The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-07-09

| with him the things he went TO pro-
! cure and while MOusette and were
eating he told us what he had found out
| adding:
II regret that madame will not be
able 40 travel by daylight-that creque-
mort La Coquille and his gang passed
through ST. Bathilde yesterday ana
are in the neighborhood, and not they
alone. but one or two others OF like
kidney We shall have TO make our way
as best we can by night
But this was too much. Not for any
thing was / going 10 endure the misery
OF last night over again, and argued ana
expostulated with Lalande. Mousetts
Joining with me with shrill objurgatons,
and at last the poor fellow gave In. but
/ confess with n very bad grace, grumb-
ling a good deal TO himself and declaring
he would be no longer responsible for our
safety own now that we were wrong
in persisting as we did. but | put IL to
any one ifthey would have endured what
we had 10 endure without protest, and.
then, we were women, and / am AFRAID
possessed some OF that contrariness or
disposition which I have heard the oppo-
site sex credit us with though for pure.
mulish obstinacy give me a man who
thinks he has made UP his mind.
I.alande was however determined upon
ore thing, and that was TO avoid the main
road. and. as had so far successfully OPP
posed his plan Of forcing night journey.
did not feel justified in making further
objections and allowed him TO follow the
bypaths he chose without further protest,
though indeed II was as IL there was some
truth IN Mousette's remark OF last night
that he was choosing the most difficult
tracks 10 show how well he knew the
way. We now entered the mountains or
the Lismousin and what would have been
a mile elsewhere became three here with
the ups and downs. the turns and twists
For miles we passed never a human habi-
tation except now and again a few wood
cutters huts and sometimes a small out
lying farm, and | felt the justice OF La
lande's remark when he defended himself
from a sharp attack by Mousette by say
ing he had chosen this road because IL
was safe from gentlemen like La Coquille.
who never found any bones worth the
picking on II and therefore left II and it's
difficulties severely alone-though. OF
course. there was the odd chance or our
meeting them and so again TO the old ar
gument OF travelling by night.
As we went on the scenery became wild
er and more savage. and once large
gray wolf with two cubs by her side ap-
peared on'th track about 80 PAGES or so
Ia front OF us. and after giving our party
a quiet survey and showing us line Ot
great strong teeth as she snarled on US
trotted calmly off with her family down
the hillside. Both Mousette and myself
were not unnaturally Warmed but La
lnnde. with Never fear, ma anne; there
Is no danger" kept quietly along, though
saw that he had pulled a pistol from his
holster AS the day advanced we became
aware that the sun was being obscured
by clouds more often than IL should be at
this time of year, and every now and
again gusts OF wind would race down
the ravines and lose themselves with omi-
nous warnings through the forest sun
the horizon was clear, and high above all
others we could make out the crest or
Mount Odouze. / asked Lalande II he
'tbough there was likely TO be a storm.
ut Is hard 10 tell, madame. Storms
come on very suddenly in these hills. But
II there is one II will not be very bad, for
we can see the Cradle, as that dip be-
tween the two peaks OF Mount Odouze is
called, quite distinctly"
But though he spoke thus reassuringly.
saw that he increased the pace and that
ever and again he would scan the horizon
and look up at the sky. Once when nc
thought / had caught him he explained
as he pointed upward:
- 'Tis a red eagle. madame, that must
have flown here from the Pyrenees, a
long journey. See, there it Is, that speck
In the sky"
| followed his glace but could make
out nothing. You have sharp eyesight,
lalands." I said. with a smile. and then
the matter dropped. l could not how