Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-12-02


 Among them noisy brook ran in and out. And the inhabitants--charco burners, or swineherds, or poor peo- pie of the like class, were no better than their dwellings. looked in vain for the Chateau It was not to be seen. and I dared not ask for 1t.
 The man led me into the common room of the tavern-a low-roofed, poor place, lacking a chimney or glazed windows, and grimy with smoke and use. The fire-a great half-burnt tree, smouldered on a stone hearth, raised foot from the floor A huge black pot simmered over 1t, and beside one. window lounged a country fellow talk ing with the goodwife. Tn the dusk I could not see his face. but gave the woman word, and sat down to wait for my supper.
 She seemed more silent than the common run of women; but this might be because her husband was present. While she moved about, getting my meal, he took his place against the, door post and fell to staring at me so consistently that felt by no means at my ease. He was a tall, strong fellow, with rough moustache and brown beard, cut in the mode Henri Quatre; and on the subject of that king-a safe one, knew, with a Bearnais-and on that alone, I found it possible to make him talk. Even then there was suspicious gleam in his eye that bade me abstain from questions; and as the darkness deep- ened behind him, and the firelight played more and more strongly on his features, and I thought of the leagues of woodland that lay between this remote valley and Auch, recalled the cardinals warning that if failed in my attempt should be little likely to trouble Paris again.
 K The lout by the window paid no att 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 to 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 a |, man with huge Spanish knives and nyidopfly rocoutod yov prason oe {,, +h .;r dull rustic fashion-every rustic is sus- picious-I began to think that, unwit- tingly, had put my head into wasps nest
 Nevertheless, ate and drank with apparent appetite; but little that passed within the circle of light cast by the smoky lamp escaped me. watched the mems looks and gestures at least as sharply as they watched mine; and all the time was racking my wits for some mode of disarming their suspicions-or failing that, of learning something more of the posi- tion, which. it was clear, far exceeded in difficulty and danger anything I had expected. The whole valley, it would seem, was on the lookout to protect my mani
 l had purposely brought with me from Auch acouple of bottles of choicg' Armagnac; and these had been carried Into the house with my saddle bags. I took one out now and opened it, and carelessly offered dram of the spirit to the landlord. He took 1t. As he drank it, saw his face flush; he handed back the cup reluctantly and on that hint I offered him another. The 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 ly on questionable would know this, he would learn that; but even this was welcome change. I told him openly whence I had come, by what road, how long had stayed in Auch and where; and so far satisfied his curiosity. Only when came to the subject of my visit to Cocheforet I kept mysterious silence, limiting darkly at business in Spain and friends across the border, and this and that and giving the peasants to understand if they pleased, that was in the sanis. interest as their exiled master. "A
 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 had led them so far, I dared go no farther, lest should commit myself and be found out. I stopped, therefore. and marking back to general subjects. chanced to compare my province with theirs. The lahSi- lord, now become almost talkative. was not slow to take up this challenge: and 1t presently led tony acquiring a cnri- ous 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, "we have not these things. 1t 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"
 tsTlS -,,. .-..t. .,.. -. s .r.sr, Al.