The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-02-01
CHAPTER XI-(Continued.)

about me. rhey struggled into the
ar six, seven or eight stories, as
though each successive generation,
prohibited by the royal edict from!
building without the walls, had at last
round Il home by adding an extra story
TO the ancestral domiciles. The food
OF houses. which had long before over
Wheimed the walls Of the old city vas
fast pi!ing up within the new walls as
within a great reservoir, and another
lnundatiOn OF the surrounding ountr
could not be far distant. Each house
Lad It's sign. projecting far into the
street, and from every story protruded
q spout, which, in rainy weather, pre-
cipitated torrents of dirty water upon
the pGssersby. The fronts of the
houses were for the most part Of wood
and plaster and, where not concealed
by hills, indcscribably dirty. Many Of
them seemed on the point of falling
down, and were saved from that fate
only by leaning against their more for
tunate ~neighbors. Bills and flaring
posters were everywhere, bearing some
piece of political satire or morsel OF
~scan0alous gossip.
| turned into the Rue ST. Honore.
ana was soon again in the midst Of a
tur1ult as great as that upon the quays,
only here the crowd was more ashton
able, and there were in consequence
more beggars. / knew no one in it, so,
diiNtIlSt iCbSIy Catching the SDlTll OI
The place, | hurried on past the Palais
Royal, at which l cast a lingering
glance, wondering if it would ever be
my good fortune to join the throng Of
gayly dressed courtiers and enter bold
ly with them. Turning down the Rue
st. Louis, | soon gained the Tuileries.
The entrance to hat portion of the
palace, the Pavilion Marsan, occupied
by Madame du Maine was almost de-
serted. but a lacquey who was loung-
ing in the vestibule took in my name,
and, returning in q moment, informed
me that | was to enter. He led me to
a small room at the left, where / found
the duchess and Mile. de Launay to-
gether, buisily occupied in examining
q vast number Of formidable looking
papers.
Enter. NJ. de Brancas,' cried the
duchess, seeing me pause pom the
threshold. You are not ~intruding. In
fact, you come most fortunately and
just at the moment when Mile. de
LaUray and I were wishing for some
one like yourself, who could be trusted.
Thank you, madame" / said. Il
shall try to merit our trust" and /
entered and bowed to both the ladies.
Il had scarcely expected to find you
at work so early"
All! il seems to me hat we never
have time for repose," exclaimed the
duchess. There is so much to be
done n so few whom / can trust to
do it. But tell me, monsieur, what has
become of Richelieu? ! ave not seen
hin for an age"
/ related briefly the adventures of
the duke and myself, taking care to
say nothing of my last conversation
with the regent, and adding that as
Richelieu was en- route for Bayonne, /
believed 1t best for him to remain there
for a time.
Yes" said the duchess, thoughtfully,
when l had finished, Il believe SO my
self. The match will soon be applied
here, and hen he would have to be at
Bayonne in any case. But this morning.
NJ. de Brancas, / wish to ask o COM
pany for Mile. de Launay, who has an
GRAND to do which will not permit the
use OF a carriage and who finds 1t i'm
possible to thread these crowded streets
without an escort"
II shall be only too happy to be
of service" l answered, and at a sign
from the duchess her companion with
drew to make ready for the street.
You can judge to what straits we
are reduced, monsieur" continued ma
dame, with a note Of sadness and dis
enlargement in her voice, the first /
had ever heard there" when l tell you
that Mile. de Launay is the only one
there Is to whom / can intrust mis-
ions which require q certain courage
and finesse. There are many, it Is true,
who offer their services, but non upon
whom l can rely as upon this girl"
l coul think Of nothing to say that
would not be mere banality, and as
size busted herself carefully tying up
a bundle of papers, / looked al her
more a~ttentively. l was not surprised
to find her face pale and careworn, and
l did not doubt that she vas passing
sleepless nights and harassing days in
the endeavor TO get all the threads OF
this conspiracy Strengthened out and
properly ar~ranged-that she worked
while others merely talked. Mile. de
Launay soon returned and the duchess
handed ner the packet Of papers which
! a seen her arrange
You will find all the needed infor- |
nation there" she said, and remember |
that you cannot urge too strongly the
need of haste. Every ome l fear
thar something will happen to render
all our work useless. There, hasten"
she continued, dismissin8 us with a
gesture" and do not keep me waiting
longer than necessary for your report"
w will not make ourselves unnec-
essarily conspicuous, monsieur" said
my companion, as we left the room,
and she led the way along a wide hall
running to the rear of the building. We |
descended into a small court, bounded
on one side by a high wall and on the
other by a row of buildings, n passed
across this to a gate in the wall at the
She opened the gate with a key |
she took from her pocket, and locked
it after us. We found ourselves in a
narrow little street which opened Into
the Rue de PEchelle.
Our mission Is, then, a secret 2" |
l asked as we entered this street.
mo, not just that" answered the |
girl, smiling at me, "and yet 1t Is well
to be cautious. We are going to see a |
dot. / have been there many times.
But there are always a dozen police
spies hanging about the entrance to
the Tulleries, and / avoid them when
I can"
"Mademoiselle," l asked suddenly,
police department is well organ-
lied. is it not?"
"Splendidly,' she answered. This
Herault, who Is at the head of 1t, |
has a genius for the work, and no one
is safe from him."
do you think, them" i continued,
that the plans of Madame du Maine |
altogether unknown to him?"
Il a only hope so,' she said, and
her face grew lined with anxiety. yet
even IL he did suspect, that would
be enough. He cannot know the
details Of our plans inc without ONE
thing more definite than suspicion even
the regent would not dare raise his
hand against a princess Of h blood.
We are hurrying preparations for
ward as rapidly as we can, and hope
to be the ones to strike the first blow. |
added. I'VE have gone too far and
the and IN rnW fa0 unar m flrD harE 1