The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-05

| one of the four might survive to place the Queens note in tLe hand of Bucking- ham.
 Tn Chantilly a stranger at the inn fixed quarrel upon Porthos and invited him to walk in the garden" with him. Kill the fellow and rejoin us as soon as you can," cried Athos. league beyond Beauvais the three travellers came upon some workmen engaged in repairing the road. As they passed the pretended workingmen seized muskets hidden be- hind a bank and fired at them. It was an ambush of Monsigneur le Cardinal. A ball hit Aramis in the shoulder and another stretched Mousqueton, Porthos's valet, on the ground with a wound in his thigh. Aramis was still riding with his comrades when they had cleared the ambush but so badly wounded was he that they had to leave him at the next inn, and left there, also his valet, Bazin, to attend him. Bazin had proved him. self a nuisance in a skirmish They reached Amiens at midnight and alishted at the inn of the Lis dor. When Athos went to pay the bill next morning the host accused him of trying to pass a bad coin, and called for help. band of armed men rushed in upon the Mus keteer.
 T am taken" shouted Athos. "Go on, d d'Artagnan! Spur! Spur!'
 Leaving Athos fighting desperately against odds, d'Artagnan and his lackey, Planchet, sprang upon the two horses which stood ready saddled at the inn door and galloped away. Their own horses had been tempered with during the night as had the horses of all the others of the party. The steeds on which tk rode away were, they rightly sur f1,o of 1fqca ria of ba Cardinal just then busy experimenting ths capture of Athos Fast the long road swept away beneath the flying feet of the appropriated steeds and d'Artagnan | and Planchet arrived at St. Omer with out once drawing rein.
 ,Azthundred paces from the gates of | Caldis d'Artagnans horse sunk under him and the horse of !'lanchet refused to | move further. Leaving their nags on | thu highroad the two men ran toward | thu port. As they did so they observed a gentleman whose boots and apparel gave evidence that he had ridden far and hard, also making to the port and evi- dently in great haste. As they came up to him he was trying to engage from a shipmaster passage to England.
 Nothing would be easier" said the ship captain; my vessel is ready to sail, but this morning there arrived by express an order that no one should be allowed to cross without express permission of tho Cardinal"
 "I have that permission" said the stranger, handing the captain a paper which the latter examined and then handed back with directions to have it countersigned by the governor of the port who was at his country house, a quarter of league from the city.
 D'Artagnan and Planchet followed the gentleman and the lackey who accom- H.. wood before they reached the Governors house, placed the gentleman hors du combat and tied the lackey to a tree. Then the Gascon took from the wounded and insensible stranger the coveted pass.
 1t was made out in the name of Count de Wardes, and by that name d'Artag- nan presented himself before the govern or, obtained his countersign, and thus armed. had no difficulty in passing over to England. When Buckingham read the Queens letter he was filed with alarm, which changed into terror when, upon examining the studs, he discovered that two of them were missing. But the bril- liant favorite of Charles I was quick to meet and overcome an occasion. Seating himself at his desk he hastily wrote and sent off order commanding that no ships leave the shores of England untn further notice without his special per mission.
 Then ke sent for his jeweler and said to him: Make me two diamond studs exactly like these ten have tkem done day after tomorrow and I will give you six thousand pistoles. Meantime. you are my prisoner. Fit up your workshop here; send for what material and assist ance you require"
 After dArtagnan, bearing twelve dia- mond studs exactly alike. had sailed from London the embargo was removed and ship on which Milady was a passenger followed close on the ore which bore the Gascon.
 At the ball the Queen wore her dia- mond studs set in a shoulder knot. The Cardinal drew near the King and placed in his hand a small casket containing two diamond studs
 q think If you will count them. you will find that Her Majesty wears only ten studs" said he. Ask her who could have stolen these two"
 The King, always mo-bidly jealous, at once approached the Queen and counted thu studs she wore. There were twelve. He called the Cardinal to him and asked severely, What does this mean?"
 Armand Duplesss was never caught napping-at least, by man of the Kings calibre. Tt means" replied the Cardinal with low bow, that I was desirous of presenting these two studs to Her Maj
  myself, I adopted this manner of induc- in.; her to accept tn, m
 And I am the more grateful to Your Eminence." replied Anne of Austria, shooting a look of intelligence and tri- umph at the Cardinal. from being cer- tain that these two studs have cost you as dearly as all the others cost His Maj esty."
 Alter that night d Artagnan wore on his finger a magnificent diamond, the gift of queen. His three friends, being re- covered of their wounds and freed from the.- other misfortunes. soon rejoned hirl and the four "ruffled 1t" again in the streets of Paris.
 One day Athos told de'ArtaEnan what he had kept hidden from all others-the secret of his life. He was indeed a great noble, the Count fc la Fere. Some years before he had been trapped into a marriage with beautiful woman who turned out to be an abandoned creature, branded upon the shoulder with feur de lys. the mark of a common thief. Upon learning all her wicked history the Count had hanged her with his own hands to a tree in Lis park, and then, letting it be supposed that he was dead, {1;, he ATue