Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-07-27

The vidane was silent, seeming to
glover on the boy. The priest sneered.
Hearts are soon mended-especially
women's," he said.
But mo Kit's!' Croisette said, pas.
Observation-Disclosures ignoring him.
mot Kits! You do not know her, VI
daniel Indeed, you do not!"
The remark was ill-timed. I saw a
spasm OF anger distort Beers face.
Get up. boy!" he snarled, II wrote 10
mademoiselle what i would do, and
that 1 shall do! A Beers keeps his
word. BY the God above us-if there
be a God, and In the DEVILS name /
doubt 1t tonight shall keep mine!
Coz
His great face was full of rage. He
looked over Croisette's head as he
spoke, as IL appealing to the great reg
istrar OF his vow, in the very moment
in which he had had all but denied
him.. / turned and stole back the way
/ had come; and heard Croisette fol-
low.
That little scene completed my mis-
cry. After that 1 seemed to take no
heed OF anything or anybody until I
was aroused by the grating OF our Jail
er's key In the lock, and became aware
h a he was gone, n that we were
alone in a small room under the tiles.
He had left the candle on the floor, and
we three stood around II. Save for the
long shadows we cast on the walls and
two pallets hastily thrown down In
one corner, the place was empty. l
did not look much at II, and j would
not look at the others. l flung myself
on one OF the pallets and turned my
a to the wall. despairingly. 1
thought bitterly of the failure we had
made of It. and of the vidame's tri-
umph. cursed st. Croix especially for
that last touch of humiliation he had
set to It. Then, forgetting myself as
my anger abated, | thought of Kit so
far away at Caylus-of Kits pale. gen
tie face, and her sorrow, And little by
little | forgave Croisette. After all he
had not begged for us-he had not
stopped for our sakes, but for hers.
l do not know how long i lay at see
saw between these two moods. Or
whether during hat time the others
talked or were silent, moved about the
room or lay still. But 1t was Croisette's
hand on my shoulder, touching me
with a quivering ~eagerness that in
stantly communicated itself to my
limbs. which recalled me to the room
and its shadows. "Anne!" he cried.
Anne! Are o awaken"
VIVA is it?' l said, sitting UP and
looking at him.
Marie" he began, has"
But there IA no need for him to
finish. l saw that Marie was standing
at the 'far side OF the room by the UNI
glazed window: which, being In n
slopingrpart of the roof, inclined slight
ly also. He had raised the shutter
which closed it, and on his ~tip-toes-for
the sill was almost his own height from
the floor-was peering out. l looked
sharply at Croisette. us there a gut
ter outsider" l whispered, beginning
to ttngle all over as the thought of es-
cape for the first time occurred to me.
NO" he answered in the same tone.
But Marie says he can see a beam
below, which has thinks we can reach"
/ sprang up, promptly displaced Ma
rife, n looked out. When my eyes
grew accustomed to the gloom | dis
cerned a dark chaos OF roofs and gables
stretching as far as / could see before
me. Nearer, Immediately under the
window, yawned a chasm-a narrow
stpret. Beyond this was a house rath-
err lower than that in which we were,
the top of it's roof not quite reaching
the level OF my eyes. II see no BEAM
Il said.
Continued Next Week.)