The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-06-26
! STRANGE STORY

-t -A 1
those who had passed away.
"And D'Iraniond." said Chavoye.
"You recollect D'lramOnd."
Suddenly grave, Commander Faber
said:
"Gentlemen, l was then captain OF
the Seventeenth chasseurs. and | de-
clare to you l cannot think of the affair
without feeling the distress that SEXES
you before problems that our reason re-
fuses to comprehend"
..Tell lis the particulars. We want
the details!' was the cry AL around.
swell, gentlemen, it was five years
ago.. We were then at st. Germain, the
most adorable of garrisons-mornings
in the forests, joyous breakfasts at
mess, flirtations on the terrace and at
night the grand life Of Paris. Captain
d'Iramond, with his name, his great
fortune, his elegance and graceful
swagger, held his own brilliantly amid
our mad revels, always the last at sup
per and the first in the saddle.
"suddenly everything changed. The
Duchess d'Iramond died Of aneurism Of
the heart. From the moment when
the captain had no longer his mother
| mamma. as he said with a hlial ten
derness, a touching contrast in the
mouth Of that big m~ustachioed boy
from the day when he could not go to
her from time to time to recover from
our, designations he was not himself.
| He ceased to go to Paris, and. beyond
the duties Of the service, he left
home. where he remained for hours be-
fore a portrait of the duchess painted
by Cabanel.
"He became more and more taciturn
and more and more concentrated in
himself. One fine winter morning, go
ing to his house on the way to the
maneuver, I found him especially ag1-
tated.
".You will laugh at me- he said at
once, but the most extraordinary adj
venture has happened to me-
"'What was it?'
"sYou know Father Vincent? 1mag-
Inc my seeing him come this morning,
accompanied by a choir boy and bear
ing the holy sacrament. You may
know l was astonished. said:
"sYou have made a mistake. sir
Doubtless you are wrong In h adi
dress
emo, no. l was told to go to the
house Of Captain d'Iramond.'
"'Then some one is indulging in al
unbecoming joke, and l will know tn
author
: "'Sir, l assure you that the lady
who sent me to your house had tn
most respectable and trustworthy air.
"'A lady?
/ "tYes, a lady whom l met on tn
: square by the church-ah. there sh
z isv
".And Father Vincent showed m
g the portrait of mamma hanging on tn
wall. l own that l could not hel
3 feeling a tug at my heart.
/, "sYou are quite sure that this is tn
!. lady you met?'
Eyes. c%aptain-oh. l should recol
q nize her amid a thousand others. Sh
insisted so. with such a gentle and sa
k air. She said to ne: run quicl
There is but just time" Yes. yes;
" is the lady of the portrait!
: "'But, sir, that p%icture-it is of m
- mother, the Duchess d'Iramond, scare
~ " two months dead
Is "'The priest trembled and turned
,e little pale. then, he said: "My dear so
the designs of Providence are impen
trable. Receive the vaticum. 1t is {
- ways a good thing to be at peace WI
y. God. And then-who knows-it wou
y doubtless give pleasure up above
is madam, the duchess"
it. "sThen l made no further objection
w Much affected, l confessed and
. ceived the sacrament. Perhaps t
priest had a hallucination. Perha
d. he had been swayed by q resemblan'
Anyway it is done, and now forwa
for the maneuver.'
no II remember that it was cold a
or dry, like today. D'Iramond mounted
superb chestnut that he had boug
the day previous. We went off at f
trot to join the classes on the terra
ne and the hard ground made a metal
lily noise under our horses feet.
LOT "We reached the square, answer
ma the roll call and Joined our squadr'
i'm At that m q recruit lOSt cult
Of his horse and came charging uI
us. The poor boy had completely
re- his wits and thought Of nothing
&C. to cling to the pommel of his sadt
The shock was terrible. My army hol
be- an old stager, used to such surprif
h;s never flinched. Diamonds chestr
alarmed, bounded wildly and fell p'
trate. In one second l saw a confu
mass. a horse that after desper
by struggles got up, and on the gro
sire my unfortunate. friend, senseless,
ave skull broken by a blow from his hor'
,,sh hoof., By a d%eplorable chance the {
tor was not there.
1.-THE wounded man was taken to
as German in the suffers wagon,
LlAQ l hn-oaAoa E0