Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-02-25

eyed one another with little favor; rath-
er as birds of prey about to quarrel over
the spoil. than as host and guest Per
haps the coadjutor's glittering eyes and
great beak-like nose made me think of
this.
'tHoi ho!" he said, looking piercingly
at us-and no doubt we must have
seemed miseI able and detected crew
enough. 'Who are these? Not the
first fruits of the night, eh?''
The vidame looked darkly at him.
'eNo, he answered, brusquely. They are
not. am not particular out of doors,
coadjutor, as you know, but this is my
house, and we are going to supper Per
haps you do not comprehend the dis
tinction. Still it eXistS-for me. =" with
a sheer.
This was as good as Greek to US. But
/ SO shrank from the priests malignant
eyes, which would not quit us, and felt
so much digust mingled with my anger
that when Beers by a gesture invited
me to sit down, drew back. 81 will
not eat with you," I said sullenly;
speaking out of a kind of dull OBJ
stinacy, or perhaps childish petul-
ance.
It did not occur to me that this would
pierce the vidame's armor. Yet dull
red showed for an instant in his cheek,
and he eyed me with a look, that was
not all ferocity, though the veins in his
temples swelled. a moment, neverthe-
less, and he was himself again. "Ar-
mand,' he said quietly to the servant,
''these gentlemen will not sup with me.
Lay for them at the other end.''
Men are odd. The moment he gave
way to me 1 repented of my words. 1t
was almost with reluctance that I fol-
lowed the servant to the lower part of
the table. More than this, mingled with
the hatred I felt for the vidame, there
was now a strange sentiment towards
hiIn-almost of admiration; that had
its BIRTH I think in the moment when
held his life in my hand. and he had not
fiinched.
We ate in silence; even after Croisette
by grasping my hand under the table
had begged me not to judge him hastily.
The two at the upper end talked fast,
and from the little that reached us,
judged that the priest was pressing
some course on his host, which the lat
ter declined to take.
Once Beers raised his voice. 81 have
my own ends to serve." he broke out
angrily, adding fierce oath which the
priest did not rebul1e, land shall serve
them. But there STOP You have your
own. Well, serve them, but do not talk
to me of the causei The cause? To
hell with the cause! have my cause,
and you have yours. and my lord of
Guise has hisi And you will not make
NE believe that there is any other?''
1.-THE king's?" suggested the priest,
smiling sourly.
Say rather the Italian woman'si"
the vidame answered recklessly- mean
ing the queen mother, Catherine de-
Medici, supposed.
well then, the cause of the church ?''
the priest persisted.
bah! The church? Tt is you, nv
friend!" Beers rejoined, rudely tap
ping his companion-at that moment
in the act Of crossing himself-on the
chest. 1.-THE church?'' he continued;
mo, no, my friend. 1 will tell you
what you are doing. You want me to
help you to get rid of your branch, and
you offer in return to aid me with mine
and then, say you, there will be no
stick left to beat either of us. But you
may understand once for all'-and the
among the glasses-"that I will have
no interference with my work, master
clerk! None! Do you hear? And as
for yours, it is no business of mine.
That is plain speaking, is it not?''
The priests hand shook as he raised
full glass to, his lips, but he made no
rejoinder, and the vidame, seeing we
had finished, rose. '.Armand!" he
cried, his face still dark, take these
gentlemen to their chamber. You un-
derstand?''
We stiff1y acknowledged his salute
the priest taking no notice of us-and
followed the servant from the room;
going along a corridor and up a steep
flight of stairs, and seeing enough by
the way to be sure that resistance was
hopeless. Doors opened silently as we
passed, and grim fellows, in corseIets
and padded coats, peered out. The
clank of arms and murmur Of voices
sounded continuously about US; and
as we passed a window the jingle of
bits. and the hollow clang of a restless
hoof on the flags below, told US that
the great house was for time a fort
ress. I wondered much. For this was
Paris, a city with gates and guards;
the night short August night. Yet
the JoneIieSt manor in Ouarcv no,-1d