Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-03-21

zone would say 1 were a fool to let
such occasion slip through my ten COM
mandments. But / have learned a
thing called honor, which 1 u not
lose for the sake of my lady"
Huguette furr herself in from Of
him and stopped his restless walk.
Francois! Francois"
Yes, child, yes" j.
What does it matter to you n
they do with the fool king?'
"Abbess, 1 must have a finger in this
pie. Abbess, for the old sakes SAKE
will o keep me a secret?
The girl looked up at him lovingly.
II will always do your bidding.
II have a mind TO play my part In
this enterprise. I am the king Of the
Cockelshells and / have returned to au-
thority. Civ me your pilgrims gown
girl, and mind, not a word to
brotherhood. l want to take friend Thl-
baut by surprise"
AS he spoke, he pulled of the Pill
grim's gown, and Huguette stood be-
fore him in her familiar boys dress o.
green.
Hide among the roses until the sport
begins" he cried.
The girl flung her arms about him.
Dear Francois!" she cried, and then
ran swiftly way from him and disap-
peared into the rose-scented night.
Villon looked after the girl as she
ram.
"The girl is as fleet as a hare and as
wild-witted," he said to himself. men
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 II their cups held tht
precious things he spoke OF.
I'm the one hand, a great kings life;
in the other, a poor poets Il King
beggar, beggar, king"
He paused a moment, looking down
the long lane Of Infinite possibilities.
He owed nothing to Louis after all.
Louis had made him the plaything OF
n shameless trick; had thrust honor
upon him in mockcry; had tantlllHed
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 MS
| tongue through his teeth, ana upon
ravens wheeling about mis- 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 Tor
him, do, or at least try 10 DO, pretty
much as he pleased with the kirgless
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 had given his word
he had sworn fealty to the fantastic
monarch who had played with him and
to whom he owed at least the reali2a-
| ton of great dreams and the golden
chance Of winning his hearts desire.
: He had given his word. h would no
have meant much to him eight days
e when he lived in a sick atmosphere
of lies and lodges and tricks and mean
ness, where the lips were as read 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 FOL
him in the sunshine OF a fair girls IA
vor, and what was but yesterday pos
sibly, probably, even pleasant, was TO-
day surely impossible. He murmureo
her name to NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
q charm against horrible temptation
and his heart strengthened untlr 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
q bird TO be Thibaut d'Aussigny's de-
coy duck.
"Messire Noel" he said; 81 have q
word to say in your ear" and h. drew
| him inside the tower and stood with
him for a moment inthe darkness, whis-
pering speech that made NoeIs pulse
beat fast. Then Villon left him for q
moment and sped swiftly up the wind
ing stairs that led 10 the kings room
while Noel, left alone, pushed open the
door again n passed out into the
garden, his head dizzy with strange
news. Placing his hands like a shell
about his mouth, he gave the cry of ar
| owl three times with a little Interval
between each cry, and then softly with,
drew again into the tower, and in his
turn raced with a throbbing heart VI
the narrow steps hat led to the kings
chamber.