Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-11-30

bert, who followed him, opening the
successive doors until he reached the
street.
When he returned, he reseated him
self, and, taking up the bit of silk, be-
gan the task of finding out what it
contained. AS he applied a drop of the
secret fluid to each word he quickly
wrote it down on parchment before it
faded. Word by ward he revealed the
message until the end. Then putting
the original away in a secret place, he
took up the copy and read as follows:
1.-THE chiefest among my friends here
have urged me to write this letter to
YOU, promising that a trusty messenger
shall deliver it into your hands. They
beg me to implore you to use your great
power to retard and hinder the plans of
the Sieur de la Sale, who is now in
France His projects of colonization and
exploration are in direct rivalry to the
work of the missionaries, while the ex-
tension of his fur-trade with the savages
takes them out of the power and in1u-
ence of the church. The fathers desire
to keep the fur-trade to themselves, and
feel that he can do them great injury.
LAVAL,
Bishop of Quebec"
In nearly every land of the then
known world, in every court and pal
ace, there were stationed secret ennis
saries of the great Society of Jesus.
The minister of many a king, even
the servants of the bed-chamber, the
cloth-merchant, the %innkeeper, the
horseshoer, the slavey in the Kitchen
all were enrolled among the faithful
adherents of this mighty order, form
ing one of it's important subdivisions.
Colbert was one of these. To render
strict obedience he should have placed
the welfare of the order above every
other consideration. But as has been
indicated, the one great impulse of
the mans life was ambition, that
could use everything for an aid, but
would allow nothing to overshadow
it,. The Jesuits were a terrible enemy,
and a most valuable ally; hence he
chose them as the latter, doing what
he could to further their plans and
win their esteem, so long as it did not
interfere with his own projects. A
serious clash of the two interests had
never arisen before. But now the is
sue must be met, for chief among his
plans for the glory Of France and of
her king land hence indirectly for his
own aggrandizement) was the develop
ment and exploration of the western
x,ri1Jc of NoW E'rapoo A1rpn6u Upra
the Dutch and English and Spaniards
pressing forward with men and gold,
hurrying forth exploring expeditions
led by men of courage and resource.
The dazzling stories of wealth I'm
told TO be found in those regions
stirred his blood, for he realized that
if he could but guide and direct the
king in the affairs of colonization to
the grand realization of his dream, he
would have but to ask, to receive his
hearts fondest desire from the hands
of a grateful monarch. Upon this pin
nacle of power thus gained, the world
would forget the wine merchants son
Of Rheims in envious adulation. The
reins thus placed within his hands, he
would be enabled to drive rough-shod
wei his enemies, crushing them be.
yond recovery. He would be greater
ever than the king himself, because
he would have acquired such unlimited
influence over the royal mind and fa-
vor that it would be he who would
stand within the shadow of the throne
directing wars, debating peace, up
roofing nations, and dethroning kings
TO gain this end, he had need of JUS
such men as he knew La Sale to be
1t would be he that would reap the
benefits of the explorers efforts if sue
c~essful; and upon the head of that in
trepid man alone would the result!
of failure fall.
Thus lost in the imaginings of fu
ture greatness, he sat until the dim
ming of the light warned him of thu
passage of time. He started up and
quickly secreting whatever papers HI
had in a hiding-place in the wall, hi
extinguished the lamp and left tn
room.
When he reached the street he founs
day already dawned. The rain hal
ceased, although it was still gloomy
The working people were MOVING
about already to begin anew the tot
of the day. Colbert, well disguised
walked rapidly along, his mind bus,
devising some plan whereby his task
masters could be satisfied without in
juring his own future purposes. Ono
he came into sudden collision with }
huge fish-wife while turning a corner
who straightway launched at him he
choicest stock of Partisan billingsgate
little dreaming that he whom she thu
reviled was the second man in tn
kingdom.