The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-03-17
THE IILYOF ROCHON
a Legend Of Bay ST. Louis.
BY MAURICE THoMPsoN.

ABOUT the SKY. ana clafnOT10S III
their far-reaching metallic voices. A man
hard-pressed and painting heavily broke
through the frail paling of the garden, and
snatching up short hoe Drained his pur-
suer, who was coming through after him.
Orion. by an indirect sense of vision, was
aware that the man who had thus saved
himself was Garcin. but he really did not
see him. On went the poor, worried fellow,
passing out at the rear gate, and at last
gaining the woods.
Rochon quickly discovered that for once
in his life he had his match. The young
man gave not an inch to him, but after
few moments began to press the fighting
with gradually accelerated energy and
boldness. Twice the doughty old man felt
mere touch OK the keen rapier point, each
time light over his heart; but this expert
ence did not daunt him, it but made him the
more cOmbative, courageous and dangerous.
With the quickness of a swordsman whose
practice had been lifelong he noted Or
toms favorite guard and foresaw the pur-
pose of his play. He thinks i am old" he
said to himself, land that l shall be blown
pretty soon. He'll see." And now ROchon's
sword began to leap about in way that
would have bewildered less ready fencer
than Orion, who instantly took the de-
fensive, parrying the rapid cuts and thrusts
and warily watching for an unguarded
point. He leaped about, trying to force the
old man into as violent action as possible,
hoping thus to Outwind him. But who
could Ontwind that griZzled. iron-framed
giant7 The longer they fought the fresher
and suppler he appeared. The flames were
house and streaming in fiaring hot tongues
out over the water. They soon would en-
danger Rochon's fiotilla if his men did not
return from their wild chase and move the
of this, and suddenly, without in the least
checking his onslaught. Numbered forth
an order that went bounding and booming
off through the night, like the voice of an
Man the boats! Man the boats! and tow
the schooner down the bayou out of danger
of the fire. Man the boats! Move the
schooner
There was no danger that the order
would not be heard. The dead could have
heard it, if anything is ever heard by the
dead.
orion came near losing his guard when
that burst of startling sound broke from
the old mans bearded mouth. The edge of
the cutlass reached his shoulder lightly,
but did not sever the covering afforded by
his jacket. As an experiment. the young
man now tried desperately to disarm Roch-
on. but the rapier was too light
ana Regions hs e onnd s seU sF2Hn es d dH
man an advantage in the end which cost
Orion a wound, slight but painful, on the
top of his head, whilst he in turn pricked
Rochon in the left shoulder, so deep that
the blood spun forth rather freely. Both
men felt that the struggle must soon end,
and each felt confident that it would end
in his favor. The action became furious,
as If to keep time with the grand cracking
and believing of the fire now leaping in
one broad. rimpled, tapping tongue slant
ing far across the bayou. The men had
promptly obeyed ROchon's loud order,
and the masts of the little schooner were
moving slowly through the rolling current
of smoke to a safe distance from the fire.
The creaking of ropes and the clacking of
row-locks were blended with shouts and
cries. All the smaller sounds of the night
were swallowed ND in the tempest-ike thrOb
combatants felt the intense heat of
that melting house, and this, with the ex-
hausting muscular and nervous effort,
caused the perspiration to leap from every
pore of their bodies. Breathing became
husky and rapid, a hoarse painting that told
of rapidly ebbing strength. Round and
round they fought, giving and receiving
wounds bleeding freely, glaring at each
other, clink, clank, swish, whack, back and
forth, lunging, thrusting. feinting, slash
ing. each trying to keep the dazzling fire
behind him, each thinking that surely the
other must soon be exhausted; cut, parry,
thrust, parry, prime. quartz, high: low, the
blades notched and changing. the wrists
aching, the threats dry and scOrched, the
white foam spraying from lips and beard.
and the broad chests palpitating; on they
fought, keeping their strength by sheer des-
perate wili-force, each thinking only of
thought-the Lily of Rochon. He could
not IF he had tried have forced the vision
from his inner sight. He saw her, sweet
and tall, like lily, indeed, pass back and
forth before his eyes, smiling and calm and
all unconscious of the awful stress of his
situation.
Neither combatant, as yet, had received
any serious wound, though very narrow
had been the margin of life at many a
point in the fight: but Rochon began to
roc i've ha Of faI "a
wonderful vim and tenacity of his young
er and suppler antagonist. Something
told Orion what was going on in the
old mans mind, and gathering. all
his reserve of strength he made a
mighty squirt, pressing desperately upon
him, forcing him back rapidly toward the
pale of the garden. He, too. called up his
last resource of energy and returned the
dash with interest, driving Orion for a
moment and almost breaking him down by
the weight of his attack. The reaction
weakened both men greatly, they staggered
clumsily here and there, but kept their
guards with wonderful persistence, fencing
feebly but accurately and still maneu-
vering for the best light, while slowly the
fast-burning house settled down into a
heap of glowing and melting brands.
Most of Rochon's men had returned (save
those who never would return) and were
busy with looking after their dead and
wounded comrades, whom they bore to the
boats. The moon asserted itself little as
the fire grew dull and red. Somewhere in
the distant hollOws of the woods great
owl hooted dolefully. Still. with faltering
weakness the fight went on between the
two staggering, tOttering, almost exhausted
men. Now and again one or the other tried
to rally and squirt, but it was only to stare
little more Indignantly and to lunge or
thrust all the more impatiently. Their
blades clinked with a weak, thin sound. IT.
regularly and with desultory rasping and
dragging. The white clots of foam on
their chins and lips were streaked with
blood, their hats were gone.
torn and cut TO shreds. And yet
| flashed the indomitable will of the born
| imal man. Yet even in this desperate ex-
| tremity Orion was thinking of Felicie
| Rochon; scarcely thinking, either. but
| simply and sweetly conscious of her and of
| the precious tenderness she had engendered
| in his life. Down sank the burning brands
| into Goals and embers, the work of but a
| few minutes indeed, so rapidly had the dry
| resinOus pine of the house melted in the
| heat, and up sailed the white moon. freeing
| itself from the shifting .wisps of fog, and
| pouring down upon the landscape a strange,
| silvery briliiance that shimmered on water
| and marsh. and flashed on the waving
| foliage of the dusky magnolias beyond the
| slough.
Rochon swung his cutlass feebly, and
made logged slash at Orion, who parried
| his blow with spiritless weakness. Their
| blades were high, and the twome stumbled
| together, struggled clumsily and fell. Orion
! below, Rochon above. The mere weight of