Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-06-21
THE RED FLAG.
M. E. BRADDON.
Author OF LADY Audley's Secret"
ctr eff. atr-

as they were, saw all things dimly, through
q fiery haze.
The priests-yes. she would help 10 slaugh-
Ter them; not because she knew anything
about this particular brood OF cdlotins, but
because she hated all priests. They had
done her no wrong; but her pious ~neighbOrs
had despised her for keeping away from
church; they had thrown their religion in
her face; they had scorned her for her inf
deity.
Beware OF that woman r. said an old
man whom she had offended. The woman
who never crosses the threshold Of q church
belongs to a venomous species"
Yes, she would help In the good work.
How the Garth shivered under that awful
%cannonade! The enemy was at the door;
nearer and nearer came the thunder of the
guns. The deadly rain from the mitrail-
ieuses came fast as tho heavy drops of q
thunder shower. The afternoon sun looked
red rs blood yonder, as its lurid rays pierced
the smoke. The circle was narrowing, mar
rowing, narrowing, closing In upon them
like a ring OF fire. Whom would they spare,
those Versaillais devils? Not one. Universal
carnage would change the streets of Paris
TO rivers of blood lit by a city in flames.
wv " f'ANH " ~ III Nt0ia NC fpat0hs
LET us begin!' shrieked Suzon, beside
herself; 'Ict u work with such o good will
that there shall be nothing left for those
others to do"
"Are you ready%' asked Serizier, facing
the door OF the prison, with his assass rs
ranged on either side Of him.
mo one OF them shall escape, my gensr-
al" answered Suzon, grasping her gun.
Her voica Va h.ta r.a mud ron1b lilo hia
own. From head To heel, mind, soul, body,
the creature had unsexed herself; and these
men-women were even more savage than
the devll-men of those days, for they
thought Their infany hcroisn and their
cruelty courage. Not one Of these furies,
waving her pc,rt leum-can, shouldering her
Maid Of Orleans.
And new the victims were driven into the
street, like sheep to the s'aughter-house.
Pass, one by one" cried Bob che the
gaoler, who held his six-year-old son by the
hand.
Was II not well for the boys 10 see the
tonsured heads laid low? II Is thus France
rears her patrlots-young Romans sucked
by the wolf Revolution.
The Dominlcans, the school-servants, the
Journals: crossed the fatal threshold. The
FIRST to pass was Father CotrSu't and, at the
third step, he fell, struck by a bullet.
The Prior turned 10 his companions,
'Conlc, my friends, for the love Of Cod
he said, iR his m Id voice; and he and his
little train rnshel into the open, AM RAJ
athwaIt the rain OF bullets.
Suzon flung herself into the midst of the
road, at the risk OF being shot down in the
melee. She loaded and reloaded her chase
pot, crying, towards, cowardsi they art
running away!'
1t was no; n butchery, but a bdttue. The
poor human game tried to fee, hid itself be-
hind the trees, slipped along under the lee
of the houses. Women at open windows
clapped Their hands and shrieked with JOY
rs they watched the sport In the street men
shook their fists at the victims; the scene
was alive with insult aud laughter, voices
that sounded like the bowling Of furiou.
beasts. Ii vas a new carnival If flowers
and s~ugar-p!ums; only the flowers were in
suit and outrage, the sugar-plums were bull
lets.
Some Of the more active gained the side
streets, M escaped the leaden shower
Five Of the priests, seven Of the school-ser.
wants, were shot down in a heap before the
Cbapellc Brea.
Fire, fire upon theinr' cried Serizier
when q c1nyulsiye movem snt showed that
life still thio5b d amidst this mass OF death
See" c'icd Suzon, as Mortemar, slender
active, 1.-The, with youth and vigor on hi.
side, sped lightly along the boulevard anc
vanished at a distant turning, there zoe.
one that will cheat usr'
She rlshed of in pursuit OF him. breath
less, pant ng, mad with rage. Two of Seri
stcrs lambs ran with her, pleasantly excit. e
ny the chase. The hunters reached the
turning, and there, a few plcss down the
narrow street, leaning against q lamp-post
exhausted by the rapidlty OF bis flight, STOOD
the.r quarry.
The men fired instantly. Suzon lifted hel
gun 10 her $ iould rand then suddenly Lei II
fall TO her side. She dashed her hand acros.
her eyes, Was il a dream? Was she fol
ever haunted, waking as well a, sleeping
by that one face? Through the haze OF
b'ood and fre she saw the face Of the mar
she loyed-loyed and hated, and hated and
loved. She scarce knew which feeling was
dominant In a breast whare both fires burn.
ed SO fercely. She saw him, pale as ashes,
his livid lips parted his eyes staring wildly,
10 az iDoh ibip tIt - = - Sst,sntU NiOltIll
ieath; hunted humanity at bay, the hounds
closing found, the hun.5nian ready with his
Fnife. Athin stream of blood trickled down
The pale face. One OF the bullets had grazed
bis temple.
,"lIold, hoIdw shrleked Suzon, throwing
aside her gun, and stretching her arms wide
In passionate en,reaiy; do not fircr!'
Too late; another volley whistled past
her, as she sank on her knees, screaming,
pleading, Disappearing. She did not know
how 10 pray.
CASTOR Mortemar fell without q groan.
SIzon sprang to her feet, picked up her
gun, and struck at the Communards with
The butt-end, ninginy about her like devil.
Seriziers lambs burst out laughing. They
thought she was drunk. In these days,
when the atmosphere breathed cognac and
absinthe, 1t was only natural that q woman
fhould be drunk. They laughed, and left
Ser, having lone all there was to do here
left her groyelling or the ground by the
lamp rosi, alone with her dead, the warm
May sun shining on her through the smoke
of the battle, the air smelling Of blood and
burning.
While she hung over the PROSTATE figure,
lying face downwards on the bloody dust,
the rhythmical trot of the cavalry sounded
In the distance, and the French troops were
entering the Avenue d'Italie. Serlzier had
retired into the prison when the carnage
was over, and was occupied In revising q
list OF victims who were to be desr atched
with something more OF formality than he
had deemed necessary In the case Of the
DHminlcans ;tut at the moment when he was
about t. order ont the first prisoners upon
his list, his lieutenant rushed in, and whis-
psred In his ear.
All Was over. The column of cavalry was
seen advancing. The colonel Of the 18th
legion flung aside his papers, dashed into
the avenue. threw himself into one of the
houses communicating with the Avenue de
Choisy. and disappeared.
When the French troops arrived they
found nothing but mutlated corpses.
CHAPTER ~.
THE n wATcH or EAT
Fearful was the night that TO- lowed that
hideous day. Burning. burning. burning: