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

R KISTORY would be a very order
Ia ly affair could the dry as dust
~ " historians have their way. and
doubtless ii would be thrilling
| ly romantic at every turn if the novel
lists were able to control its current.
Fortunately neither one nor the other
has much influence, and the result in
! the long run is that most novels are
shockingly tame, while the large body
of history is loaded down with pictur-
esque incidents which If used in fiction
would be thought absurdly romantic
and improbable.
Were our simple story of old Vim
cennes mere fiction we should hest
tate to bring in the explosion of mag
azine at the fort with a view to sud
| den confusion and by that means dis
tracing attention from our heroine
while she betakes herself out of a sit
uation which, although delightful
enough for blessed minute, has quick
| ly become an embarrassment quite un-
endurable. But we simply adhere to
the established facts In history. Ow-
! ing to some carelessness there was in
pound cartridges, which made a mighty
roar and struck the newly installed
garrison into heap, so to say, scatter
ing things terribly and wounding six
men, among them Captains Bowman
and Worthington.
After the thunderous crash came a
momentary silence, which embraced
bofb tho r,aonla within tho fort opd bo
wild crowd outside Then the rush
and noise were indescribable Even
Clark gave way to excitement, losing
command of himself and of course Of
his men. There was a stampede to-
ward the main gate by one wing of the
troops in the hollow square. They lit
orally ran over Beverley and Alice,
dinging them apart and jostling them
hither and yonder without mercy. OF
course the turmoil quickly subsidized.
Clark and Beverley got hold of them
selves and sang out their peremptory
orders with excellent effect 1t was
like oil on raging water. The men
obeyed In struggling way, getting
back into ranks as best they could.
"Ventrebleur' squeaked Oncle Jazon.
"Ef 1 didn't think the ole world had
busted into million piecesp'
He was jumping up and down not
three feet from Beverley's toes, waving
MS cap excitedly.
"But wasn't 1 skeert! va, va, va!
Vive la banniere d'Alice Roussilloni
Vive Zhorzh Vasintonp'
Hearing Alice's name caused Bever-
ley TO look around. Where was she?
In the distance he saw Father Beret
hurrying to the spot where some of the
men burned and wounded by the ex-
plosiQn were being stripped and cared
for. Hamilton still stood like q statue
He appeared to be the only cool person
In the fort.
''Where Is Alice - Miss Roussillon?
Where did Miss Roussillon gor' Bev-
erley exclaimed, staring around like
lost man. "Where is shef"
'D'know," said Oncle Jazon, resum-
fng his habitual expression of droll dig
nifty. "She shot apast me jes' as thet
thing busted loose, an she went like er
hummin' bird, skitch-jes' thet way
an l didn't see 'er no more, cause /
was skeert mighty nigh inter seven fits;
'spect that 'spIosion blowed her clean
away? Ventrebleu! Never was so
plum euten breath an dead crazy weak
o. beln' afeard"
Lieutenant Beverley" roared Clark
in his most commanding tone, go to
the gate and settle things there, That
mob outside is trying to break ibs'
The order was instantly obeyed, but
Beverley. had relapsed. Once more his
soul groped in darkness While the
whole of his life seemed unreal, way
ering, misty, hollow dream, And yet
his military duty was all real enough.
He knew just what to do when he
reached the gate.
Back there at once!" he command
ed, not loudly, but with intense force,
''back therer This to the inward surg
ing wedge Of excited outsiders. Then
to the guard,
"Shoet the first man who crosses the
liner
'Ziff! me yoici Mol Gaspard Rous-
sillon. Laissez-moi passer, messieus,"
A great body hurled itself rrantically
past Beverley and the guard, going out
through the gateway against the wall
Of the crowd, bearing everything be-
fore 1t and shouting:
"Back, fools You'll all be killed. The
powder is on frel ztff, RUM
Wild as q March hare, he bristled
with terror and foamed at the mouth.
He stampeded the entire mass. There
was a wild howl, a rush in the other
direction followed, and seen enough
the esplanade aaa all the space back to
tha Darrtcades and beyond were quite
deserted.
Alice was not aware that a serious
accident had happened. Naturally she
thought the great, rattling, crashing
noise Of the explosion mere part of
the spectacular show. When the rush
followed, separating her and Beverley,
1t was a great relief TO her In some
way, for q sudden recognition of the
beidnesa of her action in the little scene
just ended came over her and bewil-
dered her An impulse sent her run
ming away from the spot where, 1t
seemed to her, she had invited public
derlsiou. The terrible noises all around
her We're, she now fancied, but the
teering and hootlng of rude men who
had seen her unmaidenly forwardness.
With q burning face she few to the
postern and slipped out, once more TAX
ing the course which had become so ia
miliar' to her feet. She did not slacken
her speed until she reached the Bour-
cier cabin, where she had made her
home since the night when Hamiltons
pistol ball struck her. The little domi-
cile was quite empty of its household,
but Alice entered and flung herself into
o chair, where she sat quivering and
breathless when Adrienne, also much
excited, came in, preceded by a stream
of patois that sparkled continuously.
''The fort is blown up!' she cried,
gesticulating In every direction at once,
her petite figure comically dilated with
the Importance of her statement. "a
hundred men are killed, and the pow
der Is on firer'
She pounced into Alice's arms, still
talking as fast as her tongue could VI
brate, changing from subject to sub
Ject without rhyme or reason, her pratt
tie making Its way by skips and SHES
until what was really uppermost in her
sweet little heart disclosed itself.
"And, o Alice, Rene has not come
YETI