Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1913-10-03
PART III.
CHAPTER II-(Continued).

"Ah," aid Madame du Barry when
she had finished reading, can it be
that De Sartines-"
De Maupeou cut her short With a
grimace. In the mirror opposite to
him he had seen a curtain pushed
aside and the form of a gentleman dis
closing itself at the doorway. 1t was
h king, who had entered unan-
nounced.
Good day, Madame. Good day,
Monsieur de Maupeou. Well, what is
this l hear about Monsieur de Sar-
tines?"
"Oh, your Majesty" replied the
comtesse, lit is not what we hear about
Monsieur de Sartines that %roubles me
but rather what we do mot hear. He
was to have called upon me to-day
with reference to matters like this
she handed the verses to the king
but he has not arrived. He is too
busy, no doubt, with the arrest of
~pickpockets n other high affairs of
state no trouble about matters like
these"
The king read the verses carefully
through, for he was Very often min
ute in affairs of that sort. and with
every line his irritation deepehed. 1t
al not so much the thing itself that
angered him as the whole situation.
The Choiseuls, the Duchess de Graz
mont, the thousand and one bitter en-
emies of the Du Barry all were con-
spring to make his bed of roses a bed
of thorns; the ballad-mongers were
helping as far as they could.
He flung the thing on the floor with
SO much i'll temper that the favorite
forgot her own anger and began to
laugh.
Fortunately, dear France, if we have
not a De Sartines to make these gem
tlemen eat their own words, we nave
a De Maupeou." She handed the king
the order of inquiry which De Maupeou
had brought her, and De Maupeou, who
knew the king better than she did,
cursed inwardly as he watched him
reading it, knowing that in his present
temper his majesty was impracticable.
What he feared happened.
Having read the paper, Louis hand
ed 1t back to De Maupeou.
I'VE will set monsieur. we will
see. But at present it seems to me
there is nothing to be done. 1t is the
men who pay for these things being
written rather than the men who
write them that we should give our
attention to-"
But. your majesty" said De Mau-
peou, 1T is not against the versifiers
that this paper is directed. though in
deed 1t includes them in its net. but a
serious conspiracy against the welfare
of the state"
His majesty imagined. from finding
De Maupeou and Madame du Barry
together. that his serious com
spiracy to which the vice
chancellor alluded had to do with this
tormentors of the favorite. De Mau-
peou would strike them. no doubt, and
they would strike back. He did not
mind De Maupeou striking them. but
he objected to their striking back,
and all the fuss and fury of a prose
cution ably defended. He loved peace.
not for it's sake. but for his own
sake.
Well. we will see. Come to me to-
morrow and we will talk the matter
over. am ennuye." He approached
the macaw and examined 1t with se-
rious attention. while De Maupeou,
furious. with all his plans paralyzed.
Il o shattered, prepared to go. But
Madame du Barry held him with .
glance.
your majesty remembers that I
have q little dinner party today and
q little surprise for my guests In the
form II q certain pie"