The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1906-03-02

of the governor was sufficient. The
girl herself was glad to reach the
refuge of a new feminine friend. Lieut..
BLIZZARD was quartered in a house near
the Chateau, convenient for Renee to
make frequent calls upon her guar
dian, who soon became very much at
tached to her. She was to him the
closest link to that world Of fashion
and gayety from which his Official po-
sition exiled him. 1t seemed a COM
fort to her also to talk with him of
mademoiselle, her family, and her
child-life in Potion. Even his CONVEX
sation, which touched mainly on per-
IONS whose names she had merely
heard, was pleasant to her ears.
Shrinking from the admiring glances
Of those she met, she went out but lit
tie, ave for a stroll with Madame BIZ
card Mt dusk, or a brisk morning walk
alone before the sleepy city was awake.
Thrown thus upon her own
in a great measure, she passed most
Of her time indoors, playing on her
lutte. embroidering an altar cloth or
reading and re-reading the scanty
store of books Frontenac lent her.
Madame BLIZZARD often sat and talked,
retailing to her all the gossip and
events of the town. She dared not
speak ill of The Comte, but her predi-
lection for Duchesneau and his parti-
sans led her to vent her feelings in
acrimonious aspersions on all who
were allied with the governor. Best
Of all, Renee liked to question her
friend about the strange vast land she
had come to; its history and its peo-
pie; the tales Of adventures in It's
wilds; the rugged life of its pioneers;
And as she listened, her heart glowed
within her and she wished that she
too were a man and might set forth
to hew a way through the great un-
known that civilization might follow;
or yet again the hazy, half-formed
plan suggested itself to her mind that
even a woman's weak hands through
her gentle ministration in hours of
sickness and plague might win a path
to heather hearts for the glorious
truths of her religion.
Madame BLIZZARD had several times
touched upon La Sales exploring ex-
petitions but had spoken of no MEM
Der of it other than its leader. Him
she denounced as a thief, a liar, and
a swindler. Renee listened eargerly, not
daring to question her companion
closely, fearing lest the sound of the
beating of her heart would be over
heard; and bent her face low over her
work or turned away her head that the
glow on her cheek might not disclose
the fact that her interest in the SUB
ject was other than that of a stranger.
Finally, one day she essayed to make
some inquiry as to the personnel of
the party. Madame BLIZZARD, whose fund
of local gossip was low at the mo-
ment, quickly branched of into a full
description Of the chief members OF
the enterprise.
There was one young man, ma
chere." she said, who deserves to be
eaten by the savages. His name Ia
Henri de Tonti, and he occupies a po-
sition next to that Of the leader. Had
he remained in Quebec I should have
considered it my duty to warn you of
him, for a more dangerous person for
a young girl to meet1 cannot imagine.
He behaved scandalously here, coquet.
ting with all the women of the place.
1t is a pity; they say he has a wife
and child he abandoned In Paris. We
women are SO weak that 1t would be
small wonder If some Of US we're to
believe the honeyed words spoken by
n who. I will admit, is SO handsome,
gallant, and possessed of so winning
a manner"
Renee. pale and agitated, made her
needle fly faster as her companion rat
tied on. She dreaded what the woman
would say next, yet longed for her to
proceed.
HE will never come back here. !
know" continued Madame BLIZZARD, "for
he ought to know that my husband
would shoot him down the instant he
arrived. Yes" she went Oh, as she
saw Renee give a start, ''he even tried
his ~iles on ME, the miscreant! OF
course, cannot blame q man for
desiring to be friendly, and for seek
ing the acquaintance of a woman OF
my position, who, although I repeat
1t myself, Is said to be at least pas
SADLY good-looking. He should. how
ever, hive paid attention to tho ordi-
nary proprieties OF civilized people
and should not have SO outraged my
feelings OF wifely honor and womanIy
pride by actually making love 70 mo,
and the night before his departure urg-
ing me 70 dee With him " ~ vilasr-
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