The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-11-16
CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER I.
The waning twilight Of Riohelieu's
day of power found France the mistress
of Europe. Austria Lay under her
thumb, she dominated Catalonia, and
her old enemy, England, was in the
throes Of revolution. National Qnies-
cenoe and prosperity found diverted
expression in the exuberant social life
Of Paris. In the capital it was day Of
drama and duel, Of ballad writing, love-
making and little intrigues.
Pit and stage alike were dusky that
afternoon in 1910 when all Paris gath
cred in the Hotel de Bourgogne to see
produced the play to which Master
Balthazar Baro looked for fame-his
comedy "Clorise.
The candles were not yet lighted, but
the house hummed with sounds. Now
an imprecation smoee through the buzz
ing when one of the troopers of the
household Of his majesty Louis XIII
knocked insolently against one Of the
guard Of the great cardinal, Armand
de Richelieu. Now there was the clash
of foils where two gentlemen passed
the tedious time of waiting at fencing.
Pages played pranks and pickpockets
likewise.
Now swaggerer seized kiss from a
pretty shopgirl, and now the foaming
of wine bespoke man about to quench
his thirst.
Honest burghers made their sober
way among the roisterers of the aris-
tocracy and those of the cutters. Some
times ripple Of laughter foated music
ally from the galleries where the ladies'
boxes were-the ladies whose slumbrous
eyes reused love their scornful lips pre-
tended to disdain.
Now band of young marquises burst
through the doors, swords Gathering at
their sides. They came bent on their
favorite sport-the batting Of the burgh-
ers. In the semidarkness they could not
make out the crowd.
"Ah. Cuigy," cried one when his
eyes had swept the dim theater, what
sport is here? Where are the good peo-
pie we were to rush? Pshaw! Not a toe
have we trodden upon. We come in like
band of wooden diapers. Is this your
fun:''
"You should have waited at least till
the candles were lighted, said Ouigy.
"Ah! Here come the lighters now"
The crowd gathered around the can
die bearers. By their light the little
group Of mobiles made one another out
The theater where the kings own play
ers were to perform was plain in the
light. Above the tapestried curtains that
hid the stage the royal arms were cross
ed. The hall was a sort of tennis court,
arranged and decorated for theatrical
performance.
On both sides of the stage were
benches, and steps led from it down to
the floor. On either side Of these were
places for the violinists. In the pit.
where the men Of the audience gather
ed, there were no seats, and in the rear
of it, beneath the steps that led to the
ladies' gallery, was the buffet, where a
girl sold cakes. tarts and sweet drinks.
The lights showed two men, both
rtriking and strikingly alike. Ligniere,
already half drunk, though the day was
young, piloted his friend Christian, the
Baron de NerviIette, about the pit. pre-
senting him to one gronp'of mobiles after
another. ~ So
Christians ''delighteds'' were per-
functory. His eyes ceaselessly sought
the gallery. He was Indifferent to the
scarcely whispered comments Of his new
acquaintance He heard, as from a dis
tanoe, Ligniere explaining that his
friend was but new come to Paris from
lorraine and that the next day he was
to join the guards as cadet. He bent
his head in acknowledgment Of the CON-
CALCULATIONS, but his eyes were still up
turned toward the boxes where the
grand DANES Of Paris gathered to pass
their pretty Judgment upon Master Ba-
ro's work. Ligniere marked his abstrac-
ton.
"The lady comes not, he said. ERE
lease me from my guidance. will be-
take me to my favorite tavern