Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-02-01

ans-the GirOndins, as they were called
-worsted III Paris by the JaCobins and
the mob, had lately tried to raise the
provinces against the capital, and to this
end had drawn together at Caen, near
the border of Brittany. They had been
defeated, however, and the Jacobins,
in this month of August, were prepar-
ing to take a fearful vengeance at once
on them and the Royalists. The reign
of terror had begun. Even to such a
booT as this, sitting over his black bread,
the revolution had come home, and in
common with many thousand others
he wondered what he could make Of it.
The girl did not answer, even by the
look If contempt to which he had be-
como accustomed and for which he hat
ed her, and he repeated: Five crowns!
All, it is money. that is! Mon Dieup"
Then, with a sudden exclamation, he
sprang up. "What is that" he cried.
He had been sitting with his back to
the barn, but he turned now so as to
face it. Something had startled him-a
rustling in the straw behind him.
"What is that" he said, his hand on
the table, his face lowering and watch
full.
The girl had risen also, and as the
last word passed his lips sprang by
him, with a low cry, and aimed fran
tic blow with her stool at something he
could not see.
"What is it?" he asked, recoiling.
"a rat" she answered, breathless.
And she aimed another blow at it.
"Where?" he asked fretfully. "Where
is it," He snatched his stool, too, and
at that moment rat darted out of the
straw, ran nimbly between his legs and
plunged into a hole by the door He
flung the wooden stool after it, but, of
course, in vain. ut was ratp' he
said as if before he had doubted it.
"Thank Godp she muttered. She was
shaking all over.
He stared at her in stupid wonder.
What did she mean? What had come to
her? "Have you had sunstroke, my
girl?" he said suspiciously.
Her nut brown face was a shade less
brown than usual, but she met his eyes
boldly and said, NO." adding an eX
PLANTATION which for the moment salts
fed him. But he did not sit down again.
When she went out, he went also. And
though, as she retired slowly to the rye
fields and work, she repeatedly looked
back at him, it was always to find his
eyes upon her. When this had happened
half dozen times, thought struck
him. How now?" he muttered. "The
rat ran out of the straw"
Nevertheless he still stood gazing aft
er her, with cunning look upon his
features, until she disappeared over the
edge of the rift, and then he crept back
to the door of the barn and stole in out
of the sunlight into the cool darkness of
the raftered building, across which a
dozen rays Of light were shooting, laden
with dancing notes Inside he stood
stock still until he had regained the use
of his eyes, and then he began to peer
round him. In q moment he found what
he sought. Half upon and half hidden
by the straw lay young man in the
deep sleep Of utter exhaustion. His face,
which bore traces of more than common
beauty, was now white and pinched.
His hair hung dank about his forehead.
His clothes were in rags, and his feet,
bound up in pieces torn at random from
his blouse, were raw and bleeding. Fol
short while Michel Teller bent oVel