The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-07-14

,"Well, you have my permission, ant
you will find M. lie Comte most hos
pitable. So remain, unless this mys'
FERROUS business of yours is impera.
tive"
1T u.s." I said, my face clouding again
Il must set out at daybreak."
"Ungallant mani" she retorted, look.
ing at me with sparkling eyes. dc
o ask a favor only to refuse 1t. d.
o understand what are saying? p
only too well, mademoiselle," / muir.
INJURED, d~isconsolately, and 1 would
have rather cut off my right hand thar
utter those words"
Still the riddle" she cried, with a
gesture Of despair. Really, monsieur
you weary me. Whatever 1t is you
desire, / advise you to ask for it. One
gets nothing in this world without ask
ing-and when 1t is refused, taking II
just the same"
But when n may neither ask
nor take, mademoiselle?"
"Oh, then" She retorted with a
shrug of the shoulders, one is certain
ly in a bad way. m would better
stop desiring" and she turned her
shoulder to me in the most impudent
manner possible, and gave her atten-
ton to M. lie Comte.
1T Is La Vendee which will re-
establish monarchy In France" he
81 - lib hlo a(e dlIBIlt. lDOSG
peasants are unconquerable. There are
zoo, 900 of them, peaceful men, tilling
the soil, tending their herds, as they
a always done, with no thought of
resisting the republic until the repub-
lie attempted to take from them their
priests and to draft them forth to fight
on the frontiers. Then they rose as
one man, fell upon their oppressors,
routed them, cut them to pieces among
the hedges. Now they are back in
their homes again to make their Eas-
ter; that over, they will march against
Thouars and Saumur."
But, M. lie Comte," 1 protested,
forgetting for a moment, my own trou-
bles In the interest of the narrative,
fighting Of that sort can be success
full only near home and in a most ia
vorable country. For a campaign,
troops must have organization"
That Is true, my friend" he agreed.
We'll these troops are being organized.
once the Bocage is free of the Blues,
which will be within the month, our
army will be ready to cross the Loire,
take Nantes, advance through Brittany,
Normandy n Maine, where we shall
De well received and at last march at
the head Of a united northwest against
Paris itself. I tell you, M. de Taver-
nay. the republic Is doomed"
His eyes We're sparkling, his face
flushed with excitement. An electric
shock seemed to run around the board
ana madame sprang to her feet, glass
in hand.
"The king" she cried, and as we
rose to drink the toast, / had a vision
of a boy of IL issuing triumphantly
from the gate of the temple to avenge
his murdered father.
And may God protect him!" added
M. lie Comte. as we set our glasses
down.
There was gloom for q moment in
our hearts, n I, at least, felt the
stark horror Of the revolution as I
mad never done-I saw more clearly
its blood-guiltiness, it's red-madness.
For, In II quiet home at Beaufort,
the delirium of Paris had seemed far
away. almost of another age and coun-
try.
We had shuddered at the stories of
the September m~assacres, not only as
n shudders at n tale Of horror;
even yet we scarcely believed that the
king was really dead. It seemed i'm
possible that such things could hap
pen. Just as the body, pushed beyond
a certain limit of pain. grows numb
and suffers no more, so the mind, after
a certain time. refuses to be impressed.
1t was thus with the reports which
came from Paris, as one followed an
other, each more terrible than the last.
Not even the actors themselves in that
hideous drama comprehended what was
passing there; they were but chips in
a maelstrom. hurled hither and thither,
utterly powerless to stay or to direct
the flood which hurried them on and
finally sucked them down to destruc-
ton. We of Beaufort were far off the
beaten track, and OF too little conse-
quence to cause the tide of revolution
to sweep In our direction; so ii had
passed us by at such a distance that
we had caught only the faint, confused
murmur of 1t. True, our peasants had,
for the most part, deserted us: our
fields were untitled, our f1ocks I'M
tended; there was no money in the till
and little meat in the larder, but per-
sonally we a experienced no danger
and expected none. We had been con-
tent to sit quietly by while France
wrought out her destiny, plying those
less fortunate than ourselves, and
happy in the safety which u OBJ
security won for us.
Now, I was suddenly brought face to
face with the question: What was my
duty? Was 1t to stay at home and per-
init these scoundrels to have their wav
unquestioned? Was 1t not rather to ioin
the army of La Vendee and add my
atom to its strength, to do what in me
lay to render that campaign against the
cannibals at Paris not a dream but a
reality? For at last I understood.
Those hideous tales were true. The
fair LAM OF France lay at the mercy
OF the vilest of her people.
Still bordering the riddle?" asked
companion, and I turned to find her
again regarding me with a provoking
scrutiny.
mo, mademoiselle," said. " was
thinking hat when NJ. lie Comte rides
back to the BAGGAGE. l will accompany
him."
Her eyes flashed a swift approval.
That is q mans place." she said.
That is where I would be, were I a
mani"
You will wish me God-speed
them" / questioned.
"Yes-provided. Of course" she
added, looking at me s~earchingly, that
you are free to CO."
Free to got" I repeated, and my
chin fell on my breast. What instinct
was 1T gave her this power to stab
home she chose?
Then o are not free to go?" she
queried, cycling me still more closely.
Il confess" 1 stammered, that 1t
was not to don a white cockade / left
Beaufort"
But surely any mere personal mat
ter OF business may be put aside when
ones country calls!"
"Alas!" / murmured, this is not an
affair of that nature"
"Well," she said coolly, you must Of
course, decide for yourself, MONSIEUR: