The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1906-01-05

'Aned me 70 bed for smother month,
whom I had arrived within ten leagues
Of Paris. sent you word requesting
an interview; you appointed the time
and place, and here I am"
During this recital, Colbert had
watched the features Of the speaker
with q keen gaze, and now and then
made q note Of place and circumstance
upon the parchment for future cor
r0boration. When he had finished, he
said coldly:
you have done we'll. Where IL tho
messenger"
The man In reply bent down and be-
gan %unwinding a heavy bandage from
about his leg. The end reached, q
huge open sore was disclosed below
the knee. Inserting his little finger
within the sore and pressing from the
outside with his other hand, a small
piece Of lead the shape and size Of q
bullet was squeezed ont from the
wound.
"A safe hiding-place," he remarked,
as he carefully wiped It; besides, IL
served to keep the wound open and
running"
Bringing the piece Of lead to the
light, he pulled the ends apart, which
revealed a cavity neatly followed out.
Within this hole was a piece of very
thin oiled silk rolled up into as com
pact a mass as possible.
Colbert opened 1t and spread 1t out.
There was nothing visible on 1t, but
he opened a drawer in the table, and,
taking out a small flask Of liquid,
touched the surface of the silk lightly
with a drop. Instantly a written word
appeared distinctly and then faded
away slowly. He seemed to be salts
fed at this, so laying the message
upon the table. he arose, and turning
to the man asked II he were dry. His
companion understood that he was
dismissed, SO, after bandaging up his
leg and mufiing his face, he moved
toward the door, accompanied by Col
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 II
contained. AS he applied C drop Of the
secret fluid to each word he quickly
wrote 1t down on parchment before II
faded. Word by word he revealed the
message until the end. Then putting
the original away in q secret place, he
took up the copy and read as follows:
1.-THE chiefcst 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 inf1u-
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 Their
known world, in every court and pal
ace, there were stationed secret ennis.
saiies Of the great Society Of Jesus
The minister Of many q king, even
the servants of the bed-chamber, ths
cloth-merchant, the innkeeper, tbs
h~orseshoer, the slavey in the kitchen
all were enrolled among the faithful
adherents of this mighty order, form.
ing one Of its 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 beer
indicated, the one great impulse o.
the mans life was ambition, thai
could use everything for an aid, bu,
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 ant
win their esteem, sc long as 1t did not
Interfere with his own projects. A
serious clash of the two interests hai
never arisen before. But nov the is,
sue must be met, for chief among his
plans for the glory of France and Of
her king (and hence indirectly for hi
own aggrandixement) was the develop.
ment and exploration Of the western
wilds OF New France. Already were
the Dutch and English and Spaniards
pressing forward with men and gold
hurrying forth exploring expeditions
led by men Of courage and resource
He well knew that whichever natior
first explored the unknown region ad'
Joining the present holding of France
In the New World; he who planted
trading-posts and gained the aid and
friendship Of the savage tribes for hii
king and country. would win q conti'
nent.
The dazzling stories of wealth un'
told to be found in those regions
stirred his blood, for he realized that
II he could but guide and direct the
king in the affairs Of colonization t.
the grand realization Of his dream, hi
would have but to ask, to receive hi
hearts fondest desire from the hands
Of a grateful monarch. Upon this pin.
~no1~ "a p~uyn~ <h,,c rvnlund &hc uyov1S