Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-06-20

"Assdiredly, 90 far a. Il possible" {
directed the troopers to ride in front
and keep out Of :ear-shot: my tive
men followed the prisoner at a like
distance, with their carbines on tn cir
knees. Last of all rode myself, with
my eyes open and pistol loose in my
holster. N. de Cocheforet, saw, was
inclined to sheer at 50 many precau.
lions and the mountain made of his re-
quest; but had not done SO much
and come so far, I had not faced scorn
and insults, 10 be cheated of my prize
at last. Aware that until we were he
yond Auch there must be hourly and
pressing danger of rescue, I was de-
termined that he who would wrest my
| prisoner from me should pay dearly
for it. Only pride, and, perhaps, il a
degree also, appetite for a fight, had
prevented me borrowing ten troopers
instead of two.
! We started, and looked with lin
gering eye and many memories at the
little bridge, the narrow woodland
path, the first roofs of the village;
all now familiar, all seen for the last
time. Up the brook party Of soldiers
were dragging for the captains body.
A furlong farther on, cottage, burned
by some carelessness in the night, lay
heap of black ashes. Louis ran be-
side us, weeping; the last brown leaves
f1uttered down in showers. And be-
tween my eyes and all, the slow, steady
rain fell and fell and fell. And so
left Cocheforet
Louis went with us to point mile
beyond the village, and there stood
and saw us go, cursing me furiously
as 1 passed. Looking back when we
had ridden on, still saw him stand
ing; and after moments hesitation I
rode back to him. listen, fool" l
said, cutting him short in the midst
Of his moving and snar]ing, land give
this message to your mistress. Tell
her from me that it will be with her
husband as it was with M. de Regnier,
when he fell into the hands of his en-
emy-nO better and no worse"
| 'You want to kill her, too, I sup
poser" he answered, glowering at me.
mo fool! want to save herr"
retorted wrathfully. ''Tell her that,
just that and no more, and you will
see the result
II shall not" he said sullenly. II
shall not tell her. A message from
you, indeed" And he spat on the
ground.
"Then on your head be it," an
swered solemnly. And I turned my
horses head and galloped fast after the
others. For, in spite Of his refusal,
I felt sure that he would report what
had said-if it were only OF curiosity;
and it would be strange If madam did
not understand the reference.
And so We began our journey; sadly,
under dripping trees and leaden sky.
The country we had to traverse was
the same had trodden on the last
day of my march southwards, but the
passage Of a month had changed the
face of everything. Green dells, where
springs yelling out of the chalk had
made of the leafy bottom a FAIRIES
home, strewn with delicate ferns and
hung with mosses-these were now
swamps into which our horses sank to
| the fetlock. Sunny brows, whence I
had viewed the champaign and traced
my forward path, had become bare,
windswept ridges. The beech woods,
which had glowed with ruddy light,
were naked now; mere black trunks
and rigid arms pointing to heaven. An
| earthly smell filled the air; a hundred
PAGES away wall Of mist closed the
| view. We plodded on sadly, up hill
and down hill; now fording brooks al
ready stained with flood-water, now
crossing barren heaths.
But up hill or down hill, whatever
the outlook, was never permitted to
forget that I was the jailer, the ogre,
the villain; that I, riding behind in
my loneliness, was the blight on all,
the deathspot. True, was behind the
others; I escaped their eyes. But there
was not line of mademoiselle's droop-
ing figure that did not speak scorn to
me, not turn of her head that did
not seem to say, "Oh God, that such
thing should breathe!"
had only speech with her once dur
ing the day and that was on the last |
ridge before we went down into the VAL |
ley to climb up again to Auch. The rain |
had ceased; the sun, near it's setting, !
shown family; and for few moments |
We stood on the brow and looked !!
southwark while we breathed the |
horses. The mist lay like a pail on
all the country we had traversed; but !
beyond it and above it, cleaning pearl ,
like in the level rays, the line of the |
mountains stood up like land of en-
chantment, soft, radiant, wonderful,
or like one of those castles on the
Hill of Glass of which the old ro-
mances tell us. I forgot, for an in
,stant, how we were placed, and cried
TO my neighbor that it was the fairest |
pageant had ever seen.
She-it was mademoiselle, and she
had taken off her mask-cast one look |
at me; only one, but it conveyed dis
gust and loathing so unspeakable that
scorn beside them would have been
a gift. I refined in my horse as If |
she had struck me and felt myself
go first shot and then cold under her
eyes. Then she looked another way.
I did not forget the lesson; after
that I avoided her more sedulously
than before. We lay that night at
Auch and gave M. de Cocheforet the
utmost liberty; even permitting him |