The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-10

probably the least expected man tn@t
 ever came to visit the Duke of Bur | gpndy. Louis xI himself. Induced | partly by his deep statecraft. partly by | his superstitious belief in omens and l astrology, had thrust his head into the Hons mouth, willing to risk all to pla- 1 cate the Duke at that critical time and | confident in his ability to cajole the headstrong but not very strong-hsaded | soldier. --
 Despite the Burgundian rulers hat
 red of hls eel-like cousin, despite the
 fact that he had sent him a challenge. he felt forced not only to be hospita- l ble' to his undesired guest but to show
 him the respect due from vassal to q
 king. though he intermingied extreme
 ly plain speaking with his observance
 of courtly form.
 Louis, playing a desperate game as he well knew, called to his aid all the great resources of a mind at once pro- found and cunning. He met Duke Charles on his own ground with coarse jest and laugh. He smootherd away deep hurts with a smile and a promise.
 He bribed the Burgundian court un- | der It's rulers noses and won himself | adherents. In fact he would have de- | parted with the honors of the game
 had 1t not been for that which he could not foresee.
 Cunningiy as he had fernented trou-
  induced < the Wild Boar of Ardennes to move against the Dukes authority. he still had not dreamed that they
 would be mad enough to attack the Bishop until they received armed help
 from him--help which he carefully re-
 trained from sending.
 But men who plot walk on dizzy l edge. Louis saw victory of policy
 within his hand, only to have his plans fall in ruin when the news of the bloody deed in Liege was brought to Peronne and announced in open coun-
 eli in the presence of the King and the Duke.
 ''Murdered," roared the Duke. start Ing up and stamping his foot with such fury that he dashed to pieces the stool
 before him. Bar the doors of this
 halll Gentlemen of my chamber draw
 your swords! Murderer of thy brother? he continued in a terrible voice, shak-
 en by emotion and fury, turning to the King. ''Treacherous allyi Per
 iured lsingi Dishonored gentleman! Thou saFe in my power and I thank God for itY'
 He ended with a deep sob. for he had truly loved the old Bishop. Wild
 confusion reigned throughout the hall. The few warriors in the train of Louis
 started to his side prepared to die with him, since they knew that they could not hope to prevail against the odds. Of all the many in the great chamber Louis alone was calm and collected. He knew that one blow would precip- 1 itate a massacre in which he would be | certain to perish. With all his au- thority he commanded his supporters 1 to yield their swords and without re- monstrance he permitted himself to
 be led under guard to prison.
 That night the Duke neither un- | dressed nor slept but wept and CUTS l aa ftar Uvntl0 xUyifh hnnF hia de- l termination grew to kill the King of | France. His nobles besought him not l to stain his honor with so foul a breach
 of hospitality and faith; but for a l long while 1t was in vain. Some of his ] most trusted nobles took counsel with
 Louis himself and represented to him | that they could swerve the Duke from
 his purpose only if they could prove to | him that the French king was guiltless
 of complicity with William de la
 Marck.
 There was only one who might test | ify in his favor. That was the young | scotch archer who had just entered
 Peronne with the Countess Isabelle. It
 was a desperate chance. Louis calLul-
 ated that Quentin could not have es- capped the death trap of the Wild Boar
 had he not been forwarned of treach-
 enough to make desperate expedients
 wise. He sent Lord Crawford to sound | the young Scot
 whether Ills Majesty be innocent l or guilty in the matter of the foul
 play that beset us on his errand," said l quentin to his countryman, "I leave to | God and his own conscience. will never load his in his diversity with | accusations. But there Is a lady who | knows the circumstances and who Is l not bound by any duty. If l can see | her I will undertake to induce her to | remain silent on all that she may sus- pect,'
 Even with this argument to aid him. | poor Quentin found 1t difficult task 1 to get speech with Isabelle. Her noble
 kinsmen, more than suspecting how | things stood between her and the land
 less lad, had kept her close from the | hour of her arrival. Only the great | ness of the emergency won a grudg- l ing assent from them at last and the | two were permitted to meet alone. | Impulsively they kissed each other | and earnestly eyes looked into eyes, not knowing If they would ever meet | again in this world; for Isabelle had | declared that she would enter a nun ! nery rather than marry the Dukes l choice.
 The impatient CreVecoeur. who wait | ed outside. parted them again within l few moments barely giving Quentin ! time to exact a promise from her that ] che would not give voice to any of her