The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-11-30
CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VII
Ate$be corner Of the street the flutes
played . sad air. The pages thus an.
nounced the coming Of man.
Its he, !" said Cyrano. How shall
I keep him? How detain him? I have
it'll Now, Cyrano, forget the Paris &C.
cent. Assume again the twang Of Berge-
rap.''
He climbed 1.-the as cat into the
branches by Roxane's balcony. He
olung to them, ready 10 fall at the
proper instant. De Guiche came along,
grumbling softly to himself in the dark
ness.
(Which is the house2'' he growled.
''This mask half blinds me. ALL That's
| 1t. T. think that's, it, What can@that
idiot friar be about? What's this?
What's this? Where did that man fall
fromf''
For Cyrano had fallen straight before
his path heavily, as though from some
great height.
From the moon," he answered
grufi1y, Disgusting his voice.
1 u0t1 C1100 10 OV4C0eb S0tS00e408
q step from the mailman.
"Where am II What's the hour?
What country is this? What day Of the
week? What time of year? I'm stunned.
fell like q bomb straight from the
moon"
De Guiche made fruitless efforts to
stay the apparent maniao's flow Of
words or to pass him. But Cyrano rush.
ed on.
1T may have been hundred years
It may have been second only. I do
not know. I only know that there up
in that ball Of yellow eaffron"-
LET me pass, SIR r. cried De Guiche.
"Oh, where am I? Tell me the truth
Keep nothing hack! Where is il that
am: Where have fallen like shoot
ing star? had no time to choose the
place where I should land Oh, tell
mel Where am I? But-great heaven!
Let me look on you'll You're blacki
Have I, then, fallen into Africa? Are
you q native?"
De Guiche, puzzled for an instant by
the reference to his complexion, sud-
denly recalled his mask.
"Oh, my mask!' he exclaimed.
"Ah! Am I, then, in Venice or in
Rome?''
| II goa lady waits mel'
CHOW I am sure!' cried Cyrano. II
am in PARISH
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 tits to Paris that I've fallen!
You'll pardon me my looks? I've jour-
neyed far, you see. Ny eyes are full Of
star dust. and my spurs are tangled
with the planets flaments See! I
must brush me! A comets hair is on
my doublet. In my leg, if you'll be-
lieve me-nay, do not hurry-there's a
tooth Of the Great Bear, who bit me as
passed, and if you'd press my nose,
monsieur, between your fingers milk
would run forth. You are aEtonished?
twas from the milky way. A most
amazing journey! mean to write it
for book, and the small gold stars I
carry will serve for asterisks.
Again and again De Guiche essayed
10 pass. Again and again Cyrano frus-
trated him. He did it all with such
whimsical grace that, despite his an
noyance, the noble lord found himself
amused and interested. A rendezvous
with q lady, no matter how fair-that
might befall one any night-but talk
with man who, crazy though he Ger
tainly was, had all astronomy and all
mythology at 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 f1rst-for the hair
holds sea water-I mounted in the air
straight, straight as an angeli Them
. "Then?" 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
the marriage is made!"
De Guiche sprang forward.
"Whatv' he cried. "Am mad!
That voice! That nosel Cyrano?'
Cyrano bowed low.
"Cyrano, at your service" he re-
piled, "while we have plighted vows. .
One thing Roxane had overlooked in
making her hasty plane for a wedding
to thwart De Clutches 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 chief
bidding that night when he found him.
self fooled by the woman he had be-
1ieved half won to his dishonorable love,
and by her insolent cousin to whom be
owed long due grudge, was not light
one. The Gascon cadets were ordered
straight to Arras
No time was given the young bride to
weep farewella Her husband before the
marriage vows had ceased to vibrate in
l