Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-07-04

4 gliding tone had passed from her vol,
to mine. She did not answer. =,
/ Because, if you do,'> continue
"you will let me tell my tale. Say no b,
once more, Mademoiselle- am onl
Humankind 60. And you will roper
it all your life"
had done better had taken tina
tone from the beginning. She WINGED
her head dropped, she seemed to gro,
smaller. All in a moment, as it were
her pride collapsed. II will hear you,
she answered feebly.
Then we will ride on, If. 70,
please" said, keeping the advantag
had gained. "You need not fear
Your brother will follow"
caught hold of her rein and turne.
her horse, and she suffered it without
demur. In moment we were pacin.
side by side, the long, straight roat
before us. At the end where It topped
the hill, could see the finger-post-
two faint black lines against the sky
When We reached that, involuntari1y
checked my horse and made it move
more slowly.
well, Sir" she said impatient1y
And her figure shook as If with cold
1T is a tale desire to tell you
Mademoiselle," I answered, speaking
with effort. perhaps may seem to
begin long way OF, hut before I END
l promise to interest. Two months
ago there was living in Paris a man,
perhaps bad man, at any rate, by
common report, a hard man."
She turned to me suddenly, her
eyes cleaning through her mask. 1sOh,
Monsieur, spare me this!" she said,
quite scornfully. Il viii take it to1
granted"
Every web, replied steadfastly.
Good or bad, this man, one day,
in defiance Of the cardinals ed1ct
against duel1ing, fought with young
EngIishman behind st. Jacques
church. The EngIshman had influence,
the person of whom 7 speak had none,
and an Indifferent name; he was ar
rested, thrown into the chatelet, cast
for death, left for days to face DEATH
At the last an offer was made to him.
If he would seek out and deliver up
another man, ait outlaw with price
upon his head, he should himself go
free"
I paused and drew a deep breath
Then continued, looking not at her;
but into the distance: "MaGemoE
se1le, it seems easy now to say what
course he should have chosen. Tt
seems hard now to find excuses for
him. But there was one thing which
I plead for him. The task he was asked
to undertake was a dangerous one
He risked, he knew he must risk, and
the event proved him right, his life
against the life of this unknown man
And-one thing more-there was time
before him. The outlaw might be TAX
en- by another, might be killed, might
die, might. But there, Mademoiselle,
we know what answer this person
made. He took the baser course, and
on his honor, ON his parole with
money supplied to him, went free
free on the condition that he delivered
up CnlS Otner man.
paused again, but I did not dare
to look at her, and after moment
of silence I resumed. tsSome portion
of the second half of this story you
know Mademoiselle; but not all. Suf-
flee it that this man came down to a
remote village, and there at a risk,
but Heaven knows, .basely enough,
found his way into his victims home.
Once there, his heart began to fail
him. Had he found the house gar
risoned by men, he might have pressed
on to his end with little remorse. But
he found there only two helpless, loyal
women; and say again that from the
first hour of his entrance he, sickened
of the work he had in hand. Still he
pursued it. He had given his word
and if there was one tradition of his
race which this man had never brok-
en-, it was that Of fidelity to his side;
to the man that paid him. But he
pursued it with only half his mind, in
great misery sometimes, if you will be:
lieve me, in agonies of shame. Grad
ually, however, almost against his
will, the drama worked itself out be.
fore him, until he needed only one
thing"
looked at mademoiselle. Bue he1
head was averted; could gather
nothing from the outlines of her form,
And I went on. do not misunder
stand me- said, In lower voice
DO not misunderstood what I am go
ing to say next. This is no love story
and can have no ending such as 70
mancers love to set to their tales. But
] am bound to. mention, Mademoiselle
that this man, who had lived abou
inns and eating-houses and at the gam
ing-tables almost al! his days, me
here for the first time for years goot
woman; and learned by the light O.
her loyalty and devotion to see VIA
his life had been and what was the rea
nature of the work he was doing.
think--nay, know-that it added ::
hundred-fo1d to his misery, that wLe1
he learned at last the secret he hat
come to surprise, he learned it from
her lips and in such a way that had h
felt no shame, hell could have been NJ
place for him. She thought and ha<
reason to think, that the moment h,
knew her secret he went out, not ever
closing the door and used. it. But thu
truth was that, while her words wer'
still in his ears, news came to hin
that others had the secret: and hat
he not gone out on the instant and
done what he did and forestalled them
M. de Cocheforet would have beer
taken, but by others" .-'.-
Mathematical hrn1yo hns. 3ou~ ai1nrnn.