Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-10-06

h tDQE*S26Sp 71T can $EEtY EaXSeEfF into CAG air inst aw'seaSg4 sand' fly back to sthe samesbfg white house staEat I seem to remember. Nhen Ysu toid@ne about your komesft was .lfRe something that | hadss often sseen before. I shall be dreaming aaEcut 1t nezts'
 Be%ea'8ay cross questioned her from every poaeaBEe poaut of view. He was fascinated wtNh the mystery, bat she gave h9n anfa4ns ont of which the Ieastf further Hg1ats GcUld heA drawn. A half fsbreed-vpo '8ftsesnaad;S ;Slaa adsneen her Indian foster smother. silent, grawe, watchful guardian from whom not ae1Gn+ Ofsdzselomret ever4eeN. She EVnssmogeo~eraa Christian woman- who hadv Es0e4vedSher conversion from an EuglSSh speaaxEng Protestant mission ary., She prayed with Alice, thus keep lngsinafhe cElild's mind a perfect mem pry-of the heedss prayer.
 ssWeEs' said Beverley at last, you are rmoresof mystery to me the lon ger sEsknow you.
 .Then I must grow every day more Mfstastefua to you.''
 No; I love mystery"
 Heswen&- away feeling new web of Interest binding htm to this inscrutable madden whose life seemed to hfm at once o4ful1 of-idyilic 'happiness and so Bnahrouded in tantali8fng doubt At the first .oppoEBuRity he frankly Ques- kionedaM Rozssalon with no helpful result The big EFenehman told the same meaeer story. The woman was dying in the time of a great epidemic S<.I, aR I,ap %TsiI1 hc gave Alice to M Roussilfon, bat told him not a word about her, ancestry or previous Mfe. That was all.
 A wise old man when he finds him. self in blind alley no sooner touches the terminal waA than he faces about and goes back the way he came. Un- der Nike circumstances young man must needs try to batter the wall down wfth%his head In Beverley's case the clash was profoundly disturbing And now he ciutched the thought that Alice was not a mere child of the woods, but a daughter of an old family of cavaliers! With coat buftoned close against the driving wind he strode toward the fort En one of those melodramatic moods <. to which youth in all chimes and times Is subject 1t was like a slap in the face when Captain Helm met him at the stockade gate and said:
 ssWelI, sir, you are good at hiding"
 .Hidingl What do you mean Cap tain Helm?1 he demanded, not in the mildest tone.
 T mean, sir, that I've been hunting for you for an hour and more over the whole of this town The English and Indians are upon us, and there's no time for fooling. Where are all the meng'
 Beverley comprehended the situation ln second. Helms face was congest- ed with excitement. Some scouts had come in with the news that Governor Hamilton, at the head of 300 or 600 soldiers and Indians, was only three or four miles up the river.
 Where are all the men?' Helm re peated.
 Buffalo hunting, most of them, said Beverley.
 What fn thunder are they off hunt Ing bufaloes forT' ragged the excited captain
 You might go to thunder and see, 2 Beverley said, and they both laughed fin shear masculine contempt of pre- Gicament too grave for any thing but grim m1rxh
 What could they do? Even Oncle la ron and Rene de Ronville were off with the hunters. Helm sent for M. Rous- eillon in the desperate hope that he could suggest something, but he lost his head and hustled off to hide his money and valuables. Indeed the French people all felt that, so far as they were concerned, the chief thing was to save what they had They well knew that it mattered little which of the two masters held over them they must shift for themselves. In thei1 hearts they were true to France and America; but France and America could not now protect them agafnsi Hamilton, therefore it would be like suicide to magnify patriotism or any other sentiment objectionable to tht EngIish. So they acted upon M. Rous silIon's advice and offered no resistance when the new army approached.
 My poor people are not dfsloyal tt your flag and your cause" said gooC Father Beret next morning to Captail Helm, ''but they are powerless. Win Aear is upon us. What would you hay, tss do? This rickety fort is not axaila sle for defense. The men are nearly al far away on the plains. Isn't it tn, part of prudence and common sense t make the best of desperate situation Should we resist, the British and thei Eavage allies would destroy the towl Sand commit outrages too horrible t Hhink about. Tn this case diplomac, promises much more than a hopeless Right against an overwhelming force.''
 ~Ill fight 'em," Helm ground out De Tween his teeth, If l have to do it sin gle handed and alone! I'll fight emp
 Father Beret smiled grimly, as If ht too, would enjoy lively skirmish, an said
 T admire your courage, my sor Fighting is perfectly proper upon fai occasion But think of the poor wome