Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-31

and the carved crucifx reared its slender
arms. And there her childhood cam to
meet her. Again she saw the professional,
the cross aloft. Our Lady OF the Gins
passing amid the kneeling crowd; again she
heard the fresh young voices swelling In
the wind, the chanting OF the cure. the
murmured prayer. The scene shifted sea-
ward-she saw the tempest and the misty
sea. the white coifes on the headland. the
men on the shore; then, as 1t seemed, years
afterward, she heard the bell tolling in the
chapel for lost souls.
She remembered her father, too, always
in the forest where the horns sounded all
day long and the hounds baying surged and
ebbed with the shifting wind. He lay in
the chapel yard, near the mother she had
never seen, buried, as he wished, with his
boar speer on his breast-the last ruined
huntsman of a ruined ace-the landless
relic of a landed Breton line, old as the
ancient chapel, which was older than Car
haix.
A bird twittered on the chapel porch; the
vague odor of the sea stirred her heart. She
turned and looked back at the altar where
tomorrow she should kueel n bride. then
made her reverence and went out into the
sunny world.
Yolette sat on the cliffs looking off to sea,
Bourke lay fun length beside her, smiling
the fresh wind and watching Red Riding
Hood, who, skirts tucked up, padded bliss
fully in the thin films of water along the
shining sands below.
Hardwood stood near the beach critically
inspecting n steamers trail of smoke on the
horizon. When he heard Hides voice on
the cliffs above him he climbed up slowly,
for he was sim a little lame, and met her,
smiling.
; THE child down there is in the seventh
heaven" he said; she's been nipped by n
crab and bruised by the rocks. and when
she's half drowned she'll be contented, l
fancy
ITS curious said Bourke, looking up,
that the Paris papers have not come. The
last mail arrived here on March Is, and here
it is April 9"
"a mail did GOMEZ brought 1t down
but 1 went into the chapel and forgot" said
Hide.
Nobody expects brides to remember"
said Bourke, sarcasticallyj "do you mind
letting Inc see my mail?"
Yolette looked up laughing as Hide calmly
handed the letters to Hardwood. That young
man sorted the papers, tossed a package and
a parcel over to Bourke, and said: There's
only one letter; it's for me-
Bourke began to open the parcel; it was
sealed and deliberately tied with a sort of
rope.
Hello! What in the name OF decency is
this!" he said, holding up n gold watch and
chain. "Why, the packet is directed to you.
Jim
Hardwood looked up blankly from the let
ter he was studying, then groaned and
handed the letter to Hide.
Read it," he said; II can't. It's from
the Mouse
In the midst of n breathless silence Hide
took the letter and examined it in conster-
nation. Then she read slowly:
BELLEVILLE, Both of March, 1871.
Monsieur: l take my pen in hand, hop
ing that these few lines may find monsieur
in as good health as / am. / have to in
form monsieur that the weather is as usual
We took the Hotel de Vile and killed Gen.
eral Leccmte and Clement Thomas in 3
sarden. 1t is raining, but l am quite com
Portable, having been made captain in III
National Guard, and find myself much bet,
ter, with nothing to do.
The has been established, ant
there is food and drink for all and no work
We frightened the bouTgeoisie passabi.
well, and Theirs has run sway, where w
expect that the citizen, Major Flourcns
will catch him and shoot them all, as the.
are artistocrats and most perfidious to til
poor.
have to inform monsieur that 7 wis
: him health, also to Mile. Hide, to NJ
Bourke, and to madame, lately Mile. 70
lette. Also TO the thin, droll little on
, who was afraid of me. l send her som
forks.
THE weather continues rainy. I send t
Monsieur a watch; also to Mile. Hide, 70
her wedding, a diamond star. To NJ
! Bourke and to madame | send many spoons
Therefore, adieu. Your comrade.
THE MOUSE.
Citizen Captain, National Guard, unat
:, tached.
, 81 wish slso to say adieu to the littl
droll one who is afraid of me-"
Bourke would have laughed, but Hide
horror-struck face sobered him.
! What on earth shall we do with lha
plunder?" said Hardwood: 'the creature ha
been pillaging women and children"
, "You and your citizen friend must settl
= that" said Bourke, trying not TO laugh.
. These spoons and forks have all sorts {
initials on them. The watch is marked i
de B. and the diamond star is to a lad
named Mini. Jim, l believe, this time, thu
the amt means business"
He looked at Yolette, who shook her hea
decidedly, saying:
, IF you think you are going 10 write abou
I it for your stupid newspaper / have tn
honor, monsieur, to inform you that 20
shall not"
Hardwood looked at Hide, smiling faintl.
81 suppose l must go to Paris II you sen
me-" he said.
"If send YOU murmured Hide; Eyes
you may go then"
They turned and looked at the house o
@ the hill. The morning sun g~littered O
n every pane; they saw Schehera2aie sprawle
g on the porch, blinking at the ocean; The
v heard the sarcastic croak of the parrot, M
j, hemet Ali, tip-toeing down the garde
h among the hyacinths.
h She passed her slender hand through b
Il arm and leaned her cheek against h
q shoulder.
d Down on the yellow sands Rol Ridir
Hood, enchanted, waded ankle deep alor
the frothy shore. A white gull rose fro
is the shining waves, a distant sail glimmere
" Then from the cliff a skylark rose. highe
higher into the azure. showerIng the who
air with song. And Hide closed her oy'
ls and listened, her fair face on his shoulde
her white hand close in his.
lTha End