The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-05-05
HcHFLlEU READ T AND THAN SANk BACK
 IN Ills CHAIR.

The indentity of the mysterious woman known to d'Artagnan. She was the widow of an Englishman, Lord de Winter. and spy of the Cardinal. The Gascon sought her acquaintance because of her beauty and became in- fatuated with her. To separate her from her lover, the Count de Wardes. the same man whom he had wounded at Calais, the Gascon descended to scur- wy tricks. even to forging an insulting note Then, in his infatuation and thinking that Milady really loved him. he confessed to her one day all that he had done.
 Instead of falling into his arms, the woman fell upon him with a dagger and the young man had to fight for his life. In the struggle her clothes became disarranged and d'Artagnan saw a feur de lys branded on her shoulder. When he told the story to Athos that night and described to him the appearance of Milady, the Muske- teer said: Ten thousand furies! 1t is my wife-the creature whom left for dead! But that you must not say now to our friends Beware! That woman will do you harm; she will have your life if she can"
 D'Artagnan had fallen a prey to the Vaccinations of Milady the more readily that Madame Bonacieux had been spirited away. All he could learn was that it was the Cardinals doings and that NJ Bonacieux was one of the Car dinals spies and aided His Eminence In thus removing from the person of the Queen an attendant upon whom that unhappy lady could depend.
 However, dArtagnan's contemplation of his private affairs was cut short by orders to join the army before Rochelle, where all available troops were being concentrated under the direct super vision of the Red Duke, as they called the Cardinal. for the purpose of press ing the seige of the rebellious city. Soon after his arrival d'Artagnan was set upon in a solitary road by two men with muskets, and only escaped assas- situation by his fleetness of foot. In this ambuscade he recognized 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 1t before 1t had been tasted by d'Artagnan fell down and died in horrible agony. The wine was poisened and the letter accompany ing it a forgery. Again. going on a scout with two soldiers who had volun- teered for the service, he narrowly escaped assassination at their hands One of his assallants was killed and d'Artagnan wounding the other, made him beg 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 com panion had carried off Madame Bona cieux to a secret prison, but that the Queen had rescued her and placed her for safety in a convertible did not know where. Milady had sworn not only to kill d'Artagnan, but all who loved him.
 MiIady was beginning to get on he felt himself surrounded by hidden dangers.
 One night, in the upper room of a little cabaret, some distance from the French lines, the Cardinal was seated alone with a woman who had arrived shortly before with an escort of two men. In the room below, which they had to themselves, were seated Pathos, Athos and Aramis. They had been returning from the trenches when they met the Red Duke in the road accom- panied by 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 contrary, he admired them. and was sincerely desirous of attaching them, as well as d'Artagnan. to his own ser vice. Therefore he had graciously asked the three Musketeers to act as his escort when he met them in the road, and they had ridden with him to the cabaret.
 The stove had been removed from the room where tho three men sat but the pipe remained and extended through the floor into the upper chamber.
 Athos. who had been walking moodi- ly up and down, suddenly paused and bent his head toward the end of the pipe. listening intently. Then he motioned for the others to come to him softly. Through the pipe all that was said in the upper room was audible to the three MusketaerA