Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1904-04-09

Mouret. in which direction do your
talents lie?"
II have no talents, madame; a plain.
blunt man of the camp"
"Ah! a soldier; so interesting In these
stupid times, when men are little but
women differently dressed. All, II has
been too truly said that when men
were created, some OF the mud which
remained served TO fashion the souls
OF princes ana lackeys.' But surely
you could give us a story?' and so h
talked on, not discourteous, but heed
less OF my protests. i was really
alarmed, lest she seriously call upon
me before that stately company.
The tiny clock upon her table chimed
the third quarter, and she volunteered
that at IL she expected other callers.
Acting upon this hint Jerome proceed
ed at once to tell her why he came, yet
I noted in all his conferences he ever
kept something to himself for safety's
sake. The maids temperance inter
rupted us. She announced, M de
Valence."
A CLEAN OF anger swept across
madame's face.
bid him wait my pleasure In the
ante-room. He Is ten minutes early.
No, the sooner he comes the sooner 1t is
over; wait: bid him come in. M. lie
Captain, dc Greville, will you gentle
men please retire in that small room
for q short space? / will speedily be
free again
And SO 4, came about we overheard
matters which opened my mind to the
way affairs of state are managed, and
/ grew to learn upon what slender
threads of love, Of malice, of jealousy
and of hate the destinies of nations
must often hang. From our situation
we could not help but hear all that
passed between madame and her caller.
The maid withdrew. in the slow hurry
Of a truant on his way to school, but
FASTENED at a sign of annoyance from
madame.
Monsieur de Valence, you are full
ten minutes early. You know L babe
you be always exactly punctual," was
madame's p%etulant greeting of the
handsome man who bore himself SO
meekly in her presence.
No tone was eve colder, no demean-
or more naughty than hers, and this
proud man who bent before no storm,
who held the fortunes of many within
his grasp, bowed like an obedient child
to her whim.
Yes. Celeste. / know. but"
Madame de Chartrain," she correct
ed. 81 use the name de Chartrainl
though 1t was not her OWN
"Yes-madame, l know, but, it is sc
hard to wait; do you understand how ]
count the minutes every day until
Yes, yes, I've heard all those fine
excuses before. To your business. The
other can wait, business first, then"
"~PleaSure?" he supplemented with ar
eagerness strangely at variance with
the rigid self-contrOl he had hitherto
shown.
Il did not say pleasure" she gravely
broke in, your business"
The man submitted with the patience
of one quite accustomed, yet not wholly
resigned to such q reception, and
spread numerous papers upon the table
before her. Selecting n he began tC
explain:
Your wishes in regard to this
matter have been carried out
1 had the man detained ir
the city where he is at our command
He suspects nothing, though fretful a
the restraint"
Very good. And the other?"
Yes, here it is. You see this has beer
so arranged that the duke quite nat,
urally selected MeneZes to bear these
dispatches. You nay remind him thai
MeneZes is q brother of the nan Per
rault, whom he had hanged some year:
ago.. Here is the mans history, which
you can look over at leisure. This duke
has forgotten all this in his impatienct
to remedy the Ward fiasco. 1t viii
serve, however, to make him think yol
even more clever and devoted to him.
Continued Next Week.)