The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-08-18
x.
Bread Upon the Waters

shrfekfng wildly. Keeling I'm a kind OF
arunkcn frenzy, now that their goai
wa I'm sight, waving their blazing
brands above their heads or shaking
furiOusly such rude weapons as they
carried. And as / looked at them, L
realized how thin is the veneer OF CIV
uizatfon, product though 1t be OF long
centuries. Here 1t had vanished at q
breath. These creatures had reverted
TO the state of al and burned
with the lust of blood and plumber.
Why, there are women among
them!" ] cried, and indeed there were
certain p~etticoated figures shrieking as
madiy as the rest, though there was
k9tttug feminine in the demoniac
Me torches.
'sThe women are the worst of all"
said M. le Comte. "In Paris they have
devised fortunes of q fiendishness be-
FOND mans ingenuity; they SIT day
after day watching the gufIlotine; they
are never stated with blood"
But the mob had reached n ter
race, had swept over IL Iii a tidal
wave and on into the house. Instant
" a pandemonium broke loose--the
crash OF breaking glass, OF furniture
riven asunder, OF doors burst from their
hinges. 1t seemed that in a breath the
mousse itself must be DESTROYED. torn
stone from stone under that fierce as
pault. 1 saw Madame shudder at the
Thought OF the havoc which was being
wrought among the objects that h
loved.
But where are the Blues?" I asked.
surely they will not stand Idly by and
permit this OutrageT"
"How could they stay it?" asked M.
ie COmte sadly. "They are powerless.
They can do nothing. As well hope to
stay the tide of the ocean"
'dThey wish to do nothing. monsieur"
said P~asdelOup. They abandon the
chateau and all its contains to the mob.
See. there they go yonder."
And following his gesture we saw
two boats loaded with armed men just
clipping into the shadows Of the far
Their shore.
n. le Comte stared at them for a
moment. then down at n frenzied
crowd on the terrace, and grew white
to tho lips. At last he turned to his
wife.
Come, madame" he said, in a voice
strangely calm. d you and Charlotte
descend to the floor below. where you
can. at least, sit down. II I had only
thought to bring a candle"
Il have One," said P~asdeloup, and
produced from his pocket a piece Of
candle some six inches in length, to-
gether with flint and steel. In a mo-
nent he candle was alight.
Good" cried his master. Nov you
can feel almost at home. madame. Per-
haps you may eve succeed in getting
an hours sleep. Certainly you will be
Far more comfortable than on this ex-
posed platform. Let me. light the
way"
He took the candle from Pasdeloup's
hand and started down the stair.
Madame followed him without a word,
put her companion paused and glanced
1t me. I was at her side in al in
stant.
What is Il" she asked. in a whisper.
why are we banished? There is no
1anger?"
"Oh, no, mademoiseIIe," I assured
hope that you will really get some
sleep"
"Sleep!" she echoed scornfully. For
THAT do o take me?"
For the loveliest woman in the
world!" l said. In that. at least, /
am not mistaken"
wait until you have seen more Of
.hem!" she retorted, with a flash of
1er old spirit. and started down the
stair. But at the second step she
stopped and turned back to me. m.
AC AoNCthdy oiO cai0, iOohluB up AZ
me with shining eyes you must prom
ise me one thing"
What Is thai? 2"
II there Is any danger. you will call
me-"
Very WE'LL 1 said quietly, after a
moment, Il promise"
Thank you" she said. and waving
her hand to me. disappeared into the
darkness below.
M. lie Comte was back a moment
later. the shadow still dark across his
face. He came directly to the spot
where Pasdeloup and l stood leaning
against the wall.
Nov, Pasdeloup," he said, tell
me what o know of this affair. I
confess that / do not in the least I'M
ierstand It. And 1 want the worst
mind you, the worst. L want to
know the very uttermost we shall have
20 face. Who was it set these peasants
on? Who set that trap for me this
morning? Whose hand is It aiming
these blows at me?"
For a moment Pasdeloup hesitated,
staring from his master down at the
chateau and back again.
You remember Goujon, mon
sieur?" he asked at last, and 1t seemed
to me that / had heard the name,
though / could not remember where.
"Goujon?" repeated M. lie Comte.
"No-who is he?"
zone night, three years ago, mon
sieur, as you were about to retire,
you fancied you heard a noise in the
ro0m above your apartment-an empty
attic. You called a servant Inc TAX
ing your pistols, mounted to that attic.
In n corner you found a man crouch
Ing. You dragged him forth and dis
covered II to be a creature who should
have been employed about the kennels,
He excused himself by saying that one
of the maids was his mistress, that. or
leaving her, he had lost his way and
stumbled into that attic. The maids
did, indeed, sleep on that floor. and
you found that he was the lover OF
one of them. But when she shrieked
out that IL was not with her he
spent his nights, you did not heed
her; you thought 1t was merely some
excuse. So you contented yourself
with kicking the fellow down the
steps OF the terrace n warning him
to set foot on your estate
again.
'WeIl?" said M. lie Comte, some.
what impatiently.
well that fellow was Goujon
monsieur. Had you passed your swort
through him, all this would never have
occurred. Six months later you were
walking in your woods down yondel
by the river, when you came suddenly
upon n man taking a hare from c
snare. / CHANGED to pass at the mo.
ment, and we brought him with u.
back IN the chateau though he resisfaf