The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-10-02
PART III.
cHAPTER II-(contlnuedl.

He felt himself isolated by his maj
esty,s ~displeasure. as indeed he was,
Tho Comtesse de Coigny, to whom ne
addressed his next remark, replied In
~monosyllables and the Able Fremont
was entirely engaged with his ttsh5
while DE Maupeoub as u drawing nIe
from the position OF his enemy, be-
came less like parchment and almost
brilliant III his conversation.
TO be frank, some OF the converse
ton was q shade toe daring for re-
production in print. That frtgfd eti-
Quet which at the table Of h Grand
Monarch imposed silence on all the
guests till the king should speak and
condemned them to eat only when his
majesty set the example, was entirely
absent from this ~dinner-table, where
with the first glass OF champagne wit
took the dullness of license and mod
esty the wings Of wit.
The last course was about to- APP
pear when a pause came in the Berv-
Ice, which had hitherto been conducted
with the precision and eage of O per-
feet mechanism. One might have
thought that some frightful culinary
accident had occurred but for h faces
OF the servants, perfectly unnoved,
and the fact that they drew away from
their positions behind the chairs of
the guests and ranged themselves along
the walls OF the room.
Scarcely had they done so when the
blast of O trumpet sounded from the
outside the door flew open and a fig
ure entered, back as ebony, four feet
in height, dressed in crimson brocade
and having q wand in Its hand. IL
was ZamOre. governor OF L~uciennes.
Behind the little negro IN his absurd
dress came a servant bearing an enor-
nous pie.
Madame du Garry eIapped her hands,
the guests followed suit. and the king
looked amused.
Monsieur de Maupeou, you have not
forgotten the pie which h comtesse
promised us?"
rNo, sire" replied the vice chancellor
In d sprightly voice, NOR the promise
OF Madame la Conrtesse as to Its con-
tents"
'tThen. Monsieur" said the ~fayorite,
'1n reward for Your remembrance YOU
shall have the honor Of cutting 1t. Ia
more. place the pie before Monsieur
de Maupeou."
The vice-chancellor OF France, laugh
Ing as though at a secret known only
70 himself, the king. and Madame du
Barry, stood up to the business.
place the knife beneath the edge of
the crust, and raise the crust in one
piece" commanded the comtesse.
The vice chancellor, knife In hand,
bowed to his hostess, the crust tumbled
Off like a lid and out burst q whirIing
swarm OF c~ockchafers. &
The women shrieked and sprang from
the table. q cockchafer hit De Sar-
tines In the eye, half binding him In
reality for a moment. The king, loll-
ing back In his chair, the picture OF a
fool, laughed till no had to hold his
hides, while Zamore, mad with excite
ment. chased the insects hifher and
thither, needless where he went and
checked by nothing. not wen the skirts
of the women.
But the hero Of the day was De Mau-
peou. The insects rewarded their de-
iIverer by swarming on his great wig
tiI he presented such an extraordinary
spectacle that even Zamore forgot the
chase and clapped his hands.
The vice chancellor, delightfully."- sol
emn under the buzzling warm. clapped
HIS hand to his wig, seized or the
insects, glanced at Ii, nj let Ii escape.
'sMordieul"2 said he. For the mo-
ment / thought / was beset by philoso-
phers!" He advanced to a window
that had been flung open, took off his
wig, and beat the creatures from 1t,
The servants and the guests, armed
with napkins, attacked the remainder,
and In q minute not q c~ockchafer re-
manned.
De Sartines looked at his watch and
then At the flaccid face OF the king. lie
saw the utter hopelessness of any at
tempt at serious business with him; he
knew that De Maupeou had the Du
Barry on his side and would succeed
IN whatever scheme he had on foot
He had one move left. and to execute
It he must depart at nce
.YOEr majesty viii excuse me- said
sheg but lam torn away by most inn
p0rtant business"
FXt -. .w~s.na - wn.lfnl
his majesty, "and tell Monsieur Rous