The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-03-20

such occasion slip through my ten COM
mandments. But I have learned a
thing called honor, which I must not
lose for the sake Of my lady"
Huguette flung herself in front of
him and stopped his restless walk.
Francois! Francois"
Yes, child, yes"
What does it matter to you what
they do with the fool king?"
"Abbess, I must have a finger in this
pie. Abbess, for the old sake's sake,
will you keep me a secret?"
The girl looked up at him lovingly.
I will always do your bidding
Il have a mind to play my part in
this enterprise. I am the king Of the
Cockelshells and I have returned to au-
thority. Give me your pilgrims gown,
girl, n mind, not a word to the
brotherhood. l want to take friend Thi-
baut by surprise"
AS he spoke, he pulled off the pill
grim's gown, and Huguette stood be-
fore him in her familiar boys dress Of
green.
Hide among the roses until the sport
begins" he cried.
The girl flung her arms about him.
Dear Francois" h cried, and then
ran swiftly way from him and disap-
peared into the rose-scented night.
Villon looked after the girl as she
ran.
THE girl is as fleet as a hare and as
Wild-witted," he said to himself. Then
he flung Huguette from his thoughts
and faced the great problem.
How does the balance go?' he asked
himself, and he weighed the air with
his hands as If their cups held the
precious things he spoke of.
In the one hand, a great kings life;
in the other, a poor poets honor. King,
beggar, beggar, king"
He paused a moment, looking down
the long lane of infinite possibilities.
He owed nothing to Louis after all.
a shameless trick; had thrust honor
upon him in mockery; had tantilized
him with a dream of a dream. Ere an
other sunset, if a woman's heart were
not his for the winning, he would be
swinging, grisly enough with his
tongue through his teeth, and upon
ravens wheeling about his ears, upon
the Paris gallows. 1t was but to let
Thibaut d'Aussigny play out his part
and snare the old black fox. and then
Villon had Paris to himself, was alb
solved from all penalty. might in the
light of the new love the people had for
him, do, or at least try to do, pretty
much as he pleased with the kingless
kingdom. 1t was a dazzling prospect.
"Why not?" he asked himself. Then,
in a moment, the reasons why not rose
up against him-not to be cheated, not
to be banished. He nae given his word;
he had sworn fealty to the fantastic
monarch who had played with him and
to whom he owed at least the realiza-
ton of great dreams and the golden
chance of winning his hearts desire.
He had given his word. Thai would not
ave meant much to him eight days
when he lived in a sick atmosphere
of lies Inc lodges and tricks and mean
ness, where the lips were as ready to
deceive as the fingers to fitch, and
where a successful falsehood was al
most as much applauded as a successful
theft. But now, as he had said, he had
learned a thing called honor; the whole
meaning of life had been changed for
him in the sunshine of a fair girls fa-
vor, and what was but yesterday pos
sibly, probably, even pleasant, was to-
day surely impossible. He murmured
her name to Observation-Disclosures
a charm against horrible temptation,
and his heart strengthened under the
spell.
He turned to enter the tower, but as
he did so the tower door was pushed out
against him and he found himself face
to face with Noel lie Jolys. Noel started
in establishment at the sight of his
rival, but Villon caught him by the
wrist. The poor popinjay was too brave
a bird to be Thibaut d'Aussigny's de-
coy duck.
"Messire Noel" he said; sI have a
word to say in you ear" and he drew
him inside the tower and stood with
him for a moment inthe darkness, whis-
pering speech that made NoeTs pulse
beat fast. Then Villon left him for a
moment n sped swiftly up the wind
ing stairs that led to the kings room,
while Noel, left alone, pushed open the
door again and passed out into the
garden, his head dizzy with strange
Placing his hands like a shell
about his mouth, he gave the cry Of an
owl three times with a little Interval
between each cry, n then softly with
drew again into the tower, and In his
turn raced with a throbbing heart, UP
the narrow steps hat led to the kings
chamber.