The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-06-03

| ted chain untangle CuriouSly enough,
| the tale l had heard at the ruined
| castle tailed in the main with the
monkish documents here preserved. In
deed it supplied me With knowledge of
much which otherwise 1 would not have
comprehended so completely. The
horrible reality of that weird recital
was still fresh and distinct before me.
undimmed by time and unforgotten
through all my troubles.
l had sought refuge many times from
| breeding over my own affairs by turn
| ing to this for interest and occupation.
Every further detail was supplied by
| a number of quaint documents, which
| Colonel d'Ortez had digeSted into this:
! Table showing the male descendants of
| Henri d'Artin:
Henri Francois Placide d'Artin. died
| August 2i. 1872.
Bartholomew Pasquier (son of abovr)
| died 1909.
Sons. of observation-disclosures Pl&cde
| PaSQuier killed in wars of the FrOnGe;
| l65i
Francois Rene Navier de Pasquier cen
Francois Rene Acis de Pasquicr. fed to
America. Supposed to have been killed
about 1851. No known descendants Wei
/ known TO the Cure of St Martins Que
| bee.
Table, showing the male descendants of
/ Pedro OrteZ:
Pedro d'Ortez, suicided 1901
Sons of above-Charles Pedro, killed by
Raou 1902: Raou, died 1918.
| Charles Francis Peter (Son of RaouD
died without issue.
Pedro d'Ortez tbrother to aboveD, died
| 1863.
Henry (son of abovel. killed in battle.
Sons of abovc-Alphonze, killed in battle
Felix, died in infancy: Raoul Armand
| Xavier dOrtez, born 1911 (myself). Died
| -. No children.
| She who was born my daughter | dis
| owned, and she died without issue
1t appeared that the only thing to
be done was to visit the good cure of
st. Martins, and, enlisting him in the
search, find whatever descendants
might have been left by this Francois
Rene Alos de Pasquer The task need
not be difficult one, as many old peo-
pie should still be living who might
have known of the man,
"A very slight investigation showed that
| TINS last named Francois Rene AloiS de
! Pasquler was none other than my own
good father who assumed the name de
M SatII ~ TO :; AVOID the consequences of
the pious Cure of St. Martins, who knew
him we'll.
now bethought me OF this enter
prise as a fair excuse whereby l could
leave Biloxi for a space. | would
therefore, call upon my old friend, ana
having obtained leave, matters now be-
ing safe with the colony, make the
journey to Quebec.
But, alas for the weakness of fallen
humanity; my last act before putting
myself out of temptations way was
to run full tilt into 1t.
While this came SO near to causing
my dishonorable death, vet it was UNI
der divine providence the direct means
of spreading before me long life of
happiness and honor. After n hard bat
tie With my weaker self | lost the
fight.
Just as on the day I departed from
Versailles, | determined, cost what it
would, to see Agnes once again. SO
l wrote her note. Such Il blunt and
clumsy billet as only a love-sick SOL
der or Il country clown could have
written. 1t craved pardon for the heat
and the haste displayed by me when
we parted at SceauN: it implorcd one
last interview before | left the colonies
forever. l had not the art to conceal
or veil my meaning, but told it out ana
plainly. Such 4 note as an idiotic boy
might pen, or simpering school lass
be set fluttering to receive.
] bade my man deliver this to
Madame de la Mora on the morrow
charging him infinitely and repeatedly
: to see it safe in her own hands. SO
careful was l, l did not doubt that
even so stupid lout as Jacques un-
Gerstood me perfectly.
His further instructions were to meet
| me at the bay when l should return in
: the evening from my visit TO Colonel
d'Ortcz, and there beside its ripping
Waters-or so | had arranged-I was
to receive her answer.
1t had now turned late of the night
and | sought repose. Sleep evaded my
bed. What with my own restless de-
sires my Gliding sense of ill-doing
and the d,Ortez story l had read, |
tossed and tumbed through the re-
naming hours of darkness. Tumbled
; and tossed, whilst the sins and suffer
} ings of men long dead passed and re-
passed with their spectral admonitions
Early on the morrow. while
the day was vet cool,
j; crossed the bay, ana climbed the slope
of sand before the lonely house 1t
looked more deserted and desolate than
l had ever seen it. The stiffness Of SOL
ltaly death chung as pail about the
pace. Pachaco, the Indian servant. sal
; beside the gate, as motionelss as the
} post against which he leaned
, How is the master, Pachaco?" | in
CURED. passing in.
Him die yesterday" came the sto,id
, reply.
What? Dead! When?"
THE shadows were at the LONGEST"
he answered indicating by a gesture
t the western horizon.
hurried into the masters room. In
the same position he had occupied
] when, months ago he had beckoned me
to remain he sat there, dead in his
! chair. His clothing hung about him in
that sharply angular fashion in which
garments cling to a corpse. Long, thin
locks were matted above his brow
aWesomeiy disarrangcd. But the pose
of his head, droopcd a little forward,
suggested a melancholy reveiie, MOTH
ing more.
The golden locket, which he had
) shown me that well-r"membered night.
rested within his shrunkell palm I
noted that the side was open which re-
: Vcaled the blazing bar of red. AS IF alb
sorbed in that same unpleasant
} thought, there sat the master, dead :
dead, and alone knew his story How
: wildly the old mans sorrow came
S back; how it oppressed me-
t bent down in tender sympathy to
/ look again upon his wasted features.
l and kn"e!ins. gaZad into his wide
: open eyes The calm of promised peace
upon his brow was distorted by the I'M
t satisfied expression of one who has left
} his work undone.
:, SO are the sins of the fathers visited
2 upon their children. for was no longer
in doubt but that the murderer, Pedro
5 Ortez, was the SHINING ancestor of my
old-tlnne friend. Even in his presence
my thoughts flew to Agnes: had she not
spoken of her srandsire as being such
a man? The stiffening body at my side
was speedily forgotten in the music of
this meditation.
!, I gained my feet again and looked
} down upon him, fascinated by the
l cnangeless, features Of the dead 1t
was probably natural that standing
there l should revolve the whole mat
! ter over 2-ad over again, from the first
= | knew Of it until the last A young
mans plans, though, work ever with
the living; the dead he places in their
/, tomb, covers them With earth, bids
them "Godspeed, and banishes the
| recollection. l was already busy with
: my contemplated search for the last