The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-07-08
'ASTORY BLOOD.
BY N. z. saADDoS.
CHAPTER vl.-coNrINUEp.


lists, Collectivists, had their rendezvous In
the little shop where CASTOR Mortemar used
to eat his breakfast in days gone by. The
more temperate and respectable of the revo-
lutlonary party loved to assemble here. The
fare was frugal, but there was debauch OF
oratory; and, In the midst OF all the talk.
the gestlcuations, the prophecies, the
threatenlngs and denunciatiOnA Suzon wa
as the Goddess Of Liberty, the Muse OF
Revolution, the Egeria Of the gutter She
had read of Therolgne de Merlcourt, OF
Madame Roland, and she fancled herself
something between the two. She talked as
boldly, as loudly as the loudest of her Gus.
toners. She felt that she could mount the
scaffOld, and lay her, neck under the fatal
knife without hinchlng.
Never had she looked handsOmer than In
these days of fever and cOmmOtlon. Some
times she twisted q scarlet handkerchief
round her raven hair, and those black eyes
Of hers flashed and danced and sparkled I'm.
der the Phrygian cap Of Liberty Her neat
black gown fitted her suelte figure to per
lection. Her energy, her vlyacity her in.
dustry were inexhaustlble. Her hands
were as the hands of Briareus for
serving the patriots with their coffee, their
rolls and butter. Her gay voice sounded
above the other voices In the melee Of wit
and patriotism, She sang as she went to
and fro among the little tables waiting up
on her patrons; and her song was always
the newest ballad with which the ballad
mongers were undermining thegOvernment,
tina WT iIlhullarOt NJ the hour
'Je sails le plan de TrOchu,
Plan, plan, plan, plan, planV
Sometimes, in moment Of exaltation,
her customers would call for stave of the
"Marsellaise" or the Ca ica," and then
the clink of cups and saucers and knives
and forks upon the tables wasllke the clash
Of swords.
But, tempting as these morning assem-
blies Of the patriotic and the idle might be
to a man of Gaston's temperament henever
crossed the threshold of Suzon Michels
shop He passed her door twice day, or
oftener, on his way to and from the news
paper office; he heard the chorus Of voices
inside, but he never entered the shop. He
had feeling that loyalty to Kathleen for
babe him to hold any commune with Suzon.
And whatneed had he to take his cup OF
coffee from a shopkeeper's hand when the
faithful wife was waiting for him In her
bower on the third story, watching the little
brass coffee-pot simmering upon handful
Of charcoalP One could not be too sparlng
of fire In these days, though one were ever
so sure that the Prusslans must retire from
the enemy's soil before winter began In
real earnest. The elements would fight up
on the side Of the besieged. That vast
army shvering yOnder under canvas, mus
beat retreat at double-qulck time before
Jack Frost.
1t was on one of the clear gray afternoons
OF October that CASTOR stood resting upor
his gun, at his post on the rampant Of the
fort, gazing with dreamy eyes upon land
scape Of poetic beauty, tho deep rich color
ing OF the autumn subdued into perfec
harmony by the tender mists which shad
owed without ooncealing wood and river
vineyard and field, while far of in the dim
! ness Of the horizon his fancy Conjured NJ
the dark swarm Of Prussian helmets, black
ening the edge Of the landscape. Tho atmos
phere was full Of peace, and the silence o
this lonely outpost was broken only by tn
qlLi Utve Of the sentries and the chime o
distant churchcocks. A good place for {
poet to brood upon the creations Of hi
fancy, or for journalist to hatch leading
article.
Willie CASTOR stood at case, with his eye
wandering far afeld towards the dIstan
foe, and his fancles straying still further II
a day-dream Of universal peace, liberty al
for arts sake, and all the impossibilites o
the socialists Utopia, sound Of str,den
. laughter, Of deep bass voices and nasal treb
les, broke like a volley Of musketry through
the Stiffness Of the soft gray atmosphere
ard presently half dozen kepis, or Natlona
E Guard, considerably the worse for le peti
blelt came staggering along the rampant
escoltlng a young woman, whose scarle
headgear sh0ne in the distance like spo
Of fame.
1t was Madame Michel, with the little REL
kerchief twisted Coquettishly round he
sleek black hair. She wore tight clOt
Jacket, frogged IN mtlttatre, over he
black gown, the skirt Of which was sh0r
enough to show an arched instep and
= neat ankle. She had put on half-yrlle
half-soldierly air, in honor Of the times
: and her walk, her look, her manner, wer
, already prophetic Of the coming potroleuse
! She came along the rampant with he
patriots, who were pointing out the merit
and faults Of the Notifications, explaining
showing her this and that, staggering, brag
cling, abusing Bismarck and his Pandours
7 singing snatches Of patriotic verse. She wa
7 close 10 Castor before she recognised hin
b Then their eyes met, suddenly, his n
? turning from the far distance, hers starln
/ intently Recognition came In a flash, an
the rich carnatiOn Of her cheek faded TO q
almost deadly pallor.
, "What, Is 1t you, Cltoyen MOrtemar, S
far from the Rue Git lie CGur2 What, ar
you too in the National GuardP / thought 5
devoted husband would have found an e'
cuse from service. ! thought you would
| lying at the feet OF your EngliSh'Irish wifi
, all day, like Paul and Virginia in their IA
, OF island"
| "The nation cannot spare even lovers,
answered CASTOR lightly. Hector had
J leave Andromache; and my Andromach
would desplso a husband who did less tina
his duty. So far cur duties have been ligt
enough, and give no ground for boasting.
! but let them come on those Uhlan
I those 0redlnS, those" here came strln
, Of double .barrelled substantive adjective
, and adjective subItantiyes too familiar al
erwards In Lie PSrC Duchene-"let theI
cOmep growled the wlne-soaked patrio
: land we will give them-'cre nOrDI what
! there which we will not give them"
t And then the tipsy patriots retired to
I angle OF the fortiGcatlon, and began TO pla
8 the intellectual game OF boltclsOn, forgetfl
OF the lady whom they had escorted 90 IA