The Saint Paul globe., 1897-08-08

with hedgerows Of holly and hawthorn,
broke into a wild and rugged moorland,
intersected by ravines, whose depths
were concealed by tall underground
Of Christ's thorn and hornbeam, whilst
beyond this, In russet, in somber greens,
and grays that faded into absolute blue,
stretched the forests and woods OF Anet
and Croth-Sorel.
In the floods of the mellow sunlight
the countless bells of heather enamellng
the roadside were clothed in royal pur-
pie, and the brown tips of the bracken
.glistened like shafts of beaten gold. AT
times the track took its course over the
edge Of a steep bank, and here we
slackened pace, picking our way over
the crumbltng earth, covered with
grass, whose growth was choked by
network Of twining craneSbtll, gay with
Its crimson flowers, and listening to
the dreamy humming Of the restless
bees, and the cheerful if insistent skirl
Of the grass crickets from their snug
retreats amidst the Varrow and sweet
scented thyme.
AS we slid, rather than rode, down
one of these banks, my horse cast
shoe, and this put stop to any fur
ther hard riding until the mishap could
be repaired.
There Is smith at Ely, monsieur"
said Jacques, where we can get what
we want done, and then push on to
Rouvres. where there is good accom-
mediation at the Grand Cert"
''I suppose Ely can give us nothing
in that way"
81 doubt much monsieur, for the
place sank to nothing when Monseig~
neur the Due d'Aumale was exiled, and
the king, as monsieur is aware, has
given the castle to Nine. Gabrielle, for
her son, little Cesar Monsieur, the due
de Vendome"
"Morbleu! It is we'll that Nine. de
Beaufort has not set eyes on Aurica-
eh, Jacques?" and L laughed as l saw
the huge gray outlines of Anet, rising
in the foreground, and thought how
secure my barren, storm-beaten rock
was from the rapacity of the kings
mistress.
Jacques came of a rugged race, and
my words reused him.
But M le Chevalier would never let
Auriac fall into the hands Of the king
or his nladamel We could man the
tower with a hundred stout hearts
and
Swing on the gibbet at the castle
gates in two weeks, Jacques. But re-
member, we are loyal subjects now,
and are going to Paris to serve the
king"
''As for me-" answered Jacques obsti-
nately, 81 serve my master, the Cheva-
lier. de Breuil d'Auriac, and none be-
Sides
In this manner we logged along,
making but slow progress, and the sun
was setting when we came in view of
the willow-lined banks of the Eure and
entered the walnut groves of the out
lying forest in which Ely lay. AS we
approached we saw that the village
was three parts deserted, and the ruin
ed orchards and snlokeless chimneys
told their own tale. Turning a bend
of the grass grown road we came upon
a few children shaking walnuts from
tree, about 200 PAGES from us, whilst
a man and woman stood hard by
observing them. AT the sight of US
the woman turned to the man with
an alarmed gesture, and he half drew
a sword-we saw the white FASH and
then changing his mind, ran off into
the forest. The children followed suit,
sliding down the trunk Of the tree and
fleeing into the brushwood, looking for
all the world like little brown rabbits
as they dashed into the gaps in the
thorn.
AS for the woman, she turned slow
ly,s and began to walk toward the vii
lage.
EsThey are very bashful here, JAG
ques,' I said, quickening my pace.
Except the lady, monsieur, and
then we trotted up alongside her.
Refining in, asked if she could direct
me to the blacksmith's, for there
seemed no sign of a forge about. She
made no answer but stopped and
stared at us through her hair, which
fell in thick masses over her forehead
and neck. AS she did this I saw that
she appeared to be of the superior
peasant class, but evidently sunk in
poverty. She was young, and her fea-
lures were so correct that, with CIR
cumStances a little altered, she would
have been more than ordinarily good
looking. At present, however, the face
was wan with privation, and there was
a frightened look in her eyes. ] re-
peated my question in as gentle a tone
as 1 could command, and she found
tongue.
'There is none here, monsieur, but at
Anet you will find everything. That
is the way-see?''. and she pointed down
a winding glade, lit up here and there
with bars of sunlight until it faded
into a dark tunnel Of over-arching
trees felt convinced from her tone
and manner that she was trying to
put us off, and Jacques burst in:
Nonsense, my girl; know there is
a smith at Ely, for but two days back
one of Madame of Bidache's horses
was shod there. You don't know your
own village-try and think
"There is none" she said shortly.
every we'll" said Jacques, 1--WE won't
trouble you further, and we will find
out for ourselves. It will not be diff
cult"
We went on a pace or SO, when she
called out after US:
Monsieur"
what is it?"
"She stood twisting the ends of her
apron between her fingers, and then,
suddenly:
.Monsieur-pardon-I will guide YOU"
"Oh. That is all very we'll, began
Jacques, but 1 interrupted him, Won
dering a little to myself what this
meant.
VERY we'll, and thanks"
''She dropped courtesy, and then
asked with a timid eagerneSS:
Monsieur does not come from the
Blaisois?"
Ma fol! No! This is hardly the way
from the Orleannois-but lead on,
please, it grows late
She glanced up again, suspicion i'll
her eyes, and then without another
word went on before us. We followed
her down the winding, grass-grown
lane, past a few struggling cottages
where not a soul was visible, and UP
through the narrow street, where the
sight of us drove the few wretched
inhabitants into their tumble-down
houses, as if we had the plague itself
at our saddle bows. Finally, we
stopped before a cottage of some pre-
tentions to size; but decayed and worn,
as all else was in this village, which
seemed but half alive. Over the en-
trance to the cottage hung a faded
signboard marking that it was the
local hostelry, and to the right was
a small shed, apparently used as
workshop, and here the smith was,
oh oh, 1,,F,N