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

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the fancy only strengthened the one
single iron purpose which had taken
possession Of me and all my thoughts.
I must be first. must anticipate the
lieutenant and make the arrest my
self. II ran on only the faster. s. 3 %$s.
: We seemed to be across the meadow
and in the wood in a moment There,
instead Of keeping along the common
path, I boldly singled out my senses
seemed preternaturally keen-the
smaller track by which Clon had
brought us, and ran unfaltering along
it, avoiding logs and pitfalls as by in
stinct, and following all its turns and
twists, until it brought: us to the back
of the inn; and we could hear the MUIR
muir Of subdued voices in the village
street, the sharp low words of COM
mand, and even the clink of weapons:
and could see, above and between the
houses, the dull glare Of lanthorns and
torches. .~,' -. ~. - a.>s,' :.
1 grasped my mans arm and
crouched down, listening. Where IS
your mate?" I said, in his ear.
with them," he muttered.
''Then come" whispered, rising.
II have seen enough. Let us CO." ~ ':
But he caught me by the arm and
detained me. .'You don't know the
way!" he Kissed. STEADY, steady,
Monsieur. You go too fast. They
are just moving. Let us join them,
and strike in when the time comes.
We must let them guide u.s. ~
"Fool!" I said, shaking of his hand.
II tell you, know where he is! I
know where they are going. Come;
lose not moment, and we will pluck
the fruit while they are on the road
to it,
His only answer was an exclamation
of surprise; at that moment the lights
began to move. The lieutenant was
starting. The moon was not yet up:
the sky was gray and cloudy; to adj
vance where we were was to step into
a wall of blackness. But we had lost
too much time already, and did not
hesitate. Bidding my companion fol-
low me, and use his legs, I sprang
through a low fence which rose before
us, and stumbling, blindly over some
broken ground in the rear Of the
houses, came, with fall or two, to
a little watercourse with steep sides.
Through this plunged recklessly, and
up the farther side, and, breathless
and painting, gained the road just be-
yond the village and so yards in adj
vance Of the lieutenant's troop.
They had only two lanthorns burn
ing now and we were beyond the cir
Gle of light these cast; while the steady
tramp of so many footsteps covered
the noise we made. We were unno-
ticed. In twinkling we turned our
backs, and as fast as we could ran
down the road. Fortunately, they
were thinking more of secrecy than
speed, and in minute we had dou.
bled the distance between us; in two
minutes their lights were mere sparks
shining in the gloom behind us. We
lost, at last, even the tramp of their
feet. Then began to look out and
go more slowly; peering into the shad-
ows on either side of the fern-stack.
On one hand the hill rose steeply;
on the other it fell away to the stream.
On neither side was close wood-or my
difficulties had been immensely IN;
creased-but scattered oak-trees stood
here and there among gorse and brack-
en-. This helped me, and In a moment,
on the upper side, came upon the
dense substance Of the stack looming
black against tbs tighter k;ll.
My heart beat fast, but # was II,
time for thought. Bidding the man
In a whisper to follow me and be ready
to back me up. climbed the bank Soft
~, and with a pistol in my hand, felt
my way to the rear Of tho shack:
thinking to find hus there, set against
the fern, and M. de Cocheforet in it.
But l found no hut. There was none;
and all was so dark that it came upon
me suddenly as stood between the
hill and the stack that I had undertake
en- very difficult thing. The hut be-
hind the fern-stack? But how far be-
hind? How far, from it? The dark
slope stretched above us, infinite, in,-
shrouded in night. To
begin to climb it in search of tiny
hut, probably well-hidden and hard to
find In daylight, seemed a task as in-
possible as to meet with the needle in
the hay! And now, while stoo&.
chilled and doubling, the steps of thu
troop In the road began to grow audi.
Die, began to come nearer.
"Well, M. le Capitaine?" the man he.
side muttered-in wonder why stood.
Which way? Or they will be before
us yet! '~ -,:> .i'-c%.S
1 tried to think, to reason it out: 20
consider where the hut would bo:
while the wind sighed through the oaxs
and here and there could hear. an
acorn fall. But the thing pressed too
close on me: my thoughts would not
be hurried and at last said a.
venture, up the hill! Straight from
the stack" =
He did not demur and we plunged Al
the ascent, knee deep in bracken and
furze, sweating at every pore with our
exertions and hearing the troop come
every moment nearer on the road be-
low. Doubtless they knew exactly
whittier to go! Forced to stop and take
breath when we had scrambled up 20
yards or so, I. say their lanthorns shin
ing like moving glow-worms; aud could
even hear the clink, Of steel. For iii I.
could tell,' the hut might be dowp
there and we two be moving from
It! But it was too. late to 10