The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-09-26

were by no means charV or their blows,
We're all N colors and armed to the
teeth. The order and discipline were
OF his making; the revenge Of his
seeking. A grasp as of steel ha' set
tied upon our friend, and 1 felt that his
last chance was n Louis de
Pavannes might as We'll be lying on his
threshold with his dead servant by his
side, as be IN hiding within hat ring
of ordered swords.
1t was with despairing eyes we looked
at the old wooden houses. They seemed
to be bowling themselves towards us,
their upper stories projected so far,
they We're so decrepit. Their roofs
We're a wilderness of cutters and
Crooked gables, of lettering chimneys
and wooden pinnacles and rotting
beams. Amongst these l judged Kits
lover was hiding. Well, it was a good
place for hid and seek-with n other
player than death. In the ground
floors Of the house there We're no WIN
dowsa and no doors; by reason, l learned
afterwards, of the frequent flooding Of
the river. But a long wooden gallery
raised on struts ran along the front,
rather more than the height of a man
from the ground. and access to this was
gained by a wooden staircase at each
end. Above this first gallery was a sec
ond n above that line of windows
set betWeen the gables. The block
it may have u for 10 or so yards along
the shore-contained four houses, each
with a door opening on to the lower
gallery. l saw indeed that but for the
vidame'S precautions Louis might well
have escaped. Had the mob once poured
helter-skelter into the labyrinth OF
rooms and passages he might with
luck have mingled with them, unheeded
and unrecognized, and effected his es-
cape when they retreated.
But now there were %sentries on each
gallery and more on the roof. Whenever
one of the latter moved or seemed to be
looking inward-Where a search party,
I understood, were at Work-indeed if
he did but III his head, a thrill ran
through the crowd and a murmur arose,
which once or twice sWclled to a savage
roar SuCh as earlier had made me
tremble. When this happened the i'm.
pulse came, it seemed to me, from the
farther end of the line. There the
rougher elements We're collected. II
there I more han once saw Beers
troopers in conflict with the mob. In
that quarter too a savage chant was
presently struck up, the whole gather
ing joining in and yelling with an in
describably appalling effect:
Haul! Hau! Huguenots!
Faites place aux Papegots.'
In deriSion of the old song said to be
popular amongst the Professionals. But
in the Huguenot version the last words
were of curse transposed.
We had worked u way by this time
to the front OF the line, n looking in
to one another's eyes, mutely asked a
question; but not even Croisette had an
answer ready. There could be no
answer u one. What could we do?
Nothing. We were too late. TO late
again! And yet how dreadful it was
to stand still among the cruel, thought
less mob and see our friend, the touch
OF whose hand we knew SO well, done
to dtath for their sport! Done to death
as the old woman had said like any
at, not a 0 u ave ourselves plying
him! Not a soul to turn sick at his
cry of agony, or shudder at the glance
of his dying eyes. 1t was dreadful In
deed.
"Ah, WE'LL" muttered a woman be-
side me to her companion-there were
many women in the ~crowd-"it is dowr
with the Huguenots, say I! 1t is Lor-
raine is the fine mani! But after all yor
is a bonny fellow and a proper Mar.
got! I saw him leap from roof to roo
over Love Lane, as if the blessed saints
a carried him. And him a heretic!'
TT is the black art" the other an
swered, crossing herself.
Maybe it is! But he will need it al
to give hat big nan the slip today
replied the first speaker, comfortably
pointing with a stealthy gesture Q.
hate at the vidame. And then in 6
fierce whisper, with inarticulatt
threats, she told a story of him, which
made me shudder. He did! And SHE
in religion, too!" she concluded. Ma.
our Lady of Loretto reward him."
The tale might be true for all
| 1yr,n" 1nrrih1n nc ~ Jr0c' hoI hoo ~
similar ones attributing things almos
as fiendish to him, time and again
from that poor fellow lying dead OF
PavanneS' doorstep, for one, and from
others besides. M the vidame in hi
pacing to and fro turned towards us
/ gazed at him fascinated by his grin
visage and that story. His reste'
on the GROVE about us, and l trembled
lest even at that distance he shoul'
recognize us.
Ana he did! I had forgotten hi
keenness of sight. His face nashe,
suddenly into a grim smile. The tai
of his eye resting upon US, and seem
ing to forbid us to move, he gay
some orders. The color fled from IN
face. To scape indeed was impos
sible, for we were hemmed in by tn
press. and could scarcely stir a liml
Yet I did make one effort.
"Croisette!" l mut~tered-he was tn
rearmost-"stoop Down. He may nc
have seen you. Stoop down, lad!'
But st. Croix was obstinate an
/ would not stoop. Nay, when one c
the mounted men came, and roughl
ordered us into the OPEN, it was Crois
cite who, pushing past US, stepped GU
, first with a lordly air. I, followin
him, saw that his lips were firmly com
pressed, and that there was an cage
. light in his eyes. AS we emerged tn
. crowd in our wake broke the line, an
4 tried to pursue US; either hostilely {
through eagerness to see what
meant. But a dozen blows Of the Ion
pixies drove them back, bowling an
cursing to their places.
I expected to be taken to Beers
what would follow I could not tell. 81
he did always it seemed what we lea!
expected, for he only scowled at |
J now. a grim mockery on his lip, ar
= cried: See that they do not escar
! again. But do them no harm, sirral
until I have the batch Of them!"
He turned one way and I anothe
my heart swelling with rage Wou.
he dare to harm US? Would even II
vidame dare to murder a Caylu
nephew openly and in cold blood? 1 d
not think 50. And yet-and yet
Croisette interrupted the train of II