The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1913-10-02
Like De sartines. he glanced at his

watch before placing his foot on the
step, and like De Sartines, he gave the
address Of Number IL, Rue Cog Heron
to the driver.
The coach drove away, exchanged the
rattle of the paving-stones in the
Xcourtyard for the even motion Of the
wheels upon the well-kept outer way,
and, entering tho Paris road, headed
for the city at a spanking pace.
De Maupeou took from his pocket the
paper he had Just received from the
king and glanced at 1t.
A few minutes g the thing had
been worthless; now, with that sprawl
purposes of De Maupeou.
He refolded 1t, put it back In his poe
ket n folded his hands.
That De Sartines had committed
some frightful indiscretion or crime he
felt sure; equally sure was he that the
baroness had the evidence of it. He
licked his lips at the thought of the
paper in his pocket that gave him alb
solute power over both De Sartines inc
the woman, should evidence be forth
coming that either of them was i'm
plicated, and was on the point of look
ing at his watch again when the coach
urched, recovered, seemed to shake it
self. and then turned over on its side
with q crash.
To the occupant It was as though the
world had suddenly upset. Half
stunned, bleeding from q cut on his left
hand, imprisoned like a rat in a trap, he
could only shout for help, while the
horses, with the pole broke and lying
on their sides, engaged the attention OF
the driver, who freed them by cutting
the traces n then, rushing to the
carriage door, freed his master.
"Mordieu!" cried the vice-chancellor,
as he stood at last on the road. what
an escape! But what caused 1t? I
have driven all my life, bu never have
l experienced an upset like this. Did
you u into anything"
Monsieur" said the man, rising
from an examination of the wreck, the
linch-pins have been tempered with.
and the miracle to me is that we have
driven so far without a breakdown"
How far are we from Versailles 2"
"A mile and a half. monsieur"
De Maupeou looked at his watch. It
had stopped. There was not a soul to
be seen on the road. 1t was a beauti-
the sky that stretched in a bow of
azure from the spires and domes of
the town n palace of Versailles to
the domes and spires of Paris.
A lark was singing above, and the
faint. warm wind Of spring brought
StiO IL I'd LII dIlu Iko~CIS 10 Clo
distracted vice chancellor. Nature
seemed hooking him.
Having glanced up and down the
road in search of help, he fixed his at
tention on the coachman, who had got
one Of the horses upon It's legs; the
other, severely injured and unable to
rise, would have to be shot.
"Linch-pins!" said De Maupeou.
Then the wheels have been tempered
with?"
Yes, monsieur; that I'd swear. Both
off-wheels. All! the scanps! If I had
hold of them!"
"Cordieu!" said the vice chancellor.
bending down to examine the wreck.
The thought had come to him that
this was the work of De Sartines, done
on purpose to delay him. If this were
so, there was all the more reason for
haste, as the affair must be Of the last
Importance, else h minister Of police
would not have stopped to such q
means.
"cordieu!" creid he II must be in
Paris by $3.50. My watch is stopped.
II ! only knew the time! Stay; what
A puff of lust from the road as 1t
entered Versailles rose on the wind;
a vehicle of some sort was approach
ing. AS 1t drew nearer 1t proved to be
a yellow cabriolet Of the type that
piled for hire in Paris and Versailles.
The horse In the shafts was going at
a good pace, and now De Maupeou
could near the little bells of the har-
ness.
"Fool!" said he, thinking of De
Sartines. UNLESS he meant to kill me
outright, he must nave known tina q
vehicle passes along the Paris road
every few minutes and that the vice
chancellor of France. with money in
his pocket. could not possibly be de-
tanned long by such a simple and silly
trick. 'Fool!"
He used the word again, mentally, as
he hailed the cabrio1et, which stopped.
He did not know in the least, however,
that the genius Of the piece in which
he was now acting was not De Sar-
tines, but Rappelier, a much more for.
midable antagonist and q person
moreover, who thought out aplan to
the minutest detail.
In the cabriolet was seated a gentle
man with a ~singularly open and good
humored face, who was being driven
to Paris.
why, mon Dieu!" cried this gentle
man, as his vehicle stopped, here we
have an accident, it seems!"
Monsieur" cried De Maupeou, 20
have just escaped with my life. My
carriage is, as you see. broken; 1t is
essential for me to reach Paris by
$50. May ! crave a seat in you cab
riolet?"
Continued next week.)