Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-09-19
you ara friends Of his?" she added,

you are friends Of his?" she added,
questioningly.
But did not stay to answer her. I
shook Croisette, who had not heard .
word Of this. by the shoulder. There
is q chance that he has escaped" !
hear?" And / told him hastily what
she had said.
1t was fine. indeed, and a sight to see
tears in his eyes. and energy and
the blood rush to his cheeks. and the
muscle Of his face. Then there is
hope" he cried. grasping my arm
Hope Annie! Come! Come! Do not
let US lose another instant. If he be
alive let us join him!"
The old woman tried to detain us, but
in vain. Nay, plying US. and fearing,
think. that we were rushing on our
deaths. she cast aside her caution and
called after us aloud. We took no heed,
running after Crotsette, who had not
waited for our answer as fast as young
limbs could carry us down the street
The exhaustion we had felt moment
before when all seemed lost-be 1t re-
membered that we had not been to bed
OF tasted food for many hours--fell
from us on the instant. and was clean
gone and forgotten in the JOY of this
respite. Louis was living and for the
moment had escaped.
Escaped! But for how long? We
soon had our answer. The moment we
turned the corner by the riverside, the
murmur Of multitude, not loud, but
continuous. struck our ears. even as
the breezes off the water swept our
cheeks. Across the river lay the thou
sand roofs of the lie de la Cite, all
sparkling in the sunshine. But we
swept to the right. thinking little OF
! That sight, and checked our speed on
finding ourselves on the skirts of the
crowd. Before us was n bridge-the
Pont au Change. ] thing-and at its
head on our side OF the water stood the
Ghatelet with its hoary turrets and
battlements. Between us and the lat
ter. and backed only by the river, was
great open space half-nlled with peo-
pie, mostly silent and watchful, come
together as to a show, and betraying.
at present at least. no desire to take an
active part in what was going on.
We hurriedly plunged into the
throng. and soon caught the cue to the
quietness and the lack of moment
which seemed to prevail, and which at
first sight had puzzled us. For a mo-
| ment the absence of the dreadful symp-
toms we had come to know SO we'll
the flying and pursuing, the random
blows. the shrteks and curses and bat
tering on doors. the tipsy yells, had re-
! assured US. But the relief was short
lived. The people before us Were UNI
der control. A tighter grip seemed to
close upon our hearts as we discerned
this, for we knew that wild fury of
the populace, like the rush of a bull.
might have given some chance of es-
cape-in this case as in others. But
this cold blooded ordered search left
none.
Every face about us was turned in
the same direction; away from the
river and toward block OF old houses
which stood opposite to it. The space
Immediately in front of these was
empty, the people being kept back by a
score or so of archers of the guard set
at intervals, and by as many horse
men, who kept riding up and down,
belaboring the holder spirits with the
| fiat OF their swords, and so preserving
line. At each extremity of this
more noticeably on our left where the
line curved round the angle of the
buildings-stood handful of riders
seven in n group, perhaps. And alone
In the middle of the space so kept clear
walking his horse up and down and
gazing at the houses, rode man of
great stature. booted and armed the
feather nodding in his bonnet ]
could not see his face. but l had NO
need to see 1t. knew him, and groane1
aloud. 1t was Beers.
(COpf{ouad Nayt yNoair