Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-09-25

a rule, was but a veil of gauze could
read nothing for certain in that beauti-
ful face, SO capricious, so strangely I'M
marked by destiny.
Why, here is ORDER" cried the COM
Jesse, come upon the heels of law and
the church! My party is complete.
Monsieur de Sartines, you must dine
with us today
Madame. l shall be charmed. Would
that | could have arrived earlier but"
Y know" she cut in, you a your
literary affairs to attend to. No mat
ter, dear poet. no matter how late, you
are always welcome"
not only that, but the words and the
in which they We're spoken told
him that she knew Of his Indifference
to the doings of the ballard writer's.
and he saw in a flash that De Maupeou
had been before him not only with the
king but with the favorite.
Madame" a he, taking advantage
of the fact that the others had drawn
slightly away, "of those scribblers
about whom o We're speaking to me:
l hope that the chief of them-the
only n who has not escaped from
Franco say l hope that he chief OF
them Will be safely in prison by to-
night"
"Oh, Monsieur" replied she, 81 hope
that will not happen. l do not wish
on account of my petty affairs thai
France should lose so excellent a min
lister of police as Monsieur de Sartines.'
She turned away, leaving this dag
ger quivering in his heart, and even as
h turned dinner was announced and
the guests passed into the dining room,
the unfortunate De Sartines bringing
up the rear, stricken, speeches., yet
showing nothing of his discontinue in
his face.
The dining room which they entered
was very different from that which had
once been the dining room of the Prin-
cess Adelaide. The walls only were
the same; upholstered in crimson, with
over-doors by Drouais, a Cupia-haunt-
ed ceiling from the brush of Boucher,
and panel pictures daring in both color
and theme by Wen, the place looked
exactly what it was; the home of color
that paints the human face, impudence
that scents itself with p%atchouli.
There We're line owe laid and,
counting DE Sartines, ten guests.
When all We're seated, De Sartines
was left standing.
"Ch, ma foi!" cried the comtesse, as
the servants hurried to lay a fresh
cover, Il had %forgotten Monsieur de
Sartines. Lubin. place Monsieur de
Sartines' chair by the chair of Monsieur
liable, on the left SO that the light will
not try his eyes. I n o have a
horror Of a strong light, dear Monsieur
de Sartines."
Monsieur de Sartines bowed as he
slipped int his seat; he had a poison
GUS retort on his lips but he dared not
utter it.
Monsieur de Sartines," said the
king, who had commenced his soup,
what is this / hear the comtesse y
ing about your eyes?"
Only that I am half blinded, sire"
Since when?"
always, your majesty, when I. find
myself in h presence of superlative
beauty"
He bowed to the comtesse, who re-
turned the bow mockingly and turned
her attention to the Due d'Aiguillon;
she was evidently still unappeased and
beyond the reach of Establishment.
Monster de Sartines," said the king,
finishing his soup and raising a glass
of topaz-colored wine to his lips, "it
seems to me there are only two men in
my kingdom who have portfolios and
yet have the old wit hat bites in cpl
grams and charms in compliment"
And those two men, sire?"
"They are Monsieur lie Due de Choi-
seul and Monsieur lie Comte de Sar-
tines"
80, sire!" cried the minister of po-
lice, picking up his spirits, what you
say is false"
'False!"
There is a third man who is, yet,
not a man, beside whom Monsieur de
Choiseul and Monsieur de Sartines are
%blunderers at that game"
"And who is this man who is not a
man, pray?"
"a king. sire"
M foil" cried his majesty. laugh
Js,r t"+ ~@,,. ., 800 a. Co.,.
tines, you pay that king a doubtful
compliment"
20, sire" laughed De s,artines
amazed at himself and hating himself
for having made this faux pas, the
only one in all his life, since when
rs a king a man since he belongs to
the company of those above us?'
De Maupeou, who had been sitting
munchance up to this. cast his eyes
up to the ceiling and laughed. De Sar-
tines. the king, n all within the
range of the conversation looked up,
only to see the fat cupids of Boucher
!eering at them from the ceiling.
"Um,'' said the king. He turned to
the Able Fremont with some inquiry
as to the state of affairs in Ficardy,
from which province the ecclesiastic
hailed, While the Comtesse d'Egmont,
unable to contain herself, laughed
frankly at the face of De Sartines, who,
paralyzed by his ill luck, would have
! given his portfolio for the fall Of the
ceiling, cupids and all, on the head of
De Maupeou.
1t was decidedly one of his unlucky
days; a moment ago the king had been
charming, and now he was out of tenn
per.
The minister of police applied himself
to the trout a la Mayenne which was
before him.
CONTINUED next week.