The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1904-01-08

llii the heavens themselves 90 lall, Will
I forgive you, girl, if you disobey me and
marry this man. Your father never yet
broke his word to man-and he will not
do SO now with his God"
Old Antoine Bordeaux, a wealthy retired
farmer and land owner of the American
Bottoms in southern Illinois, glared fierce
~ at the handsome couple that stood be-
fore him. The girl, his daughter, to whom
his remarks had been addressed, was a
pretty brunette, with the black hair and
dark eyes Of her French ancestry. The
young man who was with her and showed
defiance in every line of his clear-cut fea-
lures was a different type, with brown hair
and gray eyes.
1t was the old story. The daughter Of a
rich old mar choosing to love a young fell
low whom her father deemed not wealthy
enough to be a desirable son-in-law, in
preference to caring for one of the many
rich young farmers who had appeared as
sultors 70. the hand Of Louise Bordeaux.
Antoine Bordeaux had forbidden the cou-
pie to meet. The thing which had called
for the bitter remarks which nave just
been given was his happening to come
upon them that afternoon, and to over
hear enough Of their conversation to learn
that they had decided to run away and
get married the next week, which would
mark Louise's eighteenth birthday. He
had finally burst in on them when Frank
Leslie had said: when we are married,
your father will forgive us fast enough"
and had sworn the oath which, according
to his French Catholic training, must
never be broken
and now, go to the house, girl" he con-
cluded. LAS for you, sir" turning to
Leslie, you have my final answer Let
me never see you here again"
III see you next week, Louise" said
Leslie, as he turned away, paying no at
tention to old Bordeaux, who stood stamp
ing the ground In his rage. Louise threw
a kiss to him as he walked ava toward
the cluster of white houses that formed
the little French village Of New Baden.
Then she marched up to the big white
farm house that stood surrounded by trees
In tho midst Of the fertile acres that
formed Antoine BordeauX's ancestral do
main. Antoine himself followed her and
sat down on the porch to smoke his pipe
and try to compose his ruffod feelings.
To all appearances he should have been
a very contented old man. His family.
old and respected, his life a blameless
one. Heaven had sent him no sons. it Is
true, to comfort his old age, but 1t had
sent him two beautiful daughters, the
elder of whom, Evelyn, was married to a
wealthy merchant of Bellcville, the county
seat, and his younger daughter, Louise,
was the acknowledged belle Of the coun-
y oiiNi was oouElll Y Ny d Stolc VI lllt
young farmers of that section. And here
she had persisted in falling In love with
n young newspaper man who "covered'
st. Clair county for a st. Louis paper. 1t
was truly enough to veX a more even tenn
pered man than Antoine Bordeaux. He
growled and ]grumbled to himself a while
as he sat on the porch, until, finally over
come by the oppressive May day, he fell
asleep. Over in the southwest great banks
Of strange, black-looking clouds were
forming, but they were at the back Of the
house. and he did not see them before he
dozed off.
Suddenly he woke up with q start. How
dark it had grown-and how dead and OPP
pressive seemed the air. Once he had
suffered an attack Of apoplexy. Could it
be that he was to nave another stroke?
And what was this greenish light that
seemed to be in the sky? He heard a
strange rumbling, too! Thunder? No; 1t
was different from that! 1t was different
from anything he had ever heard before,
and then he saw Frank Leslie come dash
Ing into the gate-while at the same time
Louise came screaming to the door.
Leslie reached the porch at a bound.
Run for the cellar" he shouted. and
brushing the old man aside, he caught
Louise in his arms and almost carried her
out to the kitchen, where he opened the
cellar door and showed her down the steps.
Then he seized Antoine by the arm, and
before the old man could demonstrate he
found himself being hurried on to the
stairs. Then came such a sound as he had
never heard in his life before-a sound that
will ring in his ears till the last leaf in
his book of existence shall be written-and
through the door, as Leslie drew 1t shut
after him, he caught a glimpse of what
seemed to be the whole side of the house
Gazing in toward him as the sturdy struc-
ture COllaDSe1 and came down Inou tharp
with a crash that was deafening. He felt
himself being pushed down to the bottom
of the steps, while his voice was drowned
in the awful din that told him that the
old homestead in which he and his fathers
before him had lived so many years had
gone down before this dread visitor-evcn
like a house of cards. What terrible
judgment from heaven was this that had
fallen upon him? There was a noise like
ten thousand trip all going at
once. He was vaguely conscious hat Les
lie had brushed past lin down the steps
and was doing his best to soothe and quiet
Louise, and even in that dreadful moment
Bordeaux could not but notice how calm
and steady the young mans voice was.
Antoine admired bravery. His French an
cestors had fought in the Old Guard with
Napoleon, but he doubted If any one of
them could have been any cooler or
calrner in the face Of death than was this
young fellow who was to be his unWelcOmc
son-in-law. He sat down in the inky dark
ness in a temporary lull Of the overwhelm-
ing noise managed to shout out and ask
Leslie what all this meant.
"Cyclone!" yelled Leslie, as the noise
began again. Gradually the terrible din
ceased.
Il guess I'd better try to get US out of
here" said Leslie from out the darkness.
Now, sit still, little girl In a minute
more he came cropping his way to the
steps, and crawled past Antoine to the
door above. Come up here and help me
try to get this door OPEN" he called out
a moment later. Bordeaux went slowly
up the steps, and the two men strained
every muscle to try and force the door
open, but without avail.
IT'S no use," said Leslie. It guess the
whole house is piled UP on top of 1t. Now.
let's see. Are there any windows down
here?"
Yes" W Antoine, "they have
been covered up from the outside. Wait
TIL light a match and get my bearings.
I'VE only got four" he said, as his tremb-
ling fingers struck the first one. While the
light lasted Leslie had a chance to look
about him. The cellar was a small one,
possible 12x12. He caught a glimpse of
W small narrow windows, but both
seemed to have been banked up from the
outside. On a box under one of the win
doWs sat Louise, and through the fine
aust that seemed to fill the place her face
looked to him like an angels. He started
toward her-then the light weny out, but
ne Kept on going, and secured a kiss be-