The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-02

France?' cried the Duke. facing them.
The braves were profuse in their apollo
gies. well. well. gentlemen." replied the
Duke, II pardon you was going to con-
| suit the Jew Manassas who reads the fu-
ture and Aurilly and took you for the
watch and tried to hide ourselves in
| doorway. Good night, gentlemen" While
he had been talking the Duke had gradu
ally moved away from the door into the
lock of which the key had been inserted
and soon as he was alone with Aurilly
| said: TT is annoying to give up, but you
| say the house La taken for year. We
| have brfbed the servant and have the key.
| Perhaps we had better go home. For see,
they have not gone yet-they are waiting
| for some one else
| Scarcely had the Duke and Aurilly dis
| appeared WIN there came riding down
| the street solitary horseman wrapped in
| cloak. 1t was Busy and alone. He
:. had scorned to bring his friends with
| him, trusting to him own prowess to over
| come the Ave men of the King who he
| knew would be waiting for him Well
was he called the Brave Busy. 1t was
one Of those bravadoes delighted In by
| the valiant colonel (for Of such military
rank was Bussy), who said of himself:
II am but a simple gentleman, but I
bear in my breast the heart of an en-
peror, and when I read in Putarch of
the exploits of the ancient Romans I
think there is not one that I could not
| initiate ITO arms" cried Quelus. "Ah,
! gentlemen returned Busy, ct appears
| that you wish to kill me. I am the wild
| boar you had to hunt? Well the wild
boar will rip up few of you. swear
| 1t to you and I never break my word"
came from under his cloak and Busy
possibly" replied Schomberg, but it is
not right that you should be on horse
back and we on foot" AS he spoke the
arm of the young man covered with white
satin, which glistened in the moonlight
| felt his horse sink under him. Busy
Jumped to the ground sword In hand.
The combat was fast and furious. Busy
gave Schomberg, who approached incau-
| tiously, a blow which broke his thigh, and
| then engaged the points of the four 9TH
ers, retreating gradually, not to fly, but to
gain a wall for his back, so that they
might not attack him in the rear. With
his cloak around his left arm, he warded
their blows, and his own sword made
rapid play sometimes feeling that soft re-
sistance of the flesh which showed that
the blo~c had taken effect Once he
slipped, and Quelus gave him a wound in
the side. '"Touchedr' cried Quelus. Eyes.
in the doublet," replied Busy, and, rush
ing on the count, he made his sword
fly from his hand. But he could not pur-
sue his advantage, for DO and D'Eper-
non attacked him with fresh fury. Schom-
berg had bound up his wound and Quelus
had picked up his sword. Busy made a
bound backward and reach a wall. There
he stopped, strong as Achilles and smil-
ing at the tempest of blows which rained
around him. All at once he felt a. cloud
pass over his eyes. He had forgotten his
wound, but these symptoms of faintfng
recalled it. "Ah, you falterl" called Que
Ius. Judge of IT." retorted Busy and
with the hilt of his word he struck Que
les over the temple, so that he fell under
the blow Then, furious, wild, he rushed
forward, uttering a terrible cry. DO and
D'Epernon drew back; Maugiron was rails
ing Quelus when Busy broke the counts
sword with his foot and wounded DEper-
non in the right arm.
For a moment he was conqueror, but
Quelus recovered himself and four swords
flashed again. Busy felt himself lost. He
gathered all his strength to retreat once
more, step by step. Already the perspira-
ton was cold upon his brow, and the
ringing in his ears and the cloud before
his eyes warned him that his strength
was giving way. He sought for the wall
with his left hand. To his establishment
il Welded It was door not quite closed
He regained hope, and for a second his
blows were rapid and violent Then he
let himself glide inside the door and
pushed it to with a quick movement
Busy was saved He made few steps
forward and then fell unconscious upon !
a stairway. Early the next morning he
found himself recovering consciousness in
the street. He was lying on the ground
near the Temple, a monk was supporting
his head and around was group of PEG.
pie. early laborers going to their work
who had found him lying there in the SUM-
rise He announced himself and was
taken to his home When his physician
arrived no IOunu tudt tHc Wouuu uAu DceH
already dressed, apparently by skilled
hand.
Busy unused. He had had strange
dream-or was it reality7 He remem-
bered falling at the foot of the stairs
after the fight. Then he thought he had
awakened lying on magnificent bed
hung with white damask embroidered
with gold in splendidly furnished room.
A woman Of wondrous beauty bent over
him. She was dressed In white and her
fair hair hung over her shoulders. Her
long dark lashes shaded eyes as black as
jet and her skin was so transparent that
! you could see the blood circulate beneath
| it in the blue veins. There was young
| doctor, too, who seemingly had been sent
| for and was dressing his wound. Then
he had awakened in the street. What did
| it all mean? AS soon as he was well
| enough he set out to solve the mystery,
| resolved to begin by finding the house in
which he had taken shelter While on
| this quest at night he met young
| physician bent on the same mission. 1t
| was M. Remy, the same who had at
tended Busy on the night OF his wound
ing. He told Busy that he had been
brought blindfolded to the house by .
maid who had excited his admiration and