Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-11-28

my attempt I should be little likely to
trouble Paris again.
The lout by the window paid no at
/ tention to me: nor to him, when
had once satisfied myself that he was
really what he seemed to, be. But by
and by two or three men-rough, un-
couth fellows--dropped in to reinforce
+. the landlord and they, too, seemed
10 have no other business than to sit
IN silence looking at me, or now and
again to exchange word in a patois
OF their own. BY the time my supper
was ready the knaves numbered six
In all; and, as they were armed to
man with huge Spanish knives and
evidently resented my presence in their
dull rustic fashion-every rustic is sus-
picious-I began to think that, unwit-
| tingly, had put my head into wasp's
nest.
| Nevertheless, l ate and drank with
apparent appetite; but little that
passed within the circle Of light cast
by the smoky lamp escaped me- l
watched the mems looks and gestures
at least as sharply as they watched
mine; and all the time l was racking
my wits for some mode of disarming
their suspicions-or failing that, Of
learning something more of the posi-
ton, which, 1t was clear, far exceeded
in difficulty and danger anything had
expected The whole valley, it would
seem, was on the lookout to protect
my man!
i had purposely brought with me
from Auch couple of bottles of choice
Armagnac; and these had been carried
into the house with my saddle bags.
took one out now and opened it. and
carelessly offered a dram of the spirit
to the landlord He took it, AS he
drank it, saw his face flush; he
| handed back the cup reluctantly and on
that hint I offered him another Tho
strong spirit was already beginning to
work. He accepted and in few min
utes began to talk more freely and with
less OF the constraint which had
marked us. Still, his tongue ran chief
~ on questionable would know this,
he would learn that; but even this
was welcome change. I told him
openly whence had come, by what
road, how long had stayed in Auch
and where; and SO far 1 satisfied his
curiosity. Only when I came to tho
subject of my visit to Cocheforet I
kept a mysterious silence, limiting
darkly at business in Spain and friends
across the border, and this and that
and giving the peasants to understand
II they pleased, that was In the same
interest as their exiled master
They took the bait winked at one
another. and began to look at me in a
more friendly way-the landlord fore.
most But when I had led them so
Tar, dared go no farther, lest 1 should
commit myself and be found out. I
stopped. therefore, and barking back
10 general subjects, CHANGED to compare
my province with theirs. The land
lord, now become almost talkative, was
not slow to take UP this challenge; and
IT presently led to my acquiring curl
Gus piece of knowledge. He was boast.
ing OF his great snow mountains, the
forests that propped them, the bears
that roamed in them, the lizards that
loved the ice, and the boars that fed
on the oak mast.
Well" said quite by chance, 1--WE
nave not these things. it is true. But
we have things in the north you have
not We have tens Of thousands OF
good horses-not such ponies as you
breed here At the horse fair at Fe-
camp my sorrel would be lost In the
crowd. Here in the south you will
not meet his match in long days
Journey
DO not make too sure of that" the
man replied. his eyes bright with tri-
umph and the dram. What would
you say if showed YOU better-in
my own tablet"
saw that his words sent kind Of
thrill through his other hearers and
that such of them as understood
two or three of them talked their patois
oniy-looked at him angrily; and in a
twinkling began to comprehend. But
l affected dullness and laughed scorn-
fully.
Seeing is believing" said. II
doubt If you know good horse here
when you see one, my friend"
"oh, don't II" he said, winking.
"Indeed!''
II doubt it, answered stubbornly.
Then come with me, and will show
you one," he retorted, discretion CIV
ing way to vain-glory. His wife and
the others I saw, looked at him dunn
founded; but, without paving any heed
to them, he took up lanthorn, and,
assuming an air of peculiar wisdom.
opened the door. Come with me-"
he continued. Il don't know a good
horse when I see one, don'tI? know
q better than yours. at any rate!"
/ should not have been surprised II
the other men had interfered; butt
suppose he was leader among them.
and they did not, and in moment we
We're outside. Three PAGES through the
darkness took US up to the stable, an
| NfF1 - -