Evening star., 1898-07-30
CHAPTER XXX.
Sainte Hide of CarhaiS

Sims trembling, 1athoms deep, into tht
CLASSY sea. Then, through a breathIes.
dawn, steals the pale light of April, tintina
with gilt a world of primrose petals, creep
ing through woodlands mantfed in gray AM
! brown and silver. till in the deepest forest
depths a bird awakes and ruffles and looks
up amid a millfo. tiny newborn leaves
In Carhaix league upon league of moor
| land grows sweet scented; the gorse is aro-
matte; the marsh is mossed with spongv
gold; the blue sea ripples like river gild-
ed with ribbed sand. fiecked with reflec
uons where white clouds blow and white
gulis drift ike wind-tossed thistle silk
Three houses. woods a chapel and a
SHRINE; miles Of pink thorn. silvery cliffs
ana still sail at sea-that is Carhaix. All
Gay long the sea swallows skim the inlet
shores, the silver mrl1et, shoal on shoa.
crossing the bar. lace all the shadows with
their frosty ropes of foam. All day long
the ianeons spring above the sands. quiver-
irg. shimmering, delicate as pale patterns
| In the shuttle of a flying loom
April had come in Csrhaix. Hide also
mad come to Carhaix-back to her own
| last. the gates of Paris were opened. and
the long Prussiaa colt INNS. marching back
| lined all the northern reads
so she had come-her young heart vague
ly Wistful-to be welded in the Carhaix
| chapel where she had been baptized and
where, all in flmy white, she had stolen
| throush the dim aises, an awed communi-
cant For her. atonement did not end at
| the confessional; there only sin might be
| put away. sadness was lifted with the
| pfloal wreath; sorrow ended when the
orange buds fell from her breast. Atone
| ment never ended but it's bitterness would
| end like the memory of evil in the fnno-
| cence OF blameless life 1t seemed to her
that all would be well. now that she had
come back. In all the world there was but
| this one place where with her chiIds heart
| heavy with memories, her woman's heart
| thrilling with love and repentance she
| could come and kneel and go forth in peace
| forever.
| The April sun cleaned through the
1eweled glass and fell in diamonds staining
/ her feet with violet and rose. She saw St
Hide of Carhaix, high in her plaster niche
| azure robsd, smiling her placid smile among
| the shadows, she saw Our Lady of the
Gins, tinseled, magnificent, holding tie
child by the dim altar where waxen tapers
burned and the carved crucifix reared its
slender arms. And there her childhood came
to meet her. Again she saw the procession
| al, the cross aloft. Our Lady of the Cliffs
passing amid the kneeing crowd; again she
heard the fresh young voices swelling in the
wind, the chanting of the cure, the muir
INJURED prayer. The scene shifted seaward
she saw the tempest and the misty sea-
the white coIffes on the headland, the men
on the shore; then. as it seemed, years af-
terward, 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
Cay 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 spear on his breast-the last ruin
ed huntsman of ruined 1ace-the landle IS
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 kneel a bride,
then made her q W. ipfa
the sunny world
Yolette sat on the cliffs looking of to
sea. Bourke lay full length beside her,
shifting the fresh wind and watching Red
! Riding Hood. who. skirts tucked mp, pad
died blissfully in the thin films of water
along the shining sands below.
Harewood stood ne ar tl3 beach, critical
ly inspecting steamers trail of smoke
the horizon When he heard Hides voice
| on the cliffs above him he climbed up slow
ly. for he was still 4 little lame, and met
her, smiling.
The child down there is in the seventh
heaven" he said: shes been pipped by
crab and bruised by the rocks. and when
she's half drowned she'll be cont=n4eI, l
fancy"
IT'S curious" said Bourl1e. looking up,
that the Paris papers have not come. The
last mail arrived here Oh March Is, and
here it is April ;.
l went into the chlpel and forget" said
Hide.
Nobody expects brides to remember"
said Bo irke, sarcasticaliy; "do You mind
letting me see my mall?'
Yolette looked up laughing as Hide
calmly handed the letters to Harewood.
That young man sorted the papers, tossed
a package and 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
and chain. why, the packet is directed to
you. Jim
Hardwood looked up biankiy from the
letter he was studying, then groaned SPd
handed the letter to Hide.
Read it, he said; Il can't. It's from
the Mouse
In the midst OF breathless silence Hide
took the letter and examined 1t in con-
sternation. Then she read slowly:
"BELLEVILLE. Both of March, 1871.
Monsieur: 1 take my pen In hand, hop
ing that these few lines may find monsieur
in as good health 1 am. 1 have to i'll
form monsieur that the weather is as
| usual. We took the Hotel dc Vile and
killed Gen. Lecomte and Clement Thomas
in a garden. 1t is raining. but l am quite
comfortable having heen made captain in
the Natter nal Guard. and find myself much
better, with nothing to do.
1.-The commune has been established
and there is food and drink for all and no
work We frightened the bourgeoisie pass
ably well, and Theirs has run away. where
we expect that the citizen, Major ffourehS,
will ca tch him and shoot them all, as they
are aristocrats and most perfidicus to the
poor.
81 have to inform monsieur that ] wish
him health, also to Mile. Hide, to NJ
Bourke and to Madame. lately Mile. Yo-
lette Also TO the thin. droll little one who
was afraid of me. I send her some forks.
The weather continues rainy. l send to
monsieur a watch also to Mile. Hide, for
her wedding, diamond star. To M.
Bourke and to madame l send many
spoons. Therefore adieu. Your comrade.
THE MOUSE,
Citizen Captain. National Guard. Unat-
tached.
Il wish Also to say adieu to the little
orolI one who is afraid of me-"
Bourke would have laughed, but Hides
horror-struck face sobered him.
What on earth shall we do with that
plunder?" said Harewood. THE creature
has been pillaging woman and children.
'tYou and your citizen friend must settle
that" said Bourke, trying not to laugh.
These spoons and forks have all sorts
of initials on them. The watch is marked
H. de B. and the diamond star is to a
lady named Mini. Jim, believe, this time,
that the commune means business"
He looked at Yolette, who shook her head
decidedly, saying: