Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1913-09-25
A. GHe MINISTER
rs q POLICE
AVN By HENRY MONTJOY
NxM4 Copyright. 9l2. The BobbsAerin Company

at the limited mystery of this pie ana
the manner of the king, but glad. all
the same, OF another chance to push
his request. But, if l may make so
bold to say so, at the Inauguration OF
a novel form OF cookery a representa-
tive of the law seems to me less called
for than a representative of medicine
in the form OF your majesty's ply
Sician."
Make your mind easy, dear Mon
my pie will give Indigestion to no
one; nc one will swallow it, yet it is
compounded of one thing that, accord
ing to the sages, makes men fat"
And what is that, madame" asked
the vice chancellor.
Laughter" she replied.
Almost as she uttered the word the
door by which the king had entered
opened and a servant announced:
/ Madame la Comtesse d'Egmont."
The daughter of Richelieu belonged
to the skirts Of the De ChoiSeul party,
hat Is to say, she hated Madame du
Barry as bitterly as any n of them,
yet was anxious to please the king
on her fathers account Hence her
presence today.
She had scarcely made her compli-
ments to the king and the comtesse
han the servants voice announced:
Monsieur fAbbe Fremont"
And before the cleric a fully paid
his homage, entered the Comtesse de
Goigny, charming, youthful and full OF
grace, followed by the Due d'Aiguilion,
the Ccmte de Coigyn and Chon du
Barry, exquisite in a robe au bord de
riviere green clasped by a great
brooch of emeralds at the waist.
They had all been herded chatter
ing in the anteroom till the last mo-
ment possible, and now as they stood
+ =, ~ or yhn Hipo fha WI Tf Aior1i11nn
the Comtesse d'Eglnont and the Com
tesse de Coigny forming n group;
the Able Fremont. the Comtesse du
Barry and the Comte de Coigny form
ing another, while Chon ~contented
herself with teasing Combefere. AS
they were talking thus the door sud
denly opened and like a thunderclap to
De Maupeou, the servant announced:
Monsieur lie Comte de Sartines.'
This arrival Of Monsieur de Sartines
deserves a word: When he had left
the Due de Richelieu's house. having
given his grace the order of secret adj
ri..itttance to the Bastile, he returned
to the Hotel de Sartines very much
perturbed in his mind. He was used to
enemies, he was used to traps, he was
used even to attempts on his life; but
in all his experience he had never
found himself in a position half SO
grave as the present. He could I'M
PRISON lIlc WOiildll WHO llclu Iillll III IlCi
grip, but We're he to do SO her internal
ingenuity would hit him no less surely;
De Maupeou would receive the weapon
from the hands of the unknown who
held it. and as surely as death is the
portion of mar De Maupeou would use
it.
He sat for a While deep in thought.
He could see no possible outlet from
the trap that surrounded him. Sud-
denly he struck himself on the fore
head. The king! That was his only
chance. He would lay the whole mat
ter before the king and attack De
| Maupeou before De Maupeou could at
tack him.
He knew the king SO well. that
shuffler and evader and double-dealer.
He knew that if De Meaupeou were to
lay a formal charge, backed by that
atrocious paper, the king would hush
the matter UP for his own sake, and
that the hush money he would pay De
Maupeou would be his-De Sartines'-
disgrace and exile. 1t was imperative
to brighten the king, to poison his mind
against De M~aupeou-nay, even to lie
to the king, accuse De Maupeou and
Madame Linden of having stolen the
paper from De Richelieu. Nay, ven
better than that, of having c]oncocted
signature to it. The king would
know this to be a lie; thai did not
matter in the least. Before the dam
ger of having his own name implicated
the lying king would back his lying
lieutenant general of police.
The king would sacrifice De Maui
peou just as readily as De Sartines. 1t
all depended on which Of the W. got
his ear first and frightened him
against the other.
He glanced at the clock. It was now
1880. Driving swiftly he could reach
Versailles at 5; that would be the
kings dinner hour and a bad time for
perare and he could not delay. as it
was imperative for him to return ia
Paris and reach Madame Lin6cn's
house at s. He ang for his horses
and in 10 minutes was on the road.
When he arrived at Versailles he
king was dining with Madame du
Barry. Du Barry! In an instant he
Observation-Disclosures he had up to this
forgotten-that he had promised to
call that day on the comtesse with re-
gard to the ballad mongers. He had
promised to call at noon, and he had
failed to keep his appointment. Madame
Linden had driven it out of his mind.
Again in this duel with the Austrian
woman she had scored; just by the
power Of obsessing his thoughts she
had caused him to make this slip. He
stood for a mOmen baked and furious,
thought outwardly quite calm. Then,
passing u" the great staircase. he
for the apartments of the favorite.
The antechumber, crowded all the
morning, was now empty Of every
thing but the Chinese jars and man
darins, h hundred and one nicknacks
that made the place a curiosity shop,
the palms in pots, the cage of mar
mosets and a huge lackey IN duty.
Has dinner been served?" asked De
Sartfnes of the latter.
Not yet, monsieur"
Announce me-"
The servant cast .~e door wide open
and De Sartipes found himself front
ing the assembled guests.
He saw the king. he saw Madame du
Barry. the Comtesse de Coigny, the
Comtesse d'Egmont: the Due d'Aigu;l-
Ion, the Able Fremont.
All these h. saw as one sees the
lesser Characters in q play, Indifferent
figures besides the figure of De Mau-
peou in the circle surrounding the
king.
De MaupeoN was first.
De Sartines stood for half q moment
as though he .aad seen death.
CHAPTER III.
A PIE AND "A SURPRISE
Only for half a moment.
In the next he was bowling to his
majesty, and the comtesse, who has
fl1rnod and Ivoc r. corta,1a~ In <iar 1;,,