The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-09-22

whatever the result of the fight at the
cliff. 1t was improbable that any of
the enemy had fingered so long In the
neiShborhood. So l went forward
boldly and as swiftly as / could down
the hill. into the narrow bed OF the
torrent where now murmured the clear
waters Of a little brook, over the rough
stones. around a Jagged point OF rock
and the scene OF the fight lay before
me.
For a moment saw only the rocks.
the red earth-then my eye vas caught
by a huddled mass so trampled into
the mud as to be almost indistinguish-
able from It, yet Enthusiastically a
human body. l fastened Onward with
heart beating madly; / bent above 1t
and stared down into the battered and
blaclSened face. Disfigured, repulsive
as it was, l knew it instantly-it was
P~asdeloup. With a sudden feeling Of
s~uffocation. / stood erect and looked
about me, trembling at the thought OF
the dread objects my eyes sought and
yet shrank FROM. Then I drew a quick
breath OF relief, Of joy, of thankfulness.
Pasdeioup had sacrificed his life. in
deed, but not In van; his master had
escaped, by some miracle he nae
escaped. bearing his wife with him.
She had been only wounded, then
that was not the pallor Of death-she
had merely tainted; perhaps the wound
idu DceIl oHly Il tTlNldf one. but WHICH
I way had he gone? Why did he not
press forward to the cave? I must
hasten to him.. He would need assist
ance. Which way
stopped, shivering. my Eyes burn
ing into my brain. for there, in cruel
exposure. half way down the slope,
were two objects
How I got down to them. shaken as
! was by the agony OF that discovery,
7 knnuy mot. rarnaphar ntlx, the
tempest Of wild rage which burst with
In me as / looked down at those naked,
mutilated figures-hideously, unspeak-
ably mutliated. And I held my
clenched hands above my head and
swore, as there was a God In heaven,
that ! would have vengeance Of the
devil who had done this thing. He
would pay for It: he should pay to the
uitermost. drop by drop. I vowed my
self to the task; by nay fathers MEM
Dry, by my mothers love. by my hope
OF heaven. i swore that for me there
should be no rest. no happiness, no
con'entment until ! had pulled this
monster down and sent his soul to the
torture which awaited It.
For an instant the mad thought
seized me to set off at once or the trail
of the murderers, to harry them, cieave
them asunder, seize the fiend who had
set them on and wiring his life out. A
SupPrEUflan strength DOSSoSSeO me, d
divine ardOr of vengeance, and not for
an instant did I doubt that God would
nerve M arm to accomplish all this
to a doubts that would be to doubt
His justice, His might. His mercy. But
suddenly | remembered that another
duty had been laid upon me. l must
discharge that. first: I must go on to
the Bocage. Then ] could turn back to
DANCE.
0raXy Colpoer altar a fip1a' that
divine rage passed away and left me
weak n shaken. ! sat Imply down
upon q nearby stOne. and gazed at
those desecrated bodies. with the hot
tears starting from my eyes at thought
OF the gallant mar n fair woman for
whom this hideous fate a been re-
served. In that m Of anguish,
there was but one comforting reflec-
tion-she had died with her husbands
arms about her, his voice in her ears,
his kisses on her lips. Her soul had
winged its flight TO heaven pure. UNI
a"iled: IT was not she who suffered
this defilement-it was but the poor,
Nutg"owr. empty dwelling which she
left behind. And-he had Joined her
before q throne which would endure
through all eternity. in a land where
there were no revolutions.
Yet. deserted. insentient as they were.
7 could not leave these poor bodies here
7 w " ~ iii' Sutiy W " u pituS
and unc!ean beasts OF the night. Still
7 could not spare the time to bury
them. for the sun was already sinking
toward the horizon. I glanced despair
inGlr about me-then ] saw the way.
Twenty feet above the bed Of the
stream. soTe tremendous freshet had
eaten into the ban and so undermined
II that II seemed to hang tottering in
the air. In a moment. I had carried the
bodies one Nv one into the shadow OF
this hank and laid them tenderly side
by side. Then I hrsitated-but only for
an instant. 7 went straight to the spot
where Pasdeloup Law. and half drag
aine. half carrying. placed him at last
beside his master. where ne surely had
the right to lie-where, ] even fancied.
he won'd have wished to lie. l knew
little Of the burial mass. but l could
at least ga" Il prayer above them. and
cOrra"rate the ground with my tears.
-As I was about to turn away a
sudden thought struck me. Here was
a disguise ready to my hand. and !
would need one sorely. / had donned
my gayest suit the night before-the
suit. indeed. / had not thought to wea,
until | approached the high altar a,
Poitiers-ard though It was already
sadly soiled n torn, 1t must still at
tract attention to a man with no bette,
means of conveyance than his own legs
4. Unde the rude garments which Pasde.
5 loup had worn-stained as they were
with blood md dlrt-no one would sus.
| reet the royalist. Here was a chance
not to be neglected. In a moment
| had stripped off his stockings, blous,
| and brooches. cleaned the caked muC
I from them as well as I could. ant
| throwing my own garments over him
+ donned his-not without a shiver o
: repugnance-taking care to transfer I,
: my new attire my purse. my ammuni
ton, and the one pistol which remained
to me. and to secure the knife whicl
g had already lone such execution. ant
$ which / found gripped in his right hand
I ] tied his coarse handkerchief abou
9 my head, and stopping only for a littl
I prayer. clamhered to the top Of tn,
4 bank and with my sword began to loos
: on the o~verhanging earth. Great crack
| Showed here and there, and 1t mus
x soon have fallen of it's own weight
80 very little remained for me to dc
I and at the end OF n moments work
t ! saw the cracks slowly widen.
Il Then, with a dull crash which echoe,
y along the valley. the earth fell upo,
E the bodies. burying them to a dept
q OF many feet. safe from desecratio,
$ by the fang OF brute or the eye OF mar
" The tears were streaming down m
u face as ] turned away. but / coul
: not linger. for darkness was at han
y and I had already been ton long al