Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1897-12-23

My face flushed hotly. But" 1
cried, what of that? You were taken
by treacheryl Your safe conduct was
disregarded. Why should you be scru-
pulous? Your enemies are not. This is
folly!"
II think not. Nay" Louis answered.
shaking his head, you would not do
it yourself II my place"
Il think I should" stammered awk-
wardly.
'No. you would not, lad" he said,
smiling. Il know you too we'll 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. at
is as 1 thought" he continued. Zone
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 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
power"
And when came to look at the horse
men, Immediately before us. they con
firmed Louis view. They were the
best mounted of the party; all men OF
light weight, too. One or other of
them was constantly looking back. As
night fell they closed in upon us with
their usual care. When Bure Joined us
there was a CLEAN of intelligence in his
bold eyes, a flash of conscious trickery.
He knew that we had found him out,
and cared nothing for it.
And the others cared nothing. But
the thought that if left to myself [
should have fallen into the vidame's
cunning trap filled me with new hatred
towards him; such hatred and such
4 fear-for there was humiliation
mingled with them--as | had scarcely
! felt before. | brooded over this. barely
noticing what passed in our company
for hours-nay, not until the next day
when, towards evening, the cry arose
round me that we were within sight of
Cahors. Yes, there it lay below us, in
! its shallow basin, surrounded by gentle
hills. The domes of the cathedral, the
towers of the Vallandre bridge, the
bend of the Lot. where its stream en-
! braces the town. knew them all. Our
long journey was over.
And ] had but one idea. / had some
time before communicated to Croisette
the desperate design had formed-to
fall upon Beers and kill him in the
midst of his men--in the last resort.
Now the time had come if the thing was
ever to be done: if we had not left il
too long already. And | looked about
me. There was some confusion and
1 jostling as we halted on the brow Of the
hill, while two men were dispatched
ahead TO announce the governors
arrival, and Bure, with half Il dozen
spears, rode out as an advance guard.
n shallow cutting winding down the
declivity of the hills. The horses were
tired. 1t was bad time and place for
my design, and only the coming night
was in my favor. But was desperate.
Yet before | moved or gave signal
which nothing could recall, | scanned
the landscape eagerly, scrutinIzing ia
turn the small, rich plain below as,
warmed by the last rays of the sun, tive
bare hills here glowing, there dark. the
scattered wood-clumps and spnneys
that filed the angles Of the river. even
the duslly line of holm-oal<s that
crowned the ridge beyond Caylus
way. So near our own country there
might be help! II the messenger whom
we had dispatched to the vicomte be
| fore leaving home had reached him. our
uncle might have returned, and even be
in Cahors to meet us.
But no party appeared in sight; and
| 7 saw no place where an ambush could
be lying. I remembered that no It'd