Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-05-08


say, exactly six minutes after De Lus-s
sac had departed for Versailles.
BY this fault he condemned himself
10 whole evening and night of mount
ing guard over a house empty OF its.
master, and he lost Monsieur De Sar-
tines point In the game, for had De
Sartines been apprised Of the young:
mans movements he would have noti-s
ned MS police in Versailles, who had
q spy In every house, not excepting
that OF Monsieur de Richelieu.
1t was a lovely afternoon. and as
they left Paris and its sordidness be-
hlnd them, De Lussac, lowering the.
windows Of the carriage inhaled the
air with delight momentary and ban
lsned by the remembrance of what was
on hand.
He had no plan of campaign, That
the due, though surprised at the sud
denness of his visit, would be delighted
70 receive him. he felt sure, for De
Hlchelieu had several times invited him
on q visit, leaving it open to him to
come when he chose; besides, the duo
was his nearest relation and ii De Lus-
sac died before him, would be heir to
the Auvergne estates.
He would have to give a reason.
however, for his visit; that would be
easy enough-nothing to the difficulties
| OF q search for carefully guarded
paper In house filled, perhaps, with
guests.
De Richelieu's mansion was situated
on the Paris road on the left as one
approaches the palace. The gates
swung open for the carriage. which,
approaching the front door by a COURT
yard, set with laburnum and lilac trees,
| drew up. and the Comte de Lussac,
ascending the steps where a lackey was
waiting to receive him, passed into the
galleried. hall where the majordomo,
Monsieur Beaupre, advanced to receive
him.
This parsonage. who possessed a
vast, stolid, expressionless face that
| seemed nodded from white wax, was
one OF those perfect functionaries who
knew everybody, and everything about
everybody, everything about court ETH
| quette, everything about precedence.
He knew the Comte de Lussac. his
| affairs, his peculiar manner of living.
his neglect Of those things which were
essential to success in society, and the
nickname with which the court had
dubbed him. He despised him as heart
| lily as man OF his sort could despise
| q man of De Lussac's sort, but he
showed nothing Of his thoughts as he
bowed before him
Good afternoon, Beaupre," said the
young man, giving his hat and gloves
to the servant who had admitted him.
rs Monsieur lie Due at home?''
II
Luciennes, but am expecting him to
return at any moment"
lis Monsieur Raffe IMP
Monsieur Raffe is in the library,
monsieur"
"Ah, the library said De Lussac, his
heart leaping at the words. Show me
to him.
The majordomo led the way across
the hall to door opening on the left :;
he opened the door and disclosed the
library of Monsieur lie Marechal Due de
Richelieu. De Lussac, as he entered,
could not but feel that the omen was
with him, inasmuch as this the first
come to plumber.
It was not very large, this library OF
Monsieur lie Due. 1t had only one win.
dow of stained glass, blazoned with the
arms OF the Richelieus and heavily
barred on the outside-through the
colors OF the glass, the gray ghostlike
shadows OF the bars showed vaguely
The books, chiefly tall folios slmp-
tuously bound and stamped on the
backs in gold with the Richelieu arms,
stood in open bookcases
Near the window, at table by the
only bureau In the room, sat man
Rfchelieu's steward, factotum, and
right hand: he was engaged on the
monthly accounts, going over each BILL
item by item and sou by sou. e
Why, it Is Monsieur lie Comte de
Lussac," cried the old man, rising from
his chair and advancing to greet the
newcomer. How unfortunate that
Monsieur lie Due should be absent! But
am expecting him at any moment :"
1T does not matter replied the
comte. II have come on visit for a
day or two, Il my cousin will have
me. the air Of Paris has suddenly be-
come too much for me and am suf-
fering from sleeplessness. have some
luggage in my carriage: will you kindly
have 1t seen to? Meanwhile, will, II
you Will permit me. amuse myself with
book till my cousins return
"Oh, monsieur cried Raffe, as he
gathered UP his papers. Il can assure
you that my master will be only too
| delighted at your visit. will have
your room prepared and your luggage
| brought to 1t. Can send you any re-
freshments, monsieur. after your jour
ney?
require nothing in the way of re-
freshment but a book; you know that
am bibliphife, a creature to whom
the smell Of Russia leather bindings
and the sight of printers ink are re-
freshment in themselves; but 1t seems
to me that my cousin has extended his
AAOt a y 6lAACC - WI l<1SLa uS3TG.Ij
Why, yes, monsieur" replied RATE,
lingering with the papers in his hand,
only last month he ACQUIRED half the
library of Monsieur de Meneval, books
Of amorous adventure, contes, superbly
funny. Monsieur may like to amuse
himself with them: they are on those
lower shelves
He bowed and passed out with his
papers, and De Lussac turned to the
books of Monsieur de Meneyal
These books Of Monsieur de Meneyal
We're mostly Illustrated and were SO
piquant that the mildest at them would
IN our age be relegategl to the highest
ana most inaccessible shelves OF a GU
no hunters collection. Indeed. the
wnole Of Monsieur de RichelieI's ~
pfary might have Deen cataIog,Ied nm
ger three divisions: books IKE these.
BOOKS concerning war. and books rela-
1--we % the chAse. s 81 &
IL De Lussac. taking volume entitled
les Sontes de Suxane.''5 written t,v
gentleman named Rap0ft and hear
an9 tne imprtmatur. Paris. l7a2 laid
y y oh the little table Ieft vacant Nv
f fsens; opened 4 and at down be.
rs adventures 81 spxane. however
eamlra bly, - they were descr ~ 4 ~
1 eao RAPPORT held little interest