The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-05
RcHELlEU READ IT AND THAN
 SANK BACK IN Ills CHAIR

known as Milady also became known to d d'Artagnan. She was the widow of an Englishman, Lord de Winter, and spy ol the Cardinal. The Gascon sought her acquaintance because of her beauty and became infatuated with her. To separate her from her lover, the Count Wardes, the same man whom he had wounded at Calais, the Gascon descended to scurvy tr4;.s, even to forging an insulting note. Th.l, in his infatuation and thinking th..s Milady really loved him, he com fes1ed to her one day all that he had done.
 Instead of falling into his arms, the woman fell upon him with dagger and the young man had to fight for his life h the struggle her clothes became dis arranged and dArtagnan saw fieur de lys branded on her shoulder. When he told the story to Athos that night and de- scribed to him the appearance of Milady the Muskcteer Gaid: 'Ten thousand fu- ries! It Is my wife. the creature whom I left for deadl but that you must not sa. now to our friends. Beware! That woman will do you harm; she will have your life if she can"
 D'Artagnan had fallen prey to the Vaccinations of Milady the more readily tha. Madame Bonacieux had been spir- itel away. All he could learn was that it was the Cardinals doinss and that M. Bonaceux was ons of the Cardinals s spies and aided His Eminence In thus removing from the person of the Queen an attendant upon whom that unhappy lady could depend.
 However d'Artagnan's contemplation of his private affairs was cut short by or ders to join the army before Rochelle, where all available tr- ops were being concentrated under the direct supervision of the Red Duke as they called the Car oinal, for the purpose of pressing the siege of the rebelious city. Soon after his arrival d'Artagnan was set upon in a solitary road by two men with muskets, and only escaped assassination by his fleet ness of foot. In this ambuscade he rec ognized the sworn vengeance of Milady.
 A little later he received a present of some wine purporting to come from the messman of the Musketeers. A servant who drank of it before it had been tasted by d'Artagnan fell down and died in hor rible agony. The wine was poisoned and the letter accompanying it forgery. Again. going on scout with two sol- diers who had volunteered for the service. he narrowly escaped assassination at the.- hands. One of his assailants was ki..ed and d'Artagnan. wounding the other, made him Deg for mercy and forced him to tell who had set him on to his work It was, of course, Milady. In gratitude to the Gascon for sparing his life, the man confessed also that he and his companioL had carried off Madame Bonacieux to a secret prison. bu the Queen had rescued her and placed her for safety in convent-he did not know where. Milady had sworn not only to kill d'Artagnan, but all who loved him.
 M.lady was beginning to get on d'Ar- taenan's nerves. Night and day he felt himself surrounded by hidden dangers.
 One night. in the upper room of little cabaret, some distance removed from the French lines. the cardinal was seated alone with woman who had arrived shortly before with an escort of two men. In the room below, which they ha to themselves. were seated Porthos. Athos and Aramis They had been re- turning from the trenches when they had met the Red Duke in the road ac- companied by a single follower
 The Cardinal was of too broad a mind to cherish resentment toward men who were faithful and valiant in the cause of their employer and friend. On the con- trary. he admired them, and was sin cerely desirous of attaching them, as well as d'Artagnan, to his own service. Therefore he had graciously asked the three Musketeers to act as his escort ha, ricden with him to the cabaret.
 The stove had been removed from the room where the three men sat, but the pipe remained and extended through the floor into the upper chamber.