The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1905-02-02


YOU msy ash declared Creioire: ana
l viii answer g upon m3 honor
Iahfts. appeared ifresolute. 80 n
the question were 81 such grave I'M
port that ne dreaded az uufaFofabie
reply. Then. laying a hand On Gre
i0ire's shoulder. he asked. What said
e-Bonaparte. when you told hin
that ! had departed from Tooionf
Nothing
"You have told me 81 ! wished 70
konw. and thank you" said Laftte.
asain holding ont a hand, which Gre
iOiro ciasped firmly.
"Adieu. and bon yoyage.-
"Adieu, and bonnie fortune"
With this they parted and Latte.
returning directly 10 the wharf. or
dered the boats crew 10 row bin
back to the rCo9doF."
.
Jean had. up 10 this moment. con.
sidered himself deeply ~aggfieyed BY
Bonaparte's apparent neglect; and.
looking at the matter from The stand
point Of youth. his ardent impulsiye
nature. aud his unstlnted love for the
young officer. his feelings we're not
without warrant
But. In the light Of Greloire's expIa.
nation, the man Of thirty could we'll
see hos unreasonable and hBsty had
been the boy Of fifteen. how unthink.
ing and rash: how utterly lacking ia
a proper appreciation OF Bonaparte's
regard. and Of hos the manifestations
Of this was subject 70 conditions and
Influences beyond the latter's power
to always control
He thought OF Margot, and her
words returned TO ~him-when. upon
that last evening OF her life. she had
said that Bonaparte vas his good n
gel. and Laro his evil one.
Truly had her words been proven;
for now be knew the former as he
was. and would have been. while the
passing years had either increased. or
made apparent Laro's -oarseaess
and cruelty.
Il was only TO the boy Jean that he
had yer been otherwise: but latterly
something OF a change had taken
place in this respect toward the man.
especially after he had refused TO ac
quiesce in the ~sdventuuer's cherished
scheme. that he. Jean LATTE. should
take as his wife. Lazalie. the formers
niece.
Bat the young man had. an through
his Wild life. held within the inner.
most depths Of his soul a sacred
shrine. kept closed and pure, where
never the love for woman had en-.
tered. Over its altar, faded and in.
distinct, yet his life. fingered tie
teachings Of his foster-mother. and
the remembrance Of a sunny-faced.
blue-eyed girl, who had promised the
boy 10 pray hat be might be that
which he had SO voefully failed TO he
or had even sought TO attain.
The past rolled In upon him Ike
a smothering food. until. IN a Wild
tumult Of despair. he left his cabin
and went on deck. There he heard
one OF the watch Whistling to him
self: and presently the man broke
softly into the words of the air:
"Cest ramour. Tamonr. rAnrour.
Out lat IA mon 3 Ia roundst-
The song brought 70 mind again the
blueeyed girls face. and also that OF
her daughter. the little Island Rose
whom, late the previous May. he had
plotted through the woods. and down
the rivers. from her dead mothers
home among The ChoctAws.
The long. rough journey had given
him ure opportunities for sounding
the depths Of the childish soul -
close 10 RatUre that Il seemed to wor
ship the mothers God through nature.
and nature through God.
he vas known as Captain Jean.
a friend Of her Erandfather-as Can
tain Jean. whom she found such .
charming companion. and whom his
escort % white men and Indians re
spected aud loved she trusted him
fully. and their Intercourse was free
from restraint
Recalling her now while he paced
the deck. with the troubled water OF
his soul casting ashore such voefulI
wreckage for his contemplation. the
thought Of her white purity. her sn.
very vuioe. her childish confidence,
brought 10 him a blessed peace.