Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-07-16
ARmale Observation-Disclosures
TIE MARSHAL.
RyMary Raymond Skipman Andrews
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splashed, brawled down the mountain;
the mountain hung over, shadowy;
banks Of fern held the rampant brook
co.'s, riding slowly in the GOODNESS of
the road below, looked up and saw
it all, familiar, beautiful, full Of old
associations.
"One misses Pietro," Francois said.
He always wanted to ride past the
'trou du gouverneur.'"
A Roman legend had given this name
to the deep pool of the brook by the
road; 1t was said that the cruel old
governor had used it, 1000 years back,
for drowning refractory peasants.
Alike gazed steadily at the dark MUIR
muring water.
Yes, n misses him. Is life like
grows up with people, and they get to
be as much a part Of living
as the air, or ones hands-and
then, suddenly. one is told that
they are going away And that ends
1T. One must do without air, without
hands. What a world, Francois!"
I'VE are not meant to like it too
much, I believe, Alike" said Francois
sunnily. ut is just en- PEASANT. this
world, when you stop to consider. The
real business will come, 1 suppose,
when we are moved on a step farther.
Friendships. and separations will not
seem SO badly arranged then, probably.
This Is school, this life, I gather. My
mother says 1t is moi very important
If n has a good. seat in the school
room or a bad; If one sits near ones
playmates or is sent to another corner,
SO long as one is a good child and
works heartily at ones lessons. 1t is
only for a day-and then we go home,
where all that is made right. Not a
bad idea Of my mothers is it, Alixe?"
Your mother is a wonderful WON
an" Alike answered thoughtfully.
"She lives like that. She never let
things trouble her, not even when your
father lost everything. Did she, Fran
cois?"
the few people who know what the real
things are and live in them. 1t is hard
to do that. I can not. 1 care so bit
terly for what I want. 1t is"-Francois
hesitated-'it is very hard for me to
give up-what I want" He stumbled
over the words; his voice shook so that
Alike shifted in the saddle and looked
at him inquiringly.
Francois! Is anything wrong? Must
you give up something's"
Francois laughed hen and patted
the brown arching neck of Capitaine,
successor to Coz. Everybody must
give up things; and remuneration is the
Measure of strength" he said with 20
year-old generalization, yet with a
light in his face which might have been
the smiling Of an aged saint. you
were talking about Pietro," he went on
rapidly "about our separation from
him, our good old Pietro! I do miss
him. Yet that was inevitable from the
beginning. That was life. Pietro is
fro lie - he Lor Ls~ ,1ooo. o,yor +laro3 a.
and he nodded to where far-off Italy
might lie. "He is a man, Pietro, every
inch, already. He has one to fill his
place, as quietly, as unllesitatingly as
he will do everything that comes to
him."
EVERYTHING that comes to him-yes."
Alike spoke a little scornfully. but
-Francois-he does not go very fast
to meet the things that come to him.
Francois eyes flashed at her. You
have never been fair to Pietro, Alike"
Not fair?" Alike interrupted, and
laughed.
NO, not fair repeated the boy.
heart of gold, a wall of rock. 1t is not
his way to talk much, but he has great
qualities"
"What?" asked Alike.
What" Francois repeated. You
to ask that! You know as we'll as I
llldt IlClio IS Ct lear
and without %reproach. He is unchang-
ing as the ocean-he is to be believed
in his slightest word. You know that
it would be a commonplace for Pietro
to be killed rather than play false to
the smallest trust. He is a fanatic of
reliability"
you make him out a slow worthy
person." said Alike, and drew up the
horses bride. You can respect a man
with all those sterling qualities, but
he isn't v~ery-dashing to be like that.
Is he? I like a man to have Initiative
some gift Of leadership"
Francois looked at her sternly.
Der, Alike, what it is that Pietro has
done? Do you realize hat Italy is in
the stress of a desperate struggle for
liberty? THAI a forlorn fight against
the power of the Austrians is on her
hands, and that Pfetro went back at 1S
to take his part with the patriots?
Do you realize what danger that
means? Danger not only of death. but
of worse, of years of imprisonment in
some dungeon. Noblemen of higher
rank than Pietro are living in chains
there now. 1t is our playmate Pietro
who is facing this-Pietro, who has
breathed the free air and ridden with
us through this valley for so many
years. He realizes it. He went with
his eyes open. His family are marked:
he will be a leader against the Aus
trians; he will be one of the first to be
punished il the Austrians
and they are very strong. He went
back to Italy to a lonely life, to a life
Of intense effort and activity and dam
ger, as quietly as if he were going back
to school. And you, you whom"-Fran-
co.'s stopped--and went on you whom
he loves better than any one in the
world-wrong him"
By now Alike was half sobbing.
How horrid you are, Francois! You
jump at conclusions. You are not the
only person who cares for Pietro. I
do not wrong him-not in my thoughts.
| abused him to you on purpose. I
wanted to see what you would say for
him. One does that. II one-really
cares-for a person. one has the right.
It is not disloyalty; I could abuse my
father could say any horried
thing I chose, and not a word,
not a shadow Of a thought would
be disloyal, because I love him SO
that 1t would all be nothing compared
to that. I know Pietro is brave; I
know he has gone into danger-is it
SO very bad, Francois? Butt am irri-
fa3ad offon w}tE, D{o&ro knao,... .....