Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-07-13
The House of The Wolf,,,...
BY STANLEY j. wEYMAN


a last look at C~aylus--at the huddled
gray town, and the towers above It.. A
little thoughtful we all were, 1 think.
The times were rough and our errand
was serious. But youth and early
morning are fine dispellers OF care; and
once on the uplands we trotted gayly
upward, now passing through wide
glades in the sparse oak forest, where
the trees all leaned n way, now over
bare. wind-swept downs; or once n
again descending into a chalky bottom.
where the stream dubbed through
deep beds OF fern, and a lonely farm
house nestled amid orchards.
Four hours riding, and we saw be-
low us Cahors, filling the bend OF the
river. We cantered YER the Vallandre
bridge. which there crosses the lot.
and so to my uncle's house of call in
the square. Here we ordered break
fast, and announced with pride that
we We're going 10 Paris.
Our host raised his hands. Now,
there!" he exclaimed, regret in his
voice. And II you had arrived yester-
day o could have travelled up with
Vidame de Beers! And you a small
party-saving your lordships' presence
and the roads but so-so!'
but the vidame was riding with
only half a dozen attendants also!" 1
4 w Gl Ghg lllOhlllk H. DOOt III IA CuIt-
less way.
The landlord shook his head. "Ah,
M. lie Vidame knows the worldl" he
answered shrewdly. He is not to be
taken off his guard, not he! One of his
men whispered me that 120 stanch
fellows would join him at Chateauroux.
They say the wars are over, but
ana the good man, struggling his Shout
ders, cast an expressive glance at some
nnn AitaINAa 80 hnNA,, rtyllAA ~ aar
ing In his chimney. However, your
lordships know better than 1 CO." he
added, briskly. Il am a poor man. I
only wish to live at peace with my
neiShbors, whether they go to mass or
sermon"
This was a sentiment so common In
those days and so heartily echoed by
most men of substance both in own
and country that we did not stay to
assent TO 1t: but having received from
the worthy fellow a token which would
insure our obtaining fresh cattle at
Limoges, we took to the road again,
refreshed in body, and with some food
for thought.
Fve-and-twenty attendants were
more han even such a man as Beers,
who had many enemies. travelled with
In those days; unless accompanied by
ladies. That the vidame had provided
oANh q lSllllplNeIlSlll SttlIlCu " punt
TO n wider scheme than the one with
which we hah credited him. But we
could not guess what his plans We're;
since he must have ordered his people
before he heard OF GATHERINGS engage
ment. Either his jealousy therefore
had put him on the alert earlier, or
his threatened attack on Pavannes was
only a part Of a larger plot. In either
case our errand seemed more urgent,
but scarcely more hopeful.
The varied sights and sounds how
ever of the road-many Of them new
TO us-kept US from dwelling over
much on this. Our eyes were young
and whether 1t was q pretty girl lin
gering behind n, troop of gypsies, or a
pair OF strollers from Valencia-jong-
leurs they still called themselves
singing In the old dialect Of Provence
OF a Norman horse dealer with his
string OF cattle tied head and tail or the
Pup de Dome to the eastward over the
A~uvergne hills, or q tattered old SOL
der wounded in the wars-flghting for
either side, according as their lordships
inclined-we were pleased with all.
Yet we never forgot our errand. We
never, / think, rose in the morning-too
often stiff and sore-without thinking:
To-day or tomorrow or the next day"
as the ease might be-"we. shall
LidhS All IlSHI IoT hll! fOr hlt! FER
haps IL was the purest enthusiasm we
were ever to feel, the least selfish aim
we were ever to pursue. For Xiii
Meanwhile we met travellers of rank
on the road. Half the nobility OF
France were still in Paris enjoying the
festivities which were being held TO
mark the royal marriage. We OBJ
tanned horses where we needed them
without difficulty. And though we
had heard much of the dangers OF the
way. infested as 1t was said TO be by
disbanded troopers, we were not once
stopped or annoyed.
But 1t is not my intention to chron-
icle all the events of this my first jour
ney, though l dwell on them with pleas
ure; or to say what l thought of the
towns, adj new and strange to me,
through which we passed. Enough
that We went by way OF Limoges,
ChateaurouX and Orleans, and that al
Chateauroux we learned the failure Of
one hope we had formed. We had
thought the Beers when Joined there
by his trooper would not be able to get
relays; II that on this account we
might by travelling post overtake him:
and possibly slip by him between that
place and Paris. But we learned at
C~hateaurax that his troop had re-
ceived fresh orders to go to Orleans
and await him there, the result being
that he was able to push forward with
relays so far. He was evidently in hot
haste. For leaving there with his
horses fresh he passed through Anger
Vile, 40 miles short Of Paris, at moor
whereas we reached IL on the evening
of the same day-the sixth after leav-
ing Caylus.
We rode into the yard OF the inn-a
large place, seeming larger in the dusk
so tired that we could scarcely slip
from Il saddles. Jean, our servant,
took the four horses, and led them
across to the stables, the poor beasts
hanging their heads and following
meekly. We stood a moment stamping
our feet and stretching our legs. The
place seemed in q hustle, the clatter O!
pans and dishes proceeding from the
windows over the entrance, with a glow
Of light and the sound Of feet hurryine
In the passages. There were men, too
half a dozen or so, standing at the
door of the stables, while others
leaned from the windows. One or two
lanthorns just kindled glimmered here
and there in the semi-darkness, and ir
a corner two smiths were shoeing @
horse.
We were turning from all this to &c
in, when we heard jeans voice raised
in alteration, and thinking our rustic
servant had fallen into trouble, we
walked across to the stables near which
he and the horses were still lingering
well, what is it," 1 said, sharply.
They say hat there is no room fol
the horses, Jean answered, Querulous.
ly, scratching his head; half sullen
half cowed, a country servant all over
And there is mott" cried the fore
most of the gang about the door, hast.
ening to confront us in turn. His tont
was insolent, and IL needed but half ar
eye to see that the fellows were in.
clined to back him up. He stuck his
arms akimbo n faced us with an i'm.
pudent smile. A lanthorn on tn,
ground beside him throwing an uncer.
tain light on the group, I saw that they
| oil Mnrn thu co ma hndnn