The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-03-04
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Copyf1ene 1883 II
The host and some crony of his sat
at table with their cards and ale. I
overlooked the game. They exchanged
| glances n prepared to leave Of,
whereat I a%pologized and begged them
not to let me disturb them. Claude de-
clared he had only waited for me. and
being tired he would shut the house.
He went on up to bed and his friend
took a seat beside me by the fire.
He was a simple looking young tel
low, dressed after the fashion Of a
| peasant farmer, with mild blue eyes,
n struggling yellow whiskers on his
chin. I thought to question about the
city.
Well, friend. how goes the world in
Paris?"
Much the same as ever. yet your
Paris Is new to me-"
"Indesd7 You are not Of the city; Of
what place. them" f
"Of Languedoc, in the south. where
the skies are bluer n the wind does
not cut you through as it does in
this damp Paris of ours"
yes. thought you of Languedoc,
from your speech. So the climate is
Beneath u southern sun ice is a
thing almos unknown, ind the snow
never comes"
and where do you live, my lord %
his eyes wide open and shallow.
I felt somewhat tlattered at his
artless recognition of the difference in
Jul stations.
I'm Biloxi; the southern provinces,
louisiana" I explained, whereof
Bienville Is governor"
Afterward I thought I could remem-
Der a knowing twinkle In the fellows
eye, which passed unnoticed at the mo-
ment.
must be a goodly land to dwell in, but
the savages and the cannibals."
I laughed outright.
Verify. friend, we have no canni-
balls worse than the barbarous Span
iards who wait but the chance to
Slaughter our garrison" and before
was aware, 1 had told him Of my voy-
age from Biloxi, and OF going to Yer
satlles, stopping short only of giving
the purpose of my visit to Paris. I
was sore ashamed of the indiscretion
When / looked I found him laughing
silently to himself, laughing at me.
Then you are Captain de Mouret?"
he asked with purest Partisan intona-
ton, n the courtesy of q gentleman.
How did you know" attempted
to be stern, but somehow my effort fell
fiat. How do you know?"
We'll, I've been expecting you" and
he brushed his hand across his chin,
wiping the yellow whiskers away be-
fore my astonished eyes
II am Jerome de Greviile. Claude
told me Of your coming, but I wished to
make sure. We have examined YOU
baggage" he went on frankly, I'M
mindful of my ill-concealed disap-
prevail, but found nothing In the way
OF Identification. oou see," he apollo
gized, these things are necessary here,
IN affairs Of this nature, if a fellow
would preserve the proper connection
between his head and his body"
He rolled up his whiskers, laid
aside a yellow wig, and I could see
he was as Serigny had described. He
was not as tall as I, but strongly built,
and some two good years my senior.
Captain, If o will ALLOW me I will
take these traps Of yours to our apart
ments. You lodge with me-"
l was netted that I should have
spoken so freely to a stranger, and felt
ill-disposed to be pleasant, but he soon
drove away n lingering animosity.
When we a settled in our rooms
which adjoined, de Greville thew him
self across his couch n said:
Look here. de Mouret, we have a
hard task before US, and you may as
well NOW 1t. NJ. de Serigny tells me
he has instructed you himself, but de-
tails he would leave to me. What's
your name?"
"Placide." I replied as simply as a lad
Of ten.
Well, I'm Jerome. We are to stand
together now, and men engaged in
business like ours have nc time for ex-
ira
His bon camaraderie was contagious,
and I gladly caught it. Agreed, Jer-
ONE; SO be it. Go on"
First we must locate our friend
Carne Ward, the very fend of a fellow,
who stops at nothing. Then to catch
him with the papers, take them, cost
what it will. For that work we have
strong lads enough and true. Above
all we must make no mistake when we
strike, for If he scents our suspicious
Of him he'll whisk them off to Spain
before you could bat your eye"
l listened to him i%ntently, yet en-
triumph. He went on:
Then there Is that other fellow; we
don't know who he is, the one thai
came over with you. He will probably
exchange dispatches with Ward, then
of to the colonies again. There is not
be captured aboard ship. 1t is Ward
we want, n his dispatches"
l said very quietly, still looking into
the fire:
THAT much is already done"
Jerome raised up on his elbow and
oSoASo oS AC oS 4 Ac tLOuSAL lA6 lIldu.
II have taken those dispatches from
your friend. Here they are"
"The devil you have" he cried out,
reaching the middle OF the floor at a
single bound. "How and when?"
He would not leave off until I had
related the whole of my adventure be-
ginning with meeting the girl. and end
ing when I found, him, at the inn. He
was as happy az g school boy, and
laughed heartily at my being so read
lily made a victim Of by the girl Florine.
Such tender loves to pluck she does
not often find, and 1 warrant you she
lets not many go SO easily"
I thought 1t unnecessary to tell him
of my encounter with Ward, only
that I had found the packet where he
dropped 1t.
you lucky dog; it's well he did not
see you, or you might not now be
talking to me with a whole skim"
It was better though to let him know
of Wards wound, for that would per-
paps assist US in a measure to deter
mine upon our future course. So that