The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1899-05-13
CHAPTER IX.-(Continued)

/ Blanche quickly noticed. among the
mourners, tall, stern-looking knight,
with naughty, dsagreeable manner, and
! recognized the cousin, who was next IN
! succession, and whom she knew her moth
/ er had always feared and dlsllked IL
! had come to this, that, in consequence OF
! the mad crusade of the children, the castle
/ of her father had fallen to a stranger, ana
! that her mother was liable to be turned
out into the cold world, as soon as the
/ funeral was over.
Poor Blanche knew we'll enough that
/ by the famous "Salic Law neither she
! nor her mother could inherit the lands OF
which her brother Stephen was the right
! full heir; but she knew also that, TIL ste
phen was dead, they could resist the pos
| session by their cousin, Castor de aux,
/ of the lands and castle.
Thus it became necessary for her to de-
clare herself and tell the expectant heir
| that the Stephen he evidently thought
! dead, or as good as dead, was alive and
! would come back.
4 She had not long to wait, as the process
/ sion broke up; for her mother, turning
+ toward home, caught sight of her; and In
! q moment there was n scene of CONFUSION
4 and excitement, as the poor widow, who
her daughter and clasped her to her
+. breast, weeping, Gliding, blessing and pro-
testing, oil in a breath, while she over
1 whelmed her with questions, the while
/ that the expectant heir stood by, Sowing
at the girl he knew well and medltatlng
what to do TO secure the Inheritance he
was determined not to lose.
! But even in those days, which we call
no RI 6aopncv n
public opinion: and CASTOR de Naux did
not dare to turn the widow and orphan
out Of the home they had so long occupied
without a show of justice.
He pretended polite interest in both,
! accompanied them to the castle, inquired
of Blanche what news she brought of the
Children's Crusade. and lamented the fate
1 which had taken the count from his do
mains "in the prime of his life" as he
said.
/ Then Blanche heard from her mother
how her father had died, and shuddered as
she thought that, but for that wretched
4 crusade he might have been spared many
q long year. It seemed that the count
/ after his return home and the discovery
that both his children had deserted him.
as he thought, had become morose and
solitary in his habits, taking his only en-
joyment or rather his only consolation,
under his affection, by trying to drown
his sorrows in drink.
He, who had been the most temperate
of men. like most people in southern coun-
tries, had become, in the short interval
between the departure of his son and the
return Of his daughter to the castle furi-
Gus drunkard, who never stopped in his
rotations till he had become nsensible to
everything round him.
In one Of thcse orgies, when he had been
surrounded by his men-at arms, who were
drinking with him and his cousin, CASTOR
de Vaux the old count had been drawn
into an angry controversy about the cru
SADIE in which his son had emba rked. had
drawn his sword and tried to kill his cous-
in. Being disarmed by his men. who saw
that he was no longer conscious of what
I he was doing he flew into such furious
passion that he had burst a blood vessel in
his head and had fallen dead, almost in an
instant the day before Blanche arrived
at the castle, his funeral having been hur-
ried on by the expectant heir.
And after the story had been told, and
| the question remained; What should be
1 done to ransom the young heir of the
I castle? CASTOR was the person who dis
( played the most anxiety to be allowed to
! help in raising the ransom.
! He insisted on remaining in the castle
/ ito protect his cousins in their inheritance
| against the possible assaults of the rob
! berS who sometimes come even into Pro
vencc."
| The poor women, glad of any protec-
| ton, and beginning TO think that they had
! misjudged the character of THEIR cousin.
! consented to this scheme, and the result
| was that CASTOR de Naux brought to the
| castle quite a number Of his own men-at-
/ arms, whom he CHARTERED in the room of
! the late old de Naux retainers, and grad
/ ualy introduced, till the whole garrison
/ was devoted to him
! Then, when Blanche and her mother
We're away at Naucluse aud among the
/ neighboring counts trying to raise the sum
| that had been stipulated as the ransom.
without which the boy count could not be
| allowed to return to his home, CASTOR
! threw off the mask and seized the castle
I of Naux, declaring himself the count and
| proclaiming that his cousin Stephen had
! been slain by the Turks, which most PEG
! pie believed on the word of a rich man
! like CASTOR
As soon as he had accomplished his
/ purpose, the new count, abandoning the
/ pretense of affection for his cousins that
he had kept up till he gained possession of
4 the castle and lands of Naux turned them
J out of the home they had enjoyed so long
/ and coolly hade them. if they wanted to
get back, to make a pilgrimage to Jerusa-
/ lem and beg the freedom of Stephen from
/ the Grand Turk, if they still dreamed that
he was alive,
Thus, Mt one stroke. the poor countess
found herself deprived of home. husband
/ and son. and reduced to hesgary in her
/ age; for, in those times. there were no
| such thing, as settlements" in France,
and the reign of INV was precHrious in the
| midst of the various civil wars and quar-
/ rels between harons and counts
! But for the courage of Blanche. whom
| nothing seemed 10 terrify. the countess
must have sunk under her misfortunes.
As it wns, with the assistance Of her
daughter and Father Hildebrand. who
seemed TO be reused out of his apathy as
soon rs there was 4 chance 70 work for
the good of others, she secured shelter
in 4 convent. of which the lady abbess
was relative of the dead count. while
I Blanche and the hermit continued their
! efforts through the country to secure The
. ransom Of the captives
They travelled far and wide th-ouph
France. their sad story attracting sym
pathy wherever they went: but as time
! passed on and the fate Of the children
grew more distant. the collections became
more and more scanty. till they ceased
altogether. Thee thousand of the chill
dren had been ransomed. and news came
that the Turkish prince was weary Of the
delays, and had determined 10 sell the rest
or his captives in the market in Egypt,
without waiting for any more money from
/ France.
Sold they were. all but Stephen, the
boys 10 be turned into mamelukes, who
We're Christian slaves compelled 10 pro
TESS the faith Of the prophet Mohammed'