Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-09-17

W P'hfSh VIC "Otaiau buu uuQ pidyc(
with him. To do 90 he was bringi. n
her lover from Paris that he might ex
ecute him-after giving her notice!
That was 1t; after giving her notice
1t might be in her very presence! He
would lure her to Cahors, and then
I shuddered. I well might feel that
a precipice was opening at my feet.
There was something in the plan SO
deyilish, yet SO accordant with those
stories had heard Of the wolf, that
I felt no doubt Of my insight. I read
his evil mind, and saw in a moment
why he had troubled himself with us.
lie hoped to draw mademoiselle to
Cahors by our means.
OF course l said nothing Of this to
Louis. l hid my feelings as well as l
could. But I vowed q great vow that
at the eleventh hour we would balk the
vidame. Surely II all else failed we
could kill him, and though we died our
selves, spare Kit this ordeal. My tears
were dried up as by fire. My heart
with great and noble rage-or 20 it
seemed to me!
| do not think that there was ever
any journey so strange as this one Of
ours. We met with the same incidents
which had pleased us on the road to
Paris. But their novelty was gone.
Gone too were the coy chats with old
rogues Of landlords and good-natured
danes. We were travelling now in such
force that our coming was rather n
terror to the innkeeper than a boon.
How much the lieutenant governor Of
Quercy, going down to his province,
requisitioned in the kings name; and
for how much he paid, we could only |
Judge from the.gloomy looks which fol-
lowed us as we rode away each morn.
Ing. Such looks were not solely due,
! fear, to the news from Paris, although
for some time we were the first bear
ers Of the tidings.
Presently, on the third day Of our
journey, l think, couriersfrom the court.
passed us; and henceforth forestalled
US. One Of these messengers-who
learned from the talk about me was
bound for Cahors with letters for the
lieutenant governor and the count
bishop-the vidame interviewed and
stopped. How 1t was managed ! do
not know, but fear the count-bishop
never got his letters, which | fancy
would have given him some joint au.
thority. Certainly we left the messen.
ger-a prudent fellow with care for
his skin--in comfortable quarters at
Limoges, whence l do not doubt he
presently returned to Paris at his
leisure.
The strangeness Of the journey, how
ever, arose from none Of these things,
but from the relations Of our party to
one another. After the first day we
our rode together, unmolested, SO long
Is we kept near the center Of the stray
cling cavalcade. The vidame always
ode alone, and in front, brooding with
,ent head and somber face over his re-
'enge, as | supposed. He would ride
n this fashion, speaking to no one and
irving no orders, for day together.
1t times ! came near to plying him.
le had loved Kit in his masterful way,
he way Of one not won't to be thwart-
d, and he had lost her--lost her, what
yer might happen. He would getnoth-
ng after all by his revenge. Nothing
tut ashes in the mouth. And SO I saw
n softer moments something inexpres-
IDLY melancholy in that solitary giant
CURE pacing always alone.
He seldom spoke to us. More rarely
0 Louis. When he did the harshness
I his voice and his cruel eyes betrayed I
be gloomy hatred in which he held ?
i'm. At meals he ate at one end of the >
able; we four at the other, as three of
s had done on that first evening in
arts. And sometimes the covert ?
,oks, the grim sneer he shot at his !
val--his prisoner-made me SILVER
ven in the sunshine. Sometimes, on ?
ne other hand, when | took him I'M :
wares, | found an expression on his
lce | could not read. =
] told Croisette, but warily, my sus- 4
cions of his purpose. He heard me, =
ss astounded to all appearance than
had expected. Presently | learned r
lie reason. He had his own view. =
Do you not think it possible, Anne" =
. suggested, tilnidly we were, Of
,urse, alone at the time--"that he
links to make Louis resign made !
I
"Resign her!" exclaimed obtusely.
How?" l
by giving him choice-you under
and?" :.
| did underestimate saw it in mo- II
ent. had been dull not to See it =,
fore. Beers might put it in this Z
ay: Let NJ. de Pavannes resign his r.
istress and live, or die and lose her. =.
Il see," / answered. But Louis q
ould not give her up. Not to him" u
He would lose her either way" Crois- a
te answered, in low tone. "That is 70
IT, however, the worst of it. Louis !.
in his power. Suppose he thinks to x
AXE Kit the arbiter, Anne, and puts
'uis up to random, setting Kit for the
ice? And gives her the option of ac-
ptlng himself, and saving Louis life: