The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-05-13

oTeeQ}
BY Hesr,. Dickson
!
! mine he was never told. Then he wen
away, where. non know"
1t thrilled me with a new hope VIII
could guess but my relations with Col,
onel d'Ortez might throw me again IL
! her way. took her hand again, max.
! ing pretense to examine the ring NOR.
! cautiously. She made slight demur
and I pressed my first fervent kiss up
on the hand OF woman Mans forti.
tude could stand no more. Tossine
honor. discretion. duty to tho winds.
folded her close. closer yet, and kissed
her brow. her hair. her eyes-her lips
she struggling like a frightened nest
ling all the while. It was done.
Ashamed but impenitent-it was toe
new. too sweet to wish undone-l
loosed her gently, and kissed her hand
but once again. then left her standing
where the light from the mullioned
window in halos wreathed my saint.
1t was thus l ever afterward remem-
bered her.
She made no other sign; 1 withdrew
swiftly as l came. From across the
wall. unobserved. 1 watched her leave
the place, downcast of eye and slow OF
step. In rebellious and uncertain
mood I rode away.
Though the relish in my task was
done, l made all haste toward Dieppe.
Scarcely stopping for food, changing
horses as often as I could, l pushed
on without adventure until I reached
the Chateau Cartillon, then a formless
ruin.
Here my saddle girth broke and I
was nearly thrown to the ground. I
scrambled of. walked to the little inn
where I inquired how far 1 had vet to
go.
Three leagues yet to Dieppe," the
host replied, but monsieur cannot go
on tonight; he must wait the morrow;
he can go with comfort in the morn
ing"
sent my groom for a new girth
and found it would take quite an hour
to procure one from the village.
Probably monsieur would visit the
castle upon the hill there" persisted
the landlord, pointing across the way,
1T is worth his while. 1t is said to have
been destroyed by the Great Henry in
his wars with the duke Of Mayenne.
True 1t is that sounds of battle and
screams are yet heard there on stormy
nights. Probably monsieur would rest
here several days"
1 essayed to silence the fellow, for I
was in no mood to listen to his chat
eulogy of the locality, which he gave
as q hawker crying his wares, that
fixed my unwilling attention.
And, monsieur, perchance you may
see old Mad Michael. What! you know
naught of him.? Country folk do say
his grandson witnessed the murder Of
the count, and that it sent her feeble
mind ~a-wandering. Her child through
all her life did fancy herself the count,
n made strange speeches to the peo-
pies fear. And now this grandson Of
hers has grown old in frenzy like his
mother and grandam. possessed of an
evil spirit which speaks through him
betimes-it is a curse Of the blood,
monsieur. a g%rieveous curse OF the
blood"
IT aroused something Of a curiosity
within me, yet I was loath to pause
upon my journey. Forced, though, to
wait an hour. I thought to walk over to
the chateau, a couple of hundred yards
distant. Taking a lad who lounged
about the inn, to shcw me the way. I
sauntered up the path. pausing a while
at a long disused spring, and idly
plucked an apple from a branch which
overhung 1t. A little further up, and
mounting the steep ACTIVITY, 1 stood
within the ancient fortress.
Tins castle, since r%ebuilded, you. my
children. are Of course familiar with,
for you We're all born here. AT that
date the great central tower alone
stood erect amid the universal de-
struction. A black VOLTS head reared
itself high above the p%ortcullis. The
moat was filled with drift of crumbling
years, and the walls. fallen in many
nlaPaC ron hitha,, n MI ,l;+a@. a.. IT,.
less curves and angles. muc as they
do today.
Up to this hour my chronicle has
been only of such adventures as might
befall a soldier upon any enterprise.
but now a strange thing happened.
Until that moment / had never seen
the Chateau Cartillon, still there was
not a corner or a passage that did not
seem we'll known to me. I seemed to
know intuitively what each building
was for, and even imagined most vivid
ly scenes which had transpired there.
The whole place had the most intense
personal interest for me, why I knew
not.
1 am not superstitious, but the ruin
oppressed me. made me restless and un-
easy; yet l was loath to leave. The
of it all filled me with grave
approximations as ] picked my way
the grass-encumbered court
YARD toward the road again.. A
sand haunting fancies of half familiar
things thronged from out each dis
mant!ed doorway. Faces I all but rec
ognized peered at me through the
broken easements; voices I almost
called to me from many a silent
Yet all was still, all was soli-
Heartily shcmed at my quick
ening step l hurried on and having
consumed a quarter of my hour sat
down by the spring mentioned before,
just beyond the castles utmost bound
The haze of late afternoon had deep
ened into night upon the peaceful
meadows and lazy sweep of river. A
distant peasants song came taintly
from .he fields.
While sitting there beside the spring.
gazing listlessly into its placid depths.
an uncanny figure made its way
through a breach in the bastion, and
stood before me. At first I confess 1
was startled, the wild uncouth thing,
bent and decrepit, with hair Of long and
gray. fiery sunken eyes. seemed
born of another world than this. He
bent his gaze with searching scrutiny
full upon me.
The lad whispered: Its old Mad
Michael; he lives up there" pointing