Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-05

4
II Maurice had been carrying OF MErtis
| Foy's daughter under the other arm, Billy
would have stayed Just as short a time TO
| debate upon the morality Of the proceeding
| He simply seized the first weapon which
| came to his hand. This happened to be an
ornamental chair, brought thi, her by Yvette
Foy, and bottomed with wicker work Of
| the rustic sort With this he interpOsed
manfully between his master and Martin
| Foy. The old soldier made a pass at him
as the immediate adversary, and the point
OF the walloon sword, passing between
the withes Of the seat, narrowly grazed
the back OF Billy's brawny hand, which
grasped the back at the most convenient
point for balancing both offensive and de-
fensive.
The next moment Martin Foy felt his
hand suddenly light in the air The Wal
loon sword had been twisted bodily out Of
his hand, and while he stood idly wonder
ing what had happened Billy with the chair
thrown aside and the blade glittering In
lis hand. was asking for orders from his
master, "wull stick him?"
But the desires OF Maurice Raith were
not so numerous as Billy's speech might
have portended. Instead he ordered Billy
to gather up his belongings and follow him.
I'm thinkin." said the gypsy, shrewdly,
| that Billy Marshall had better, maybes,
come alang wi yet a bittock, an gang
back for the horses and the bits o. duds
after Bet will bide where she is till
bid her stir, to see that nocht is stown
ava. An are ye sure. ma, that ye aare
only wantin' yin O. the lassesT'
Being assured on this point, and indeed
II was a great relief to Maurice to reach
| - ,Rr Ir
bade his master to Gang on, then, wi
the wummanl" while he himself with the
captured walloon "poking- stick" kept at
bay the master of the auberge of the Bon
Chretien and (what was considerably more
difficulty his daughter also.
Now, so far, Maurice had not felt the
weight Of the slight girlish form while the
excitement was upon him, but now as he
descended the narrow, winding stairs of the
inn, and still more when he found him
self out facing the full burst of the storm
over the naked and windswept Causes, the
beads Of perspiration burst from his brow
and he faced the headlong rush of the tenn
pest with a kind OF fear lest he should
prove unequal to the task he had taken
upon himself.
But the very bitterness of the blast drove
the oxygen into his lungs, as 1t were, in a
compressed state, and so far, ct least, re-
covered him.
At the same time he began to feel slight
STRINGS and shiftings of position in the
burden which he had set himself to carry.
And with these came Maurice's first qualm
of doubt as to his action, quickly mounting
into fear and shame. SO that in the bitter
Arctic cold of the Larzac night, with the
ground white with frozen snow, the blood
rushed warm and red to his brow
In fret INDIGNATION auafnvt
Foy, he had taken Frances wellwood from
what might be her only home. But might
he not have been depriving the girl OF her
natural friend aud protector, one Of the
same age and sex? What had he to offer
her in exchRnge-especially in such place
Moreover-the vision of how she had seen
them last together came back to him
through the triple armor of the excellence
of his intentions which usually supports
the young in their most remarkable and
-extravagant actions.
Maurice was making his way toward the
gateway of the Templar's Gate. At either
the eastern or the western one would she
surely find a caretaker. At least, IL not
; better. might be poor old drunken Elise.
, La Cavalerie was not a large place, and
Maurice with his burden took long strides.
They were not long in arriving. Both
houses over the twin gates stood up dark
and cold. But upon the western-most door
way Billy Marshall thundered with a sword
hilt--that indeed. Of the despised ''poking-
/, stick" which he had brought with him with
the feeling that any weapon was better
than none. 1t was some time, however, be-
fore he produced any effect and in the
meantime the continuance of the slight but
: unmistakable movements warned Maurice
l thai in a few moments he would have to
3 reckon not only with the difficulty Of pro-
. vlding a home for Frances Wildwood, but
with the state OF mind in which that young
: lady should find herself upon coming to
( herself
At last the little wicket door which as
usual opened in the midst OF the larger
I at about the height Of a mans head was
{ cautiously drawn ajar A red and bloated
= visage appeared thereat.
d "Open and admit your mistressl" com.
j manded Maurice, whose temper had moi
8 been improving as his arms grew more
weary.
r IT am my own mistress and this is m!
i house" responded the woman with {
n drunken tee-hee OF laughter, take yourI
e where you will, will have none of then
y here!"
"But this is Mile. Frances wellwoot
!, come back to her fathers house-admit hel
: this Instant command you!"
"Canny, canny. WI a drunken womanl'
said Bill over hiA masters shoulder.
But Maurice rad little more time Il
i. make up his mind. The movements whicl
|, had been no more than involuntary stir
\ rings, svincing a lack OF ease and genera
discomfort, became the convulsive striving
I" Of a woman trying to loose herself from
- severe constraint.
: where am I? Where am IF criet
n Flower o. -the-Corn, Historically. "set M
N down. Who are your
"a For once Maurice Raith, aide-de- cam
3. to my Lord Marlborough. had his hand
o quite sufficiently full. He decided first Il
get the door open, and with a furious e1
J. preston he ordered the old woman at tn
= wicket to undo the bolt at her life's peril
But. sh~ seeing through the dim per
d vasive darkness and that medium of ex
of cessive virtue only reached by the nine
70 tenths drunk raised her voice in exuber
le ant protest.
n "No man, so she ayerred, should come h
'e her well-doing we'll deserving, well-eon
"a sidered house at that time OF the night Il
-. order 10 foist houseless young women upo
her. Nine. Elise was her name-One wei
known and reputed in the whole village o
" IaCaVaIerta for over forty vears