Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-12-06
the wedding party filed into the house
be began Lie lonely guarding beneath
the balcony.
CHAPTER VII

Il
the balcony.
CHAPTER VII.
At the corner of the street the flutes
played sad air. The pages thus an
nounced the coming Of man.
"i;'s he, said Cyrano. How shall
/ keep himg How detain hims have
It! Now, Cyrano, forget the Paris &C.
cent. Assume again the twang Of Berge-
rae"
He climbed 1.-THE as q cat into the
branches by Roxane's balcony. He
cIung to them, ready TO fall ut the
proper instant. De Guiche came along.
grumbling softly to himself in the dark
| ness
(Which is the bouse?" he growled.
"This mask half blinds ne. Ahl That's
Il. / think that's It, What can that
idiot friar be about? What's this?
What's this? Where did that man fall
from:'
For Cyrano had fallen straight before
his path heavily, as though from some
great height
From the m0on." he answered
gruffiy, Disgusting his voice.
What" cried De Guiche. re'natine
. step from the msdman.
Where am Il What's the hour?
What country is this? What day Of the
week. What time Of year? I'm stunned.
| I fell like u bomb straight from the
moon"
DE Guiche made fruitless efforts to
stay the apparent maniac's flow OF
words or to pass him. But Cyrano rush.
cd on.
"It may have been hundred years.
It may have been second only. l do
not know. only know that there-up
in that Lall of yellow saffron
Let me pass, sir - cried De Guiche.
ooh, where am II Tell me the truth /!
Keep nothing back Where is IL that !
ami Where have fallen like shoot
ing farg l had no time to choose the
place where l should land. oh, tell
me Where am II But-great heaven
Let me look OH you! You're black!
Have I, then, fallen into Africa? Are
you n native"
De Guiche, puzzled for an instant by
the reference 10 his complexion, sud
denly recalled his mask.
"Oh, my mask" he exclaimed.
"Ah! Am I, then, in Venice or in
Rome?"
IL GOA lady waits mer'
"Now am surep cried Cyrano. II
am in Paris!"
In spite Of himself the impatient lord
laughed. At once the maniac from the
moon, with an air Of complete good
comradeship began to apologize for his
appearance.
$50 it's to Paris that I've fallen!
You'll pardon me my looks? I've jour
neyed far, you see. My eyes are full Of
star dust, and my spurs are tangled
with the planets filaments. See' l
must brush mel A comets hair is on
my doubIet In my leg, II you'll be-
lieve me-nay, do not hurry-there's
tooth Of the Great Bear, who bit me rs
I passed, and il you'd press my nose,
monsieur, between your fingers milk
would run forth. You are astonished'
Twas from the milky way. A most
amazing journey! / mean to write it
for book, and the small gold stars l
carry will serve for asterisks.
Again and again De Guiche essayed
to pass. Again and again Cyrano frus
trated him. He did il all with such
whimsical grace that, despite his an
noyance, the noble lord found himself
amused and interested. A rendezvous
with lady, 10 matter how fair-that
might befall one any night-but talk
with man who. crazy though he cer-
tainly was, had all astronomy and all
mythology as his tongues tip-that
was of less frequent possibility.
Cyrano was In the midst Of descrip-
tion of his method Of mounting to the
moon.
"At the hour when the moon wooes
the sea-" he said, II lay me on the
shore fresh from the sea bath. And
keeping the head first-for the hair
holds sea wa,er-I mounted in the air
straight, straight as an angel! Then"
"Theny" queried the half hypnotized
De Guiche.
"Then-but the quarter Of an hour is
passed." suddenly exclaimed Cyrano
in his natural voice. "Sir, you are free;
tho marriage is made"
DE Guiche sprang forward.
What" he cried. Am l mad?
That voice That nose! Cyrano?"
Cyrano bowed low.
"Cyrano, ut your service" he re.
piled. while we have plighted vows
One thing Roxane had overlooked in
making her hasty plans for q wedding
to thwart De Guiche's hopes. She had
forgotten that while the commander of
the forces remained in Paris the soldiers
left there were under his direction. Her
husband and her cousin must do the
bidding Of their chief. And the chiefs
bidding that night when he found him
self fooled by the woman he bad be-
lieved half won to his dishonorable love,
aud by her insolent cousin to whom he
owed long due grudge, was not light
une. The Gascon cadets were ordered
straight to Arras.
No time was given the young bride to
weep farewells. Her husband before the
marriage vows had ceased to vibrate in
the air was hurried forth. Scarce had
she time to beg her valiant cousin to
keep her lover safe In battle, prudent in
danger, faithful to her and dozen 9TH
er easy things when both were gone.
And De Guiche, vanquished in love, felt
himself victor, at any rate in cruelty.
At Arras life was not pleasant
affair. Though the French troops were
the besiegers, they suffered for pro-
visions almost a. keenIy as IL they had
been in the fortified town they attack
ed, for, while they bombarded the
town, the troops Of Spain gathered about
them, and thus there was siege within
siege, and the forces Of France were
as hungry as the men In the town. The
cadets were reduced to eating cannon
wads soaked in axle grease, sometimes
catching gudgeon and shooting an &C.
casional sparrow.
Things had reached q crisis one morn
ing. Even the Gascons vowed that they
had not come ont to fight the gray wolf
hunger. They grumbled 6ercely at their
lot They picked the commander to
pioces Thev foDnd fault with his wide