Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-03-21
CHAPTER XVIII.
RIDE THROUGH THE NICE

~ HIDE IHE NIGHT.
The streets were still filled with peo-
pie. kept abroad apparently by ru-
mors of the Spanish plot, and l was
compelled to draw rein and go at a
slower gait as l turned into the Rue
st. Louis. Skirting the quays and
crossing the river, I was soon in the
suburbs of Paris and comparatively
safe from pursuit. Here the extreme
darkness delayed me as the crowds
had In the buster portion OF the city,
but l knew that the distance to ST.
Cloud was only about six miles and
that the regent could not reach the
trap that had been set for MIN for an
hour at least. So l gave he horse his
head confident that / should yet be
able to defeat this last resort of the
duchess. AS l went l wondered who
it was to whom she had committed
this desperate mission, and to his
question 1 could find no answer. 1t
seemed to me an enterprise which no
gentleman would undertake and at
which ever a rogue would pause UNI
less he We're already without the pale
of the law and SO with little Go lose.
But that the Madame du Maine would
stoop to use such an instrument, ven
in her extremity, I could not believe.
So l put the problem behind me and
addressed myself to the question in
hand, that of reaching ST. Cloud In
time.
1 had one morning during my first
week In Paris amused myself by loiter-
ing about the barrier and watching
the arrival and departure OF carriages
on the Versailles road, and though I
had never been over this road I had
little doubt that 1 should be to
find the way without difficulty. So my
heart was light as I passed through the
gloomy faubourgs. seemingly inhabited
only by shadows, which skunk along
RI <hN n II ~ AH~ ~,,~ 1900
not until this moment that l realized
what the failure Of the plot meant to
Richelieu, but even upon his point I
soon felt more at ease. for perchance
If 1 succeeded In saving the regents
life he might be more inclined to listen
to me.
The flare of a torch at the end of
the street brought me from my revery
and 1 pulled my horse to a sudden halt
and peered through the darkness
ahead. I could dimly discern the bar
rier. and my heart seemed to stop as
l saw that the gates were closed and
that two sentries were pacing up and
down in front of them. 1t would seem
that I myself was in a trap.
I slid from my horse, led him tt a
side street, tied him n then moved
cautiously forward to examine the sit
uation. Owing to the darkness l drew
quite close to the gates without being
0AAA u CIlIIl
a flight Of steps which projected from
one OF the houses. AS I had seer be-
fore. two sentries were guarding the
gates and had they been alone I might
have had some chance Of overpowering
them. But from the guard house at the
the click Of dice. and I knew that there
were others there. who. at the first
cry of alarm, would rush to the res
cue of their comrades. Force, then,
was. not to be thought OF and strategy
was necessary. But by what strategy
to allow myself and my horse to pass
unquestioned. when they had doubt
less received strict orders to allow no
one to leave the city without close
scrutiny? Here was an obstacle upon
which I had not counted. In times of
peace the gates were Y shut. and
I had thought to pass them without
difficulty. but the discovery OF the plot
must have alarmed the authorities. At
any rate, the gates were closed and
I did not doubt that some pass word
was necessary to open them.
A. ! wa %cudgeling my brains owe
this problem. which seemed on its face
beat Of q horses hoofs from the direc-
ton Of the city. and Q moment later
q horse and rider came into view. He
was riding with Q ine disregard. Of the
dangers OF the loose and uneven pave
ment. and the sound Of his rapid ap-
proach. which awoke 1000 echoes along
the gloomy street, drew nve or six
guards from the sentry house.
who goes there?" cried a Of the
men ut the gate. ''9tand. monsieur."
WHO 10 IN command here?' asked
the newcomer. refining up hss horse Just
In time to escape running down one
OF the sentries. "ouick, I have no time
to lose"