Evening star., 1898-05-21

tHeiu d utUe iunCneOn. Hide aided her. 81
lent, preoccupied, deftly tying the small
parcels and wrapping up two half bottles
OF red wine at the front door Bourke
stood. telling Yolette not to keep dinner
waiting, as they might stay away all night
and. as Hardwood started along the hall
way to join his comrade Hide began care
lessly:
~, nof foio course, Monsieur Harewood, you are
not going to the-the 'Undertakers?'
why, no. he said surprised I'VE are
going to st. Cloud.'
you?
There was a silence. He looked at her
without stirring, one hand on the door.
AGAIN that swift emotion sent the blood
tnr1ilng, tfngiins, leaping through every
VEN, yet, even then, he reasoned-even
then, when in her face he saw reflected his
own motion-even then when a fierce desire
seized MIN to stoop and take her in his
afms-thls girl SO close to hfm-Hilde, who
would not resist. He stood there dumbly,
one hand twisted in the door handle daring
neither tc speak nor move-for her sake
Inc enchantment of her bent head, the
curve OF her scarlet mouth. the white
| hands idle by her side, held him fas-
ciEated.
| Bourke called impatientIy, and came
| through the hallway toward them. At the
Sound OF the voice Hide raised her head as
| tnough aroused from dream. With dazed
eyes she moved toward the door, holding
| the little packet-Harewoods luncheon
| Time to start" said Bourke. with a
| Yes said HARDWOOD shortly
lie took the luncheon from Hides list
less hands, thanking her and saying good
! nye, then followed Bourke out into the
| Rue d'Ypres.
When they had gone Yolette went back
INTO the garden, where, slate in hand ked
hlding HOOD sat, accomplishing multipIica-
| tion. Hiloe fingered at the door, watching
ene sailors, rifles bandouliere drilling
with The Prophet From the bastion the
snort commands of the officer came clearly
TO To- .he ear: La hausse a quinz cents me-
tres. Premiere piece. feui La hausse a deux'
miles metres! Premiere piece feur'
Ihen, pretending that the gun had been
lIeu, the two cannoniers in the center
sp apped the piece as the brigadier and
art1hcer, unlocked the breech the two load
ers holsted in a dummy she'll and the aide
pointeur affixed the lanyard Mounted on
tie gun carriage high against the sky the
pointeur rested both hands on the breech
While behind him two cannoniers impercep-
tlbly swung the enormous gun from right
10 left Then he Strengthened up. both
names raised, the movement ceased, the
cfptain verified the elevation, the aide
pclnteur seized the lanyard
First piece, fire."
And the pantomime recommended a sue
cesslon OF figures trotting backward and
lo[waro' suddenly rigid, then abrupt
gesture, a command, and the dark blue
ngures trotting to and fro again Hide
leoked at the barracks beyond the Rue
fandore where through a brief interval
q,
fantry marching and wheeling to the sound
OF bugies. Down at the Porte Rouge a
soma column of wagons poured over the
pont-levis-vehicles of every size and
snare. piled with furniture, bedding, grain,
cabbage, or bales of hay and potato sacks
ihe country people and the inhabitants of
the suburbs were coming into the city in
constantly increasing numbers bringing
with them furniture and live stock Farm
wagons, piled high with bedding, on which
sat children or old women, holding the
family clock, crowded against furniture
v"hs from Paris, loaded with the bric-a-
prac or prosperous suburban merchants:
oxen huddled behind smart carriages driv-
en- by servants in livery, cows, sheep, even
turkeys and geese pursued a dusty course
through the gates, and over all rose the
cries or the teamsters the lowing of cat
!ie, the ominous murmur Of disheartened
th1nSs, neeing from that impending tenn
pest that was rolling on from somewhere
beyond the horizon.
In the eyes of the men there was more of
despair than of terror; the old people were
dumb, peering through the dust with hope
less eyes, fearless and resigned Even the
chiidren, laughing up into their wistful
Hotners eyes, grew SOBER and sat on the
neaps OF bedding, staring down at the hud-
| died cattle trampling by on either side.
IN Hllde, however, the distant wagon
Train, haif hidden in dust. was scarcely
Vlslole, except where it wound through the
gate. Even there she could not distinguish
| features or age or sex, for the Porte Rouge
was too far away, and the foliage of the
chestnut trees hid great deal How much
| she OWNED is not certain but she turned
away into the house. new weight on her
heart, sudden heavy foreboding.
In the bird store the canaries were sing
! Ing Justify in the sunshine; Rocco the
monkey, cracked nuts and ate them with
| fearful grimaces at Mehemet Ali, the par
! rot, who looked at him enviously, upside
down. Hide dropped some fresh melon
SEEDS into the parrots china cup, renewed
the water in all the cages, stirred up the
squirrels bedding and sat down. her
dimpled chin on her wrist.
She thought OF Hacewood. of the first
| time they had entered the bird store to-
gether She thought Of that moment when,
before she knew ii, he had bent and kissed
her, and, wonder of wonders, she had kiss
ed him. Why? The eternal question-aI-
ways returning-why? Why? 1t wearied her
to think, and what was the use? Until he
had kissed her she had always supposed
that such kiss was sin. The sisters at
know-she knew nothing except that they
had kissed each other. She had not re-
| sisted. She had never thought of resisting
In his presence size was satisfied and vet
frightened, contented, yet restless. She
never tired of watching him. She was Gu
rlouS, too, about him, wondering what his
thoughts were. Twice since that first day
he had looked at her in the same way with
| the same unexplained question in his eyes
question that left her breathless con-
fused, dazed. Sadness. too. came later, and
i5tiuihCSs d ldUSuSp d weakness, that
made her eyes grow tired and her limbs
heavy.
She went slowly into her bed room only
to stand before the faience Sainte- Hide
thinking, thinking. She had never asked
Sa1nte-Hilde of Carhaix for aid because she
cid not know what to say, and when she
tried to think the gold and azure mantle
of the sainte distracted her attention How
often had she counted the links in the
chain around Sairte- Hides china neck:
how often had she striven to understand
| the placid set smile on her polished face
yet always thinking OF something quite
different-of Harewood-and the kiss-and
the question, unanswered in his eyes,
And. as she stood nlusing in the twi-
light of her chamber. suddenly the room
swan, the floor seemo1 to fall beneath her
q friShtful explosion shivered every win
dow~pane in the house.
HtNs reeled, clutching at a chair: Yo-
| lette crept In, pale, shaking in every limb.
1T is nothing" she gasped; they have
fred The Prophet The Prussians are In
Meudon woods!"
CTo be continued)
Easily Accomplished.
Ernr Due