Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-02-12

baude anxiodsly listened for sounds
outside.
Amalric rode along at a brisk pace
over the snow already hardened by the
intense cold. The moon shone brightly
in the pale sky. The roaring m rush
ing Agout flowed rapidly along. The
continuous, mournful bowling of
wolves, repeated by the echoes OF the
mountain, sounded like a lament over
the buried landscape. The horse, not
yet recovered from the fright received
from the Therondel wolf, SHE'D at
every isolated bush and every dark
turn in the road. Guided by a hand of
iron, he fairly flew along the dangerous
p%recipices.
Being unarmed, Amalric anxiously
scanned the dark hedges among which
the road wound about on the mountain
side.
To reassnre himself, he whistled the
air Of an old Venetian march, not with
out many false notes, however. His
horse, growing more and more excited,
would certainly have broken the neck
of the musician, II the latter had per-
sisted in his efforts.
TO represS the Impotence which de-
voured him, the captain next evoked
the images of the two women he was
soon to meet: one, a beautiful blonde
of the Flemish type; the other, "A
charming brunette. With these two
noble danes he was to take communion
at the chapel this Christmas eve. and
afterward feast at the board of the
wealthy Azais de Ferrieres, the great
est baron in the country. With sol
dierly stupidity he repeated to himself
the gallant remarks which he intended
to address to these beauties: he had
learned them for The purpose from the
Seneschal de Castres, who made pre-
tensions to being a wit, and who was
much better equipped with platitudes
than with ideas.
In spite of his application, Amalric
could with difficulty keep before him
the vision of the two p%roliles. In their
place all his MISUNDERSTANDING with
out trial. rapine and violcncc-rose
before him like so many ghosts. The
pibbets which dotted the highways for
leagues around bore witness to his
summary wa" of dealing with offend
ers.
But. recently, the sOrcercSs of La
Blaine had predicted that he would
himself hang on the last gibbet he had
set up on the Ferricres road, and he
had s%ummarily hung her 10 the tree,
without any fear of her supernatural
prowess.
He certainly would not die by hang
ing; he, the brave soldier, whose glance
alone terrOrizcd the mountainecrs OF
the region. But he was not so sure
that, some fine winters night, during
one of his frequent expeditions. al.
ways for a wicked purpose, an am
buscade of outraged peasants would
not leave his ~lifelcsS body by the way
side. AND what a sinister night the
present n was, to be sure; how
thOughtlcsSly he had allowed himself
10 be disarmed by Il poach"r, a nero
child at that A thrill of fear passcC
over him. AS he rode around IA turI
in The road, the Red Gibbet doomed III
before him.
An exclamation escaped the %rciSter'S
lips as he recognized the vagabond 81
l.uHicrcs pcrchcd on the ghostly tree
the mounlipht rcurctiur from the shin
ing metal of the gun he held in hi,
handle ITO had moi, fo,. q mouent ho
lievcd that the bov would keen hi,
i, word. thc surnrigo he felt WAS minpl.,
with iov ot thc thuupht or not n,in,
oL,po In IA, icv wogto