The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-04-03

proposals. Her tired eyes had caught
sigh of the grim structure in wood
which usurped a place in a familiar
scene. She shaded her eyes and peered
at it, asking:
For whom do you build this gall
lows %
The glum hangman answered gloom
lily:
oddly enough. we don't know.
Make me a gallows here says the con-
stable, in the open place, and sieges for
! the king and his courtiers.'"
+ Mother Villon, her simple curiosity
easily satisfied, dropped her inform
ant a curtsey and hobbled slowly up
the steps into the church.
Petit-Jean stretched himself again
and yawned.
I'll go to sleep and dream Of hang
Trois-Eschelles put a lean finger to
his lean chin.
Treason, friend, if Tristan heard
you"
Politicians eyes twinkled.
We'll, let's say an archbishop" he
said.
Trois-Eschelles nodded a~pprovingly.
IAN archbishop ought to make a good
end"
His mind pleased itself with the pic
ture Of SO high a dignitary of the
church in his full ~canonicals coming
ullucl IIS Icilucl Sl dHo DClll5 ca
horted by his pious counsels.
The two hangmen climbed on the
platform of the grisly erection, and,
calmly Indifferent to the nature of
their bed, were in a few moments fast
asleep and snoring as merrily as If
every man in the world had been hung
and there was nothing else for them to
do but to take it easy for the rest Of
their days.
The hard WEAKNESS of work and the
easy WEAKNESS Of wine had made them
so h~eavy-headed that their SAUNDERS
We're not disturbed by the sound of
footballs, though the footballs echoed
strangely loud in the deserted place
the footballs of a woman swift and
impatient, the footballs of a man swift
ly pursuing. In another momen the
woman and the man came into the open
space, now bright and shining with the
risen sun. The woman was Katherine
de Vaucelles; the man was Noel lie
Jolys.
AS Katherine entered the silent
square, she paused for a moment a few
PAGES from the church, and turning,
looked at her silent follower.
why do o follow me?" she asked,
and Noel lie Jolys, who had logged her
footsteps from the palace, answered her
briskly:
You should not walk unguarded.
Therefore I shadow you"
Katherine ScOrned him.
you may we'll play the shadow, for
you cast no shadow of your own. The
streets are very idle-the streets are
very quiet. I would sooner have my
loneliness thar your Let me
pass to my prayers" For Noel had
glided between her and the church,
and stood barring her passage defer
Eentially.
For your lover?" he asked, and
Katherine flashed at him.:
You have a small mind to ask, yet ]
have q great. mind to answer My
prayers are for a brave gentleman
whom I shall never see again."
AS she spoke, the cup Of her heart
seemed to run over with red tears, and
the bitter waters trembled in her eyes
Her thoughts wandered over the long
white night and her %sleepless sorrow
and her vigil by the window, looking
u into the rose garden, and her tired
eyes straining in vain through the dark
for any sight, and her tired ears strain
| ing In vain for any sound of the battle
In which the lord of her heart was risk
Ing his life. For she knew 1t now she
had learned 1t through those age-long
hours Of agony, that he whom she
called her enemy was the lord of hel
heart, that in spite Of all her rage a,
the cheat that had been put upon her
she loved, not the great noble who haG
N~AAS ~ AANSA Aob 49,
the ragged poet who had lent her his
Il sword-arn and his sword, but just the
man, by whatever name he might be
called n in whatever way Of life his
wheel of fortune might spin, whose
hand had proved to be of the right size
to hold her heart in Its hollow. The
Katherine Of yesterday seemed deaG
and buried, to have died a fiery death
Of fierce thoughts, fierce agonies, fierce
civilizations, n from that travai G
new Katherine had come into being
with cleansed eyes to see the world
truly and with q leansed soul to know
q great souls truth.
Noel watched her in silence, but Il
meant nothing to him, and he trippee
into her high thoughts c%heerfully.
II am a brave gentleman" he said
patting himself approvingly upon thu
breast. II slew Thibaut d'Aussigny
last night. The king has taken me bacl
into avo If 1 played the FOOLS par
yesterday, I can play the wise man.
part tomorrow. I was a bubble and {
gull and a Ounce, If you like, but
meant no harm to the king, and thu
king smiles on me. Cannot you do thu
like?"
Katherine came out Of her dream ant
stood upon the earth again, n dis
dained him.
mo, for you my a great spirit an
your envy makes you a base thing"
Noel protested pettlShly:
HE is no man-angel. He Is mad'
of Adams clay like the rest Of U.s."
Katherine's thoughts had wandered
away from her escort; her minds eye,
were busy with waving banners, tn,
shock Of meeting lances, the glitter O
steel coats and the heating of steel up
on steel. Through all the melley, he,
fancy spied M shining figure in brigh
armor like, so 1t seemed to her, Arch
angel Michael or Archangel Gabriel
riding in the pride of the fight with
smile on his lips, sorrow in his heart
and a token of white ribbon between
his breast-plate and his breast.
She answered, not Noel's words, blu
her thoughts:
My pride has the right to hate him
but / hin he is still my souls man.
Noel was about to speak again, whe,
he suddenly fell back and DOTTED hi
bonnet. Perched on the steps of tn
church stood the stopped sable figur
of the king, just coming from his ma
final deyotions. In the shadow benin,
him stood his shadows-Tristan an,
Olivier.
Katherine; her attention swerved b
Noel's glance, turned and swayed