The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1906-08-14
!. Conc home, my honey; don't

/
and emphasis that appeared to re-
store the speakers composure. "She
knows nothing of it, tell you. 1t is
with manifest indecision-'only that
felt unhappy and | cannot tell my
| self why. But AS II determined to
find a reason-"I wish that Capt. La
fitte had not come to see Gen. La
Roche this morning"
'La-la," said Zeney, a new light
creeping into her shriveled face, while
she nodded her turbaned head until
her long earrings clicked against the
string of gold beads tightly encircling
her skinny neck. Then good Capt
Jean is still alive and well! am
| glad-so glad
"Why should you be glad? What
makes every one love him SOP" de-
manded her mistress petulantly, as
she wiped her face and eyes with the
morsel of cambria and lace serving
her as handkerchief.
why should not be glad my pref
ty one? Aye, so long as Zeney lives,
she has reason to be glad when all
| is we'll with Capt. Jean
But why should you be?ss repeated
Mademoiselle de Cazeneau. her man.
ner softeping somewhat at Zeney's
evident sincerity. And why should
you, and every one, like him SO much
such a wicked, dreadful MANI
The adjectives were indisputably
harsh-more so than the manner in
which they were uttered, and the VIC
let eyes held a suggestion that the
speaker would not object to knowing
that her application of them was mis-
placed
dreadful" echoed zeney,
shaking her head violently mo, no,
never is Captain Jean either of
these"
But Mamman Zillah once told me"
said Mademoiselle de CaZeneau, with
the air of one seeking to remove un-
pleasant doubts from the mind, chat
years ago when she belonged to
man up at Contraband Bayou, she saw
Capt. Lafitte and two other men go
into the woods with a horse. They
had shovels and picks, and she fol-
lowed them to see what they would
do She saw them digging a hole,
like a grave; but it was a big chest
they dug up. And there was gold in
the chest, for she saw it when the
men began filling some bags. Then
she was so frightened for fear they
would see her that she ran home to
her cabin. And" here Mademoi-
selle de Cazeneau's eyes opened wide
to their full width and her voice took
a minor note, while her manner be-
came imbued with horrible suggest
iveness-"a few hours later she saw
the horse come out of the woods, with
the bags across its back but only
Capt. Jean came out of the woods
with the horse" :.
Zeney laughed derisively, and again
shook her head
THAT story came on horseback,
Missy, along with the others you have
heard and Zillah ought to be well
whipped for telling such a wicked lie
If she ever saw such thing, then the
two men had gone off in some other
way to look after their own business,
which was what Zillah ought to have
been doing"
But Mademoiselle de Cazeneau was,
although apparently against her
own will, still unconvinced,
for she added impressively.
"zillah said that they afterward
found the two men dead in the woods.
And | have heard other stories, too
of how he has made men jump into
the sea when he burned or scuttled
their ships, and took all they had on
board"
Capt. Jean steal Capt. Jean muir
der!" cried Zeney, her eyes flashing
with indignation. "Such things he
never did, and all such stories are
lies-black lies. How can you be.
lieve them, or think of them, my
honey, when you once thought him
so good and noble?"
The question was unanswered, and
Zeney, after moments pause, added,
If there is any truth in such talk.
it was wicked Capt. Laro who did
these things; but Capt Jean-never."
"Laro-Capt. Laro" said her young
mistress, with puzzled little frown
and raising hand to push back the
clustering hair from her now cooled
cheeks. "Ah, yes; it comes to me. |
have heard my mother speak of him;
it was he who brought her from
France"
1T was he, too, who brought Capt
Jean here to Louisiana"
He did," the girl asked in sur
prise. And did you know him then
when he was boy?"
The negress nodded "He seemed