The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1907-12-07
CHAPTER XVIII.
"coward!"

the hOur. IL was SIX. Inc Chateau
walls cast long shadow on the oppo-
site bank of the river. The mountains
in the far distance were purple and
red in the evening light. The long
day was coming swiftly to an end;
and the night was mysterious with its
promise of despair.
This tower of the three rooms! Two
of these rooms held their tragedies.
What II the third room had its ira
gedy likewise!
/ struck sharply the door of that
room in which Madame de WARMER
had said that Captain Forbes was Inn
prisoned I listened; there was no
answer. l called the name of the
kings messenger aloud; still there
was no answer. Soon the moon would
rise, and its cold rays might fall on
the lifeless body of Forbes; for If all
we're we'll, why should there be this
ominous quiet?
The suspense was uncomfortable. 1
| listened at the door of the room that |
concealed the two women. I heard
the murmer of voices. That treasured
me so far as Helena's safety was con-
cerned: but it made me absolutely
certain that Captain Forbes must have
heard my voice il he were living, and
in that room.
And when the two women came out!
I shrank from that coming with
dread. had told Helena to be brave,
to ignore the evidence of her own
sight. But / had been shaken in my
own belief as to Sir Mortimer's inno-
cence. Surely her faith would be
greater than mine; but the evidence
seemed so overwhelmingly against Sir
Mortimer. il Sir Mortimer's letters
and notes were genuine. At any rate
the woman loved must hold bitter
cup to her blanched lips; 1t must be
emptied to the very dregs. Her suffer-
ing was inevitable, whether she be-
lieyed her brother innocent or guilty.
I could not doubt that she would
refuse to purchase the silence OF
Madame de WARMER at the cost OF fur.
Their dishonor, even though were
| chiefly to bear that myself. But II
| she demanded that? Was l strong
] enough to resist her tears? must be
NV reason told me of the folly Of
Madame de WARMERS plan. But II
| Welded weakly presently, and the rust
i actually succeeded. knew that the
| hypocrisy of the act would become
more and more dreadful to Heleni
a with the coming years. No; II In ina
supreme ecstacy of her agony sn'
| should entreat me, must still refuse
| In must decide for her, even thougl
| she thought my own cowardice IL
| sponsible for that refusal.
Coward, How that word beat
| devils tattoo on my excited brain.
had been the keynote to all my su1el
| ing. and to all my joy. Willougnp
had died uttering it; Helena ma
echoed it in thought; and Madame
WARMER had spoken it again and agai
in her fierce contempt during the pal
of hour Yes. it was the keynote OF m
he suffering and my joy. 1t was II
motif that obtruded again and again
her the stormy music of these past hour
let- It was a baneful talisman, watc
me word. It's letters seemed to have
most a magic potency. 1t was cou
, I tersign that opened for me the gat
3d. of paradise and hell.
be- A talisman! A watchword! cou
ers tersign! Suddenly saw the wo
for COWARD written in flaming II
de- tiers. They revolved furiously. In
was danced before my vision
les- This was sheer madness-tnis !
me, posible conjecture. l reasoned the
reasoning impulse to hope agar
'oss hone. But the forlorn, desperate p
avy sibility fought obstinately ior rec
had milton. 1t held me with all the dan
ain ing power of hallucination.
loor And then suddenly 1t became a 6
pom viction. 1t was no longer an impos
the bile hope. not even an intuition II
and came an absolute belief, certain
And this was the reason for my
70 lief:
with whenever Madame de WARMER
mentioned the safe she had called
hese coward.
COWARD!
the That was the combination OF
rned safe.
HE At last a door opened. Helena M
hers her way toward me with uncer,
pies steps, her hands held out before
re- as one cropping in the dark. Her sp
,ious did fearlessness was gone. she u
cd at me with the wild eyes o
q. / ,vounded animal vainly seeking
4 we of escape. AS she reached my
ecide her hands we're still held out as II
h in protection. I grasped them mr.
sion. MT aid not speak.
you cro Re CONTINUED,
A. lire fc fWt