The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-08-25
CHAPTER xr--(continued.)

H 1 SIlAI EIs
"Well, let them watch it. We shall
not open II. and they can never break
1t down."
II would not be too certain Of that,
monsieur" said Pasdeloup. gloomily.
They hav learned many things at
Paris. Goujon boasted that. even UNI
armed, the people had taken a great
prison called the Bastille-but most
probably ne was lying"
mo" said his master in a low tone.
'in that particular. at least, he spoke
the truth. But miracles co not repeat
themselves"
They no doubt have other means at
command" responded Pasdeloup, GRIM
ly, without calling in the aid OF the
good God
N9 acnt tssy haze az we a esn REDUCES nis
the number of these assassins,' n
he drew his pistols.
But Pasdeloup laid a warning hand
upon his arm. IL
mot yet. monsieur" he said. II
may be mistaken. Perhaps there Is
vet q chance. Perhaps those others
will refuse to join them. perhaps they,
will grow weary, after a time. and
depart for home, content with sucn
plumber as they can carry away with
them. But IL we begin the attack they
Will be on fire in a moment.
You are right" agreed his master
and slowly returned his pistols to his
belt. .Let us walt, then. And in
! the meantime. Pasdeloup. do o tell
us how you came to know so well
what Goujon was p~lann.ng-and
more especially, why, since you did
know 1t, you did not give ne warn
ing? q
Pasdcloup hesitated a moment.
"I will tell you, monsieur" he said
T. NJ Iucf mi unn will GAO that 4 am
not to blame--that I did what / could.
You perhaps know the inn of the Belle
Image ut Danger"
II have heard of It,"
IL was there one evening a week
ago. drinking a glass OF wine dur
ing an hour Laroche had taken my
place at the gate. 1t was the first
time that ne had ever proposed such
a thing, but that night he came to
me and told me of the wonderful new
wine at the Belle Image, so good n
so cheap, since II no longer had to
pay tribute to the church and to the
aristOcrats. He ended by saying that
as he had nothing to do for an hour
he would take my place at the gate
while / went to the Belle Image. and
tasted the wine. / confess / was sur
prised: he saw II and explained that
he wanted me to test for myself one
Of tn. benefits the republic had con-
leTfcu upOn the peOpit. so l. Weit.
4 saw afterward that that was not
his purpose at all"
IT can guess What his purpose
was" sai M. le COmte, but con-
tinue III story"
II was, as l have said. drinking my
wine" continued Pasdeloup. (which
was truly Of q surprising excellence,
when a man came and sat down be-
side me. For q moment / did not
know him; then / saw 1t was Goujon.
He greeted me with a kindness which
surprised me when 1 remembered
that II was 1 who had helped to APP
1ure him: but he seemed to have for
gotten that. / saw that he was well
dressed and that his. hands We're
white. Re ordered a bottle of wine
even superior to that which i was
drinking. invited me to 'oin him, n
began to tell me of the wonderful
events which were happening in Paris
-events J, hteh would end BY making
us all free and rich n happy. He
said that the aristocrats and the
priests had been starving and robbing
and killing us for 500 years, and that
nov 1t was our turn.
"'You remember that your own
mother was starved to death Pasde-
loup.' he said
Yes I said. 4 remember that
ALTHOUGH enough to feed a hun
dred people was wasted every day at
the chateau
Yes / agreed. perhaps that is
true
".You know how she would have
been beaten had it beer known that
she stole even a morsel of food from
b PIGS
"'You ma perhaps remember he
went on, with a frightful contortion
of the countenance, the punishment ]
suffered for trapping a hare
eyes, / said, 4 remember
land do you think 1t just, good
God!' he cried. that a man should
suffer like that for a fault so trivial?
Yet that Is what was happening day
by day all over this broad land of
France! What could we do? They
o our grain for their bread, our
flocks for their meat. our daughters for
their pleasure. Did we so much as
protest. we were hanged on the nearest
gallows as a warning to others not to
lift their heads. We might live or die,
starve or rot-what did 1t matter? We
were less to them. as you have seen,
than the swine in their pens,' I do not
know, added Pasdeloup, in another
tone. whether all Nf this was true: but
1t had a certain air Of truth about It,"
Most OF it was true. / fear" said
M. let Connie. In a low voice. though
i had lever looked at 1t in quite that
way"
There is a great difference, Is there
not. monsieur" asked Pasdeloup, "in
whether one looks at a thing from
above or belOw?"
Yes" agreed his master. still more
quickly. there Is"
AT any rate" continued Pasdeloup.
"Goujon grew more and more excited
with each word he uttered. why is it,
he demanded. that some people wear
lace and jewels n others only rags?
Why should a mobiles pigs be treated
better than his peasants? Why should
the peasants toll from year to year In
order that the priests and the aristo-
Gratis may live in idleness with their
women and nave fine wines to drink
n fine clothes to wear. and great
houses to shelter them. while we who
make the wine, and spin the cloth, and
build the houses. have only swill and
rags and novels? Why should they be
warm in winter and we cold? why
should we permit their game to de-
stroy u crops. without being per-
mitted to raise a hand TO prevent it?'
81 do not know I answered, 'ex-
cept that 1t has always been So
r'Well. 1t will be so no longer!' he
cried. we are going to change all
that. We are going to reverse things.
Monsieur Veto has already sneezed in
the sack; the Austrian woman and her