The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-02-05

there I turned aside from first inten-
ton and proceeded thither. l was
shocked by the universal desolation Of
the country through which l passed.
Was this the reverse side to all the
Grand Monarque's gioryI l had pic
tured la belle France as a country of
wine, Of roses and of happy people.
These. ravaged fields, these squalid
dens of misery, the sullen, despairing
faces of the ~peasantry, all bore silent
protest to the extravagaDceS of Yer
sailles. ITorthc wars, the ambition and
the mistresses of Louis had made of
this fair land a desert. Through the
devastated country roamed thousands
of starving people, gaunt and hungry
as the wild beasts of the forest; they
subsisted upon such berries as they
found. out burst not touch a stick of
their lords wood to thaw out their fro
zen bodies.
Young as 1 was, and a soldier. the
sight of this widespread suffering W
palled me, though being no phi]oso-
pher. reasoned not to the cause. Yet
this vas the real France, the founda-
ton upon which the king had reared
the splendid structure of his pride.
1t was some time during the second
day, / think, when we passed q few
scattering novels which marked the
approach TO a village, where we were to
stop for dinner. At the foot of a little
incline the horses SHE'D violently, and
passed beyond the mans control. My
driver ~endeavored in vain to quiet
them, and then jumped from his box
and ran to their heads. l looked out to
see what the matter was, and observ-
ing a squad Of soldiers, followed by
quite a c~oncourse of villagers, l Sprang
to the ground.
Down the hill they marched, soma
ten or fifteen fellows in a dirty half
uniform. l knew not whatit was, while
struggling II behind them seemed to
follow the entire population of the
hamlet. The old and gray-haired
fathers. the mothers, the stalwart
children and toddling babies, all came
to stand and CAPE. In the lead thera
strobe a burly %rufian, proud of his
low authority, who shouted at inter-
walls:
"So-with-thc-H- u-g-u-e-n-o-t-s!"
Behind him skulked four stout var
lets, bearing between them a rude
plank, on which was stretched q naked
body, the limbs being not yet stiffened
in death. I hardly credited my sight.
Before they came abreast of us l In
CURED Of the driver what it all meant.
He only shrugged his shoulders, "A
dead Huguenot, l suppose and gavehls
care to the horses. Verify this was
past DclleE.
l placed myself in the road and babe
the leader of the procession pause.
He stopped, staring stupidity at my
dress.
"What is here my good fellow?
what crime hath he committed?'
He, like the driver, answered care
lesaly:
None, she is a Huguenot.'
she 1 echoed, and stopped the
bearers who laid their CHASTITY burden
down, having little relish in the task
Yes, it was In very truth a woman
'For the sake of d~ecency, comrade,
why do you not cover her and give her
Christian burial?"
TT is the law" he replied stolidly.
Eyes, yes, it is the law" eagerly as
scented the people who gathered about
the corpse, not as friends, not rs
mourners, but as spectators of the hor-
rid scene. Among them, ~unrebuked,
were many white-faced children, halt
afraid and wholly curious. I looked al
them all in disgust. They went their
way and came to the outskirts of the
village, where they contemptuously
tossed the woman from the splank
across a ditch into he open field. In
spite of my loathing I had followed.
l perceived now a feeble old woman
hobble up toward the body and try
with QUO wailings to make her way
through the guard which surrounded
It.. They showed her back with theil
pixies, and finally n of them struch
her for her persistence.
pierre, look at her old mother; an
] holy virgin, what a stubborn lot arc
these hereticS."
Her mother! Great powers Q:
heaven, could it be possible? My In.
dignation blazed out against the In.
human guard.
why do We this most un-Christiar
thing?" and to the crowd:
DO you call yourselves men tt
stand by and witness this?"
At my words one sturdy young fel'
low, of the better, peaSant-farmel
class, broke from those who held hin
and would have thrown himself un.
armed against the mail-clad guard
Many strong arms kept him back. I'll
struggled furiously for awhile, thel
sank in the sheer desperation OF eN'
haustion upon the road AS soon as h
was quiet the mob, gathering about tn
more attractive spectacle, left hin
quite alone. l went up to him, laid M!
hand upon his shoulder, and spoke tt
him kindly. He looked up, SURPRISED
that one wearing a uniform SHOULD
show him sympathy. He had a good
honest face, blue-eyed n frank, We
such an expression Of utter hopeless
ness as never marred a mortal counte
nance. 1t haunts me to this day.
I was touched by the mans sulle1
apathy, succeeding SO quickly to tn
desperate energy I had seen him dis
play, and asked concerning his trouble
Continued Next Week.)
...