Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1904-09-01

but Rene will come, know he will,
| dear"
"Oh, but do you know it? Is 1t true?
Who told you? When will he come?
| Where is he? Tell me about himr'
Her head popped up from her friends
neck and she smiled brilliantly through
| the tears that were still sparkling on
| her long black lashes.
81 didn't mean that had heard from
| him, and l don't know where he is.
| But-but they always come back"
"You say that because your man-be-
cause Lieutenant Beverley has return
ed 1t is always so. You have every
thing to make you happy, while II
Again her eyes spilled their shower,
and she hid her face in her hands,
which Alice tried in vain to remove.
Don't cry, Adrienne. You didn't see
me crying
mo, of course not; you didn't have a
thing to cry about. Lieutenant Bev-
erley told you just where he was going
and just WHAT
"But think, Adrienne, only think of
the awful story they told-that he was
killed, that Governor Hamilton had
paid Long Hair for killing him and
bringing back his scalp! Oh, dear, just
think! And thought it was true"
"Well, I'd be willing to think and be-
lieve anything in the world if Rene
would come back" said Adrienne, her
face, now uncovered, showing pitiful
lines Of suffering. "Oh, Alice, Alice,
and he never, never will come"
Alice exhausted every device to cheer,
encourage and comfort her. Adrienne
had been so good to her when she lay
recovering from the shock of Hamil
toms pistol bullet, which, although 1t
came near killing her, made no serious
wound-only bruise, in fact. 1t was
one of those fortunate accidents or
providentially ordered interferences
which once in awhile save a life. The
stone disk worn by Alice chanced to lie
exactly in the missiles way, and.
while 1t was not broken, the ball, al
ready somewhat checked by passing
through several folds of Father Beret's
garments, flattened itself upon it with
q shock which somehow struck Alice
Benseless.
Here, again, history in the form of
IN ancient family document "a letter
written in 1921 by Alice HERSELF gives
as the curious brace of incidents-to
wit, the breaking Of the miniature on
Beverley's breast by British musket
ball and the stopping of Hamiton's
bullet over Alice's heart by the Indian
charm stone.
(Which shows the goodness of God"
the letter goes on, "and also seems to
sustain the Indian legend concerning
the stone that whoever might wear 1t
could not be killed. Unquestionable
(sic) Mr.. Hamilton's shot, which was
aimed at poor, dear old Father Beret,
would have pierced my heart but for
that charm stone. As for my locket, 1t
did not, as some have reported, save
Fitzhugh's life when the musket ball
was stopped. The ball was so spent
that the blow was only hard enough to
spoil temporary (sic) the face of the
miniature, which was afterward re-
stored fairly well by an artist In Paris.
When it did actually save Fitzhugh's
life was out on the Illinois plain. The
savage Long Hair, peace to his men,
ory, worked the miracle of restoring to
me- Here fold in the paper has de-
stroyed line of the writing.
The letter is a sacred family paper,
and there is not Justification for going
farther into it's faded and, in some
parts, almost obliterated writing. But
so much may pass into these pages as
a pleasant authorization of what 9TH
erwise might be Altogether too sweet a
double nut for the critics teeth to
crack.
While Adrienne and Alice were still
discussing the probability of Rene de
Ronville's return NJ, Roussillon came to
the door. He was In search of madame,
his wife, whom he had not yet seen.
He gathered the two girls in his
mighty arms, tousling them with rough
tenderness. Alice returned his affec-
tionate embrace and told him where to
find Nine. Roussillon, who was with
Dame Godere, probably at her house.
"Nobody killed." he said, in answer
to Alices inquiry about the catastro-
phe at the fort "Some of 'em hurt and
burnt little. Great big scare about
nearly nothing. Ziff! my children, you
should have seen me quiet things. l
put out my hands this way-comme ca
-pouf! 1t was all over. The people
went home"
His gestures indicated that he had
borpe back an army with open hands.
Then he chucked Adrienne under the
chin with his finger and added in his
softest voice:
II saw somebody's lover the other
day over yonder in the Indian village.
He spoke to me about somebody-eh,
ma petite, que voulez-vous dire?"
"Oh, Papa Roussillon, we were just
talking about Renew cried Alice.
'Have you seen himT
"I saw you, you little mink, jumping
into a mans arms right under the eyes
Of whole garrison! Bah! 1 could not
believe it was my little Alice"
He let 90 a grand guffaw which
seemed to shake the cabins walls AL
ice blushed cherry red. Adrienne, too
bashful to inquire about Rene, was
trembling with anxiety. The truth
was not in Gaspard Roussillon just
then, or If it was it stayed in him, for
he had not seen Rene de Ronville. 1t
was his generous desire to please and
to appear opulent of knowledge and
sympathy that made him speak. He
knew what would please Adrienne, so
why not give her at least n delicious
foretaste? Surely when thing was
so cheap one need not be so parslmoni-
Gus as TO withhold mere anticipation.
He was off before the girls could press
him into details, for indeed he had
none.
''There, now, what did | tell you|
cried Alice when the big man was gone.
II told you Rene would come. They
always come back"
Father Beret came in q little later.
As soon as he saw Alice he frowned
and began to shake his head, but she
only laughed and, initiating his hypo-
critical scowl, yet fringing 1t with
twinkle of merry lines and dimples,
pointed q taper finger at him and ex-
claimed:
"You bad. bad man! Why did you
pretend to me that Lieutenant Bever-
ley was dead? What sinister ecclesias-
teal motive prompted you to describe
how Long Hair scalped him? All, fa-
ther''-
The priest laid broad hand over her