Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-09-30

whatever the result Of the fight at the
cliff, II was improbable hat any OF
the enemy had fingered so long in the
neighbOrhood. SO ! went forward
boldly and as swiftly as l could down
the hill, into the narrow bed OF the
torrent where now murmured the clear
waters OF q little brook. over the rough
stones, around a Jagged point Of rock
and the scene Of the fight lay before
me.
For a moment I saw only the rocks,
the red earth-then my eye was caught
by a huddled mass so trampled into
the mud as TO he almost iGdistinguish-
able from II, yet Enthusiastically a
human body. l fastened forward with
heart beating madly; / bent above II
and stared down into the battered and
~blackened face. Disfgured, repulsive
as It was, l knew 1t instantly-it was
Pasdeloup. With a sudden feeling Of
s~uHOCation, / stood erect and looked
about me, trembling at the thought OF
the dread objects my eyes sought and
yet shrank from. Then l drew a quick
breath Of relief. Of toy, of thankfulness,
Pasdeloup had sacrificed his life, In
deed, but not in van; his master had
escaped, by some miracle he had
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
had been only a trivial one. But which
way had he gomez Why did he not
press forward to the cave2 I must
hasten to him. He would need assist
ance. Which way
I stopped, shivering. my eyes burn
Ing into my brain, for there, in cruel
exposure. half way down the slope,
were two objects
How l got down to them, shaken as
/ was by the agony Of that discovery,
/ know not; l remember only the
tempest OF wild rage which burst with
in me as l looked down at those naked,
mutilated fgures-hideously unspeak-
ably mutliated. And ! held my
clenched hands above my head and
swore, as there was q 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
uttermost, drop by drop. I vowed my
self to the task: by may fathers mem
DRY, by my mothers love, by my hope
OF heaven, l swore that for me there
should be nc rest, no happiness, no
contentment until I 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 on the trail
vi NiAS III Z - ~ y AAA~AAAf NANc ~
them asunder, seize the flend who had
set them on, and wiring his life out. A
superhuman strength possessed me, a
divine ardor OF vengeance, n not for
an instant did / doubt hat God would
nerve my arm to accomplish all this
to have doubted that would be to doubt
His justice, His might, His mercy. But
suddenly I remembered that another
duty had been laid upon me. I must
1fGph1 rpp that fret YJ1IICf prn ON 10
the Bocage. Then ! could turn back to
DANCE.
! grew calmer after a time: that
divine rage passed away and left me
weak and shaken. / sat Imply down
upon o nearby stone, and gazed at
those desecrated bodies, with the hot
tears starting from my eyes at thought
of the gallant man and fair woman for
whom his hideous fate had been re-
served. In that moment 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 It's flight to heaven pure. I'M
soiled. II was not she who suffered
this defilement-it was IA the poor,
outcrown. empty dwelling which she
left behind, And-he had Joined her
before a throne which would endure
~ AAF fAR NNNAA ilNNs vi u lillb NilNI Y
there were no revolutions.
Yet. deserted. insentient as they were,
| could not leave these poo bodies here
TO rot in the sun, food for carrion birds
and unclean beasts OF the night. Still
| could not par the time to bury
them. for the sun was already sinking
toward the horizon, / glanced despair
ingly about me--then / saw the way.
Twenty feet above the bed OF the
stream, some tremendous freshet had
eaten into the bank and so undermined
II that IL seemed TO hang lettering IN
the air. In a moment, I had carried the
bodies one by one into the shadow of
this bank and laid them tenderly side
by side. Then / hesitated-but only for
al instant. I went straight TO the spot
where Pasdeloup Law, and half drag
ging- half carrying, placed him at last
beside his master. where he surely had
the right to lie-where, / even fancled.
he would have wished to lie. I knew
little OF the burial mass. hut l could
at least say a prayer above them. and
consecrate 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 soreIy. l had donne6
my gayest suit the night before-the
suit, indeed, / had not thought to wear
until I approached the high altar AT
Poitiers-and though 1t was already
sadly soiled and torn, 1t must still at
tract attention TO a man with no better
means of conveyance than his own legs
Under the rude garments which Pasde-
loup had worn-stained as they were
with blood and dirt-no one would sus.
pect the royalist. Here was a chance
not to be neglected. In a moment
had stripped off his stockings, blouse
and breeches, cleaned the caked mud
from them as we'll as I could an6
throwing my own garments over him
donned his-not without a shiver OF
repugnance--taking ARE to transfer &C
NY new attire my purse, my ammuni.
! ton, and the one pistol which remained
to me, and to secure the knife which
had already done such execution. anC
which I found gripped In his right hand
/ tied his coarse handkerchief abou'
my head, and stopping only for a littl,
prayer. clambered TO the top OF tn,
bank and with my sword began to ioos
en- the o~verhanging earth. Great cracks
showed here and there. and 1t mus
soon have fallen of It's own weight
SO very little remained for me TO do
and at the end OF a moments work
] saw the cracks slowly widen.
Then. with a dull crash which echoe,
along the valley, the earth fell upol
q bodies, burying them TO a deptl
or many feet. safe from Dissertation
by the fang Of brute or the eye OF mar
The tears were streaming down m.
race as ] turned away but I coul,
not linger. for darkness was at han,
sent from my charge. I flung my swor
: far dawn The rlfNp fn~ Y -.~.ys 49,.