The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-06-01
THE THREE GUARDSMEN

AAA syVu dIC CCL I01A IAdJ LAC 4uOCl and he did not see each other?"
 'T believe the queen to have too higI a sense of her duties, sire"
 "But they have corresponded. It i to him that the queen has been writ ing all day. M. le Due, I must hay, those letters"
 There is but one means"
 "What is that?"
 "That would be to charge M. de Sc guier, the keeper of the seals, with thf mission. The matter enters completel, into the duties of his post"
 "Get him be sent for instantly"
 "Your majesty's orders shall be exc cuted, but the queen will perhaps re fuse to obey"
 What, my ordersT
 "Yes, if she is ignorant that thes, orders come from the king"
 Well, that she may have no dOub on that head will go and inform hel myself. Send for monsieur the keeper of the seals. will go to the queen,
 And Louis XIII, opening the door ol communication, passed into the corri dor which led to the apartments ol Anne of Austria.
 The queen was in the midst of sad thoughts when the king entered Like those unfortunate persons endowed with fatal gift, she brought mis. fortune upon everything she touched her friendship was fatal sign which called down persecution. Mime. Chev. reuse and Mime. Vernet were exiled and Laporte did not conceal from his mistress that he expected to be ar. rested every instant
 Madame" said the king, "you are about to receive visit from the chan cell who will communicate certain ma.Gers to you, with which have charged him.
 "But why this visit, sire? What can M. the Chancellor have to say to me that your majesty could not say your self?'
 The king turned upon his heel with out reply, and almost at the same in stant the, captain of the guards, M. de Guitant, announced the visit of M. the Chancellor.
 When the chancellor appeared the king had already gone out by another door.
 The chancellor was pleasant man. It was Des Roches le Masle, canon of Notre Dame, and who had formerly been valet de fhambre to the cardinal, who introduced him to his eminence as perfectly devout man. The car dinal trusted him and found his ad- vantage in it.
 The queen was still standing when he entered, but scarcely had she per ceived him than she reseated herself and. with an air of supreme hauteur, said:
 What do you desire, monsieur, and with what object do you present your self herey
 .'To make, madame, in the name of the king, end without prejudice to the respect which have the honor to owe to your majesty, close perquisi ton into all your papers. Be kind enough to pardon me, madame, but in this circumstance am but the instru- ment which the king employs"
 Examine, then, monsieur. I am 2 criminal, as it appears. Estafania. give the keys of my tables and my SC cretaires."
 For forms sake the chancellor paid a visit to the pieceA of furniture named, but he well knew that it was not in a piece of furniture that the queen would place the important letter she had written in the course of the day.
 When the chancellor had opened and shut twenty times the drawers of the secretaries it became necessary, what. ever hesitation he might experience, it became necessary, 1 say, to come to the conclusion of the affair-that is te say, to search the queen herself. The chancellor advanced, therefore, toward Anne of Austria and with a very per- plexed and embarrassed air:
 And now," said he, it remains fol me to make the principal perquisition.' 2.
 'What is that?' asked the queen, who did not understand, or, rather, was not willing to understand.
 "His majesty is certain that a letter has been written by you in the course of the day. He knows that it has not been sent to it's address. This letter must be somewhere"
 "Would you dare to lift your hand to your queen?" said Anne of Austria, drawing herself up to her full height and fixing her eyes upon the chancellor with an expression almost threatening 'The letter is here," and the queen laid her beautiful hand on her bosom. q will give it to none but the king, mon. sieur.'
 If the king had desired that the let ter should be given to him, madame he would have demanded it of you himself, and if you do not give it up''-
 "Well?'
 "He has, then, charged me to take it from you. Be kind enough, then, mad anne. to act more compliantIy'
 '.Thia conduct Is tnfamously yiolent!"