The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-04-03

$500 ~ NAN" ACoS W NAAO N0NA NAAN
waited. He had not to wait long-in
a moment 1t opened again and the due
appeared. The kings hand was rest
ing upon his arm, OBTAINING him a mo-
ment for a last word. Then his ma
Jesty released him, glanced round at
the people, saw De Sartines n made
a face. The minister Of police took
the grimace as an invitation to enter
the cabinet, and did so. The king la
been writing. On the desk table, light
ed by four rose-colored candles burn
ing in silver c~andelabra, by a mass Of
correspondence. This lazy monarch,
who had cultivated idleness as a fine
art, and Of whom It may be said, at
least, that he could do nothing well,
had his fits OF activity, from n of
which he seemed now ~convalescing for
he yawned as he too his place in the
chair by the desk and motionad his
visitor to a fauteuil.
We'll, Monsieur de Sartines." said
the king. and how are we this evening
-charmingly. I hope%
Charmed, at least, your majesty, to
escape for a moment from the dullness
Of the Hotel de Sartines and exchange
It's for the sun Of Versailles"
And Is it Monsieur de Sartines or
the minister of'police that 1 see before
me?"
Both, sire. Monsieur de Sartines to
inquire after our majesty's health. the
minister of police to inform your ma
jesty of the health of his people"
And how are u dear people"
asked his majesty, casting some specks
of gold sand off a sheet Of n~otepaper
and folding the sheet.
Still grumbling, sire"
And the pamphleteers?"
Still writing, sire"
And the philosophers
Still philosophizing, your majesty"
And the price Of corn?-for 1t al
ways seems to me that the price Of
bles."
Still rising sire"
Good" said the king. The word
escaped from him almost without his
knowing it. 1t was. all the same,
meant; for the king and Monsieur de
in the price of corn-they were, in
fact, partners. in that they had bought
up all the available grain n stored
it in granaries. They would presently
sell at an enormous profit. Meanwhile,
the conspirators, with their eyes on
the market. maintained toward one an
other a dignifed silence on the matter,
the king quite content to leave the
business details entirely in the hands
! Of his minister.
Good" said ne again. With the
people and the markets in this dis
| luTDeu SldIS IL 10 a SdllSldCIlOh " 2
member that we have a De Sartines
at the ministry OF police to deal with
our philosophers and pamphleteers,
who are always grunbling at the state
Of France, and our people, who are al
ways grumbling about their food. Ma
fol. Monsieur de S%artines, why do you
rot feed all these troublesome subjects
Of mine?"
with what. your majesty"
with the philosophers. Then the
ramphleteers could write pamphlets on
the subject, and all would be peace"
"Ch, sire" replied De Sartines, they
would never swallow Monsieur Rous-
seau's coat, nor that hat. which covers.
no doubt. q multitude Of things other
tina his thoughts. He grows more dis
reputable looking day by day, as he
sits there at the Cafe de Regence, play
ing dominoes with his right hand and
spreading sedition with his left. That
old a sire, gives me more trou-
blous thoughts than all the other Sc
dition ong in a bundle old
man. a young man and a woman have
been in my carriage with me all the
way from Paris this evening"
Monsieur Rousseau in your car
riage!"
IT spoke metaphorically. sire"
And the young man and woman
were they also with you m~etaphorical-
ly?"
YES, sire"
"Who, then. Is the young mani"
THE Chevalier de Lussac, your ma
jesty."
All, De Richelteu's kinsman-and
the woman"
THE Baroness Sophie Linden, with
whom the chevalier is in love, sire, at
least SO my agents say
THE Austrian woman?"
Yes, your majesty, the same; ac-
1-y tG> nNNtVk ~ NtAr~n hnn~-
ing a letter for the dauphiness, linger-
ing On in Paris now that her work Is
| over
And do you not know why she is
lingering in Paris. Monsieur de Sar-
tines?"
THAT, sire, is what 1 am determined
to find out"
II can tell you"
You can, stre'?'
Me fol, yes; you yourself have just
told me-she is in love with the chew
alier." The king laughed as though he
had made a good joke. But De Sar-
tines did not laugh.
That Is all very we'll, sire. | was
not referring to love-it does not come
within the province of the minister of
police. What does come within his
province Is the fact that at her house
in the Rue Coo Heron she receives
dubious people. Messengers call there
l with letters, lie LuSSaC, kl[SIIlAu
though he ia to the Due de Richelieu,
is, I am assured, a member of that in
| fernal Society Of the Midi, and up to
1 his eyes IN the new movement that
threatens to subvert order and destroy
the state"
HE Is a very young man
Your majesty" said De Sartines ear-
nestly. the W most important n e
mics Of the state are the very old
men who are Allied with old rigid ideas
they annot get rid OF, and the very
young men who are filled with new
fantastical ideas they cannot digest"
(which reminds me, Monsieur aid
the king. that am suffering from In
digestion; the politics Of the present
day are a stew made by the politicians
Of the past-they were bad cooks II
you attempt to swallow 1t you will get
indigestion. as I have done. Let US
leave 1t to the politicians OF the flu
ture. Look after De Lussao and his
friends as much as you please. For
me they are like madame's marmosetS:
they chatter and chatter, and scratch
each others heads. Let them chatter,
as long as they don't chatter too loud
n disturb u peace."
The king moved In his chair to indi-
cate hat the interview was over, and
De S%artines, knowing his majesty bet
ter than his majesty knew himself,
l Judged hat he w6s now bored suf-