Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-05-20

events, sprang up to confirm it. NJ. de
Pavannes'-the other M. de Pavannes'
suspicious had been well founded.
Worse than Beers was she? Ay! worse
a hundred times. As much worse as
treachery ever is than violence; as the
pitiless fraud of the serpent is baser
than the rage of the wolf.
81 thought" Croisette added, softly,
not looking at me, when / discovered
that you had gone off with her, that /
should never see you again, Anne. 1
gave you up for lost The happiest mo-
ment of my life i think was when saw
you come back"
'iCroisette,'' 1 whispered, piteously,
my cheeks burning, "let us never speak
of her again"
And we never did-for years. But
how strange is life. She and the wicked
man with whom her fate seemed bound
up had just crossed our lives when their
own were at the darkest. They clashed
with us, and, strangers and boys as we
were, we ruined them. I have often
asked myself what would have hap
pened to me had / met her at some ear
lier and less stormy period-in the
brilliance of her beauty. And I find but
one answer. 1 should bitterly have rued
the day. Providence was good to me.
Such men and such women, we may be-
lieve, have ceased to exist now. They
fourished in those miserable days of
war and divisions, and passed away
with them like the foul night-birds
of the battlefield.
To return to our journey. In the
morning sunshine one could not but be
cheerful, and think good things posi-
bic. The worst tSial / had came with
each sunset. For then-we generally
rode late into the evening = Louis
sought my side to talk to me of his
sweetheart. And how he would talk
of her! How many thousand messages
he gave me for her! How often he re-
called old days among the hills, with
each laugh and jest and incident, when
we five had been as children! Until /
would wonder passionately, the tears
running down my face in the darkness,
how he could-how he could talk of her
in that quiet voice which betrayed no
rebellion against fate, no cursing of
providence! How he could plan for her
and think of her when she should be
alone!
Now I understand it. He was still
laboring under the shock of his friends
murder. He was still partially stunned.
Death seemed natural and famil
lar to him, as to one who had
seen his allies and companions
perish without warning or prep
aration. Death had come to be normal
to him, life the exceptions: 1 have
known it seem to a child brought face
to face with corpse for the first time.
One afternoon a strange thing hap
pened. We could see the Auvergne
hills at no great distance ON our left
the Puy de Dome above them-and
we four We're riding together. We
had fallen-an unusual thing-to the
rear of the party. Our road at the mo-
ment was mere track running across
moorland, sprinkled here and there
with gorse and brushwood. The main
company had struggled on out of sight.
There were but half a dozen riders
to be seen an eighth of league before
us, couple almost as far behind. 1
looked every way with a sudden surg
ing of the heart. For the first time
the possibility of fight occurred to me.
The rough Auvergne hills were within
reach. Surprising we could get a lead
of quarter of a league, we could hard
ly be caught before darkness came and
covered us. Why should we not put
spurs to our horses and ride off?
''Impossible!" said Pavannes quietly,
when L spoke.
'Why?" l asked with warmth.
First he replied, because I have
given my word to go with the vidame
! to Cahors.''
My face flushed holly. "But," 1
cried, what of that? You were taken
| by treachery! Your safe conduct was
| disregarded. Why should you be scru-
| pulous? Your enemies are not. This is
| folly!"
81 think not. Nay" Louis answered,
| shaking his head, you would not do
| it yourself in my place"
| 81 think should [ stammered awk-
wardly.
mo, you would not, lad,' he said,
| smiling. 81 know you too well. But if
I would do it, it is impossible" He
turned in the saddle, and, shading his
eyes with his hand from the level rays
| of the sun, looked back intently. 1T
is as I, thought" he continued. "One
of those men is riding Gray Margot,
which Bure said yesterday was the
fastest mare in the troop. And the man
On her is a light weight. The other
fellow has that Norman bay horse we
were looking at this morning. 1t is a
trap laid by Beers, Anne. If we turned
aside a dozen yards those two would be
! after US like the wind
| do you mean," cried, ''that Beers
has drawn his men forward on pur-
pose?''
| Precisely" was Louis answer.
| ''That is the fact. Nothing would
please him better than to take my
honor first, and my life afterwards.
But. thank God, only the one is in his