fellow in a
blue blouse, and wearing the metal badge
Of State gamckrrprr on his breast, walked
at the head of the line. and at every forty
PAGES he paused. touched 2 huntsman on the
shoulder, and WIKI al outsretched forefin-
ger, indicated ...~ p,.; in silence. This
ghOstly process went on for lOrg while,
and every moment the wood seemed to grow
denser and more profound As each man
dropped behind in turn, Lawrence looked
and saw the sportsman open the breeCh of
his gun, insert brace Of cartridges, and as
sumo an attitude of waiting. The business
was new to him, and everything in it was
full Of interest. There was something in
this silent investiture Of the forest which
savOred of mystery and of danger, and the
news that the forest monarch was actually
here set his blood tingling with vivid eX-
pectatlOn and excitement, inSOmuch that his
gun barrels thrilled through his glove to his
hand as if they had been charged with the
strongest electric currents. An older sports
man might have accepted the news with
some reserve, for the small boy of the Ar
dennes is apt to cultivate the imaginative
faculty in the shooting season, and to see all
manner of big beasts which leave no trace
behind them even in snowy weather. But
this was Lawrence's first year, and his
second day. He had never shot anything
his friends reckOned him crack over stub
bic or heather, he was full of certain Curl
Gus diflidence with respect to his possible
performance here. lie thought of the young
man who Dragged that he could snuff can
die at twelve PAGES with pistol bullet, and
of the old dueliSt's rejOinder. DO you think
you would shoot as well if the candle had
pistol?' Would he be Hurried if he saw the
bTistly beast, enraged by wound, head
bent down and tusks cleaning? Could he
depend upon his nerves? He had never been
in danger in his life. How could he know
how he would behave?
One by one the huntsmen were left behind
until he and the Gardc were alone. For the
last two or three hundred yards the way had
been PERCEPTIONS and difficult, broken by
great fragments of rock, and intersected by
a score of little watercOurseS. BY one of
these the Garde touched him on the shoulder,
and, with glittgriug eye and silent gesture,
showed his place. Lawrence brushed the
snow from bOwlder, sat down, loaded his
piece, and watched the Girde as he went 81
lently over the snow, with only an OCCASION
oil crunch of the dead leaves.
Then he was alone, and the circle of in.
vestiture WAS completed. The hail and
wind had beaten all the snow from the trees,
and, except where few red leaves chung
obstinately, the bOughs were bare. Immedi-
ately before him was little vista of, per-
haps, thirty or fiye-and-thirty yards in
length, but he could see no more than
dozen yards in any other direction, and was
hemmed in by an oppressive solitude Right
and left rose considerable hill, densely
clothed, and behind him rose an abrupter
height, with one slOping slab of rock at the
foot of it, ten yards square, and almost as
smooth as billiard table.
Not much chance to run away" he said