Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1904-05-14

wall, unobserved, / watched her leave
the place, downcast Of eye and slow of
step. In rebellious and uncertain
mood l rod away.
Though the relish I'm my task was
done, / made all haste toward Dieppe.
Scarcely stopping for food, changing
horses as often as l could, / pushed
on without adventure until / reached
the Chateau Cartillon, then a formless
ruin.
Here my saddle girth broke and l
was nearly thrown to the ground. 1
scrambled off, walked to the little inn
where l inquired how far 1 had yet 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"
l sent my groom for a new girth
and found 1T 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 ii is that sound Of battle and
screams are yet heard there on stormy
nights. Probably monsieur would rest
here several days"
l essayed to silence the fellow, for I
was in no mood to listen to his chat
ter. Yet there was something In his
eulogy Of the locality, which he gave
as a 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, inc that It sent her feeble
mind a-wandering. Her child through
all her life did fancy herself the count,
and 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
hetimes-lt is a curse of the blood.
monsieur, a grieveous curse Of tho
blood
1t aroused something OF a curiosity
within me, yet ] was loath to pause
upon my journey. Forced. though, TO
wait an hour, l 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. |
sauntered up the path, pausing a while
at a long disused spring, and idly
plucked an apple from a branch which
o~verhung 1t. A little further up and
mounting the steep ACTIVITY, l stood
III lllt ellNASIl NS6s
This castle, since ~rebuilded, you, my
children, are OF course familiar with. I
for you were 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 portCullis. The
mOat was filled with drift of crumbling
years, and the walls, fallen in many
places, ran hither and thither In aim
less curves ard angles, much as they
do today.
Up to this hour my chronicle has
been only Of such adventures as might
befall q soldier upon any enterprise, !
but now a strange thing happened.
Until that ONE l had never seen
the Chateau Cartillon, still there was
not a corner or a passage that did not
seem well known to me-. l seemed to
know irtuitively what each building
was for, and even imagined most vivid
ly scenes which had transDired there.
The whole place had the most intense
personal interest for me, why 1 knew
not.
l am not superstitious, but the ruin
NE, made me restless and un-
easy; yet / VAS loath to leave. The
loneliness OF 1t all filled me with grave
a"pprcnensiOns as / picked my way
across the grass-encumhered court
yard toward the DAD again. A thou
sand haunting fanCies of half familiar
things t%hronged from out each dis
mant!ed doorway. Faces l all but rec
ogniZed peered at me through the
broken easements; voices l almost
knew called to me from many a silent
corner. Yet all was still, all was soil
tude. Heartily shGmed at my quick
ening step l hurried on and having
consumed a quarter of my hour sat
down by the spring mentioned before.
i,,gt LAtynnl thn 90 Cf1a'G 11tn1nSf hn,tnI- |
airy.
The haze of late afternoon had deep
ened into night upon the peaceful
meadows and lazy sweep of river. A
peasants song came family
from The fields.
While sitting there beside the spring,
gazing listlessly into it's placid depths,
uncanny figure made its way
through a breach in the bastion, and
before me. At first l confess /
was startled, the wild uncouth thing,
bent and decrepit, with hair Of long and
gray, fiery sunken eyes, seemed
born Of another world thar this. He
bent his gaze with searching scrutiny
full upon me.
The lad whispered: It's old Mad
Michael: he lives up there" pointing
to a tumbied down tower. and be-
lieves himself the count-the count.
and him long cad lying yonder in the
we'll"
The boy shuddered and crossed him
self.
The old man gazed steadily at me for
moments then bowling low. he
Hail! Son of d'Artin! Hast come to
view thine own again? Let us into the
walls"
Let US go, monsieur, quick" urged
the lad, Juggling at my coat, ut is
The dusk in fact was coming on
apace and climbing shadows crept
round the grotesque masonry. I'm
needing the lads fear, l was strongly
impelled to talk with the daft creature.
1t was an impulse born not wholly of
idle curiosity. l felt strangely moved.
"What 10 you want of me, old MANI
l asked.
II am Henri d'Artin, by murders
hand laid low; / would tell you much"
Let us go, monsieur, let us go. He
speaks of unholy things the boy
pleaded fearfully. Meeting no response
he turned and filed down the slope,
away in the twilight beneath the trees.
"Dost hear the clanking arms, the
drums Of war? List unto the
shouts the cries within. Dost not
it is the day after the feast Of the
most blessed saint Bartholomew
The mans wild earnestness fixed a
spell upon me, and to the end of his
narrative i listened until the tale was
i ann hope to set down here
as I heard 1t what the madman said,
nor TO have any lines breathe forth the
vigor Of his speech. Carried beyond }
energy by his frenzy. overmas-
tered by some mysterious power OF
which we men know naught, he threw
into his strange, weird story a life and
action which entered my very soul.
And as he spoke he seemed to live
through the scenes that he sc wildly
described. IT was as though some grim
drama were being enacted for my en-
lightenment. So we'll as I can tell 1t,
- ALI al - ihtty.