Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1901-08-01
, MARRIAGE Ar ;
THE S(AFF0LD ;

In the seaport Of Calais, which for
the English, there once lived a bache-
lor, Josse Dullart, who had come there
to carry on business. He was n native of
Bailleul- l-cn-Flandre, well qualified to Sc
cure for the London merchants the wool
of which the Flemish wcavers make
their various materials and to derive
an honest profit from each. Naturally,
because of his commercial subtlety and
because of the pleasant and cOmfOrta-
quence, our man became exposed to the
jealouSics and i'll will OF the other
tradesmen, English for the most part.
He did not know 1t, since the hypO-
critics allowed nothing to become evi-
dent, but, on the contrary, made every
endeayOr TO present an agreeable eX-
terror to him, SO as not TO compromise
in the least the slight advantages which
accrued to them through his kindlness.
Nevertheless they decided TO ruin him
and to that end Contrived a device so
black and so wicked that Sir Satan
himself in his demoniacal mind could
not have imagined a better. In pursu-
ance of the scheme one of them secret
ly concealed in the house of JOsSe Dull
lart leather bag containing a sum Of
100 livres sterling in gold crowns. Hav-
ing done this, he went to the criminal
magistrate with two comrades rs wit
nesses to accuse his colleague of hay-
ing robbed him.
At that remote period there had not
yet appeared under the canopy of hcav-
Ell any of the impudent ,sharpers, slug
CARDS and swindlers who in the course
of time have shamelessly said and writ
ten that ownership means theft, and
the money earned by some is SO much
lost by others, with the sole intent that
they may prg everything into confu-
sion and be able easily to slip into their
purses that which is another'S.
The world has indeed heard of much
folly and seen many iniquities, but not
that, and human justice, which had new
er known of any jesting upon the mat
ter, would have hung their like high
and In short order, dealing with them
precisely as she would with ycritablc
robbers.
Who was amazed at seeing the po-
liceman Of the provostship invade his
produce from them Il sack of gold Of
which he knew nothing and a legal
clerk take down disquieting notes of
the affair in his illegible scrawl? 1t
was the i'll fated Dullart.
The poor fellow stroye with them in
vain, vOwing to God his innocence, but
words could not prevail against deeds.
Now, he could not explain how the
sack, the evidence of his crime, had
come into his possession, whence 1t fol
lowed that the innocent man was con
demned to the halter as if he had been
guilty.
The affair however, let loose in an
uproar all the devils Of Calais. Think
of it-a great merchant, with a house
of his own, convicted Of common lar
ceny, like Il vulgar rascal!
In the end the populaCe, while it
was not privy TO the plot laid by a half
dozen arrant rogues, was nevertheless
not mistrustful. II rather inclined in
favor of the pitiable citizen of Bailleu-
lois. This without taking into cOnsid-
GRAFTON the peasants on the outskirts
of the town, who were French, not hav-
ing been expelled from their tireside
by the conquerors, as had been the
poor cOmmoners of the city, and who
hated all the English within their bor
ders.
SO it may be said that the throng
which Swarmed about the streets and
crOssways on the day when Dullart
was to be taken TO the gibbet entertain
ed more compassion for him than dori-
sion, above all, if you take into ac-
count the fact that he was young, good
in every respect and Of a prCpOssessing
appearance.
From the Jail to the gallOws Josse
walked with bowed head by the side
of a priest, who enjoined him TO re
jOiCc that he was about to pass into a
better world. He did not glance at n
single person, so great was the shame
he felt on account of the filthy mischief
of which he was accused. 1t was only
when he had aScended the first rounds
Of the fatal ladder, having the cord
about his neck, that below the soldiers
grouped around the base of the gibbet,
he perceived the crowd and recognized
among them a fair young woman for
whom in happier days he had conceiv-
ed tender and violent passion.
At the sight of her he experienced 81
yet more poignant sorrow at leaving so
soon and SO painfully an existence
from which he had expected to derive
such delicate felicities. And then, inn
PEELED by a sudden reminiscence and
by a natural instinct for preservation,
he began to cry out with all his might:
"LOyse. Loyse, by God the Father,