The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-07-02
XII.
THE CASTLE ID

Imperceptibly to the child, the life Of
Francois swept into a changing chan
mel. More and more he belonged to the
general the castle; less and less, though
he still lived with them and was faith
full to them. did he belong to his father
and mother and the village life. After
a few months an event came which
separated him from the old order
sharply.
There was a farm in the Valley
Delesmontes-ive miles it was from
Vicques-which was a dependence of
the seigneury; for centuries the same
family lac held it. and it was consid-
cred the richest holding for a peasant
in that part Of the world. Just now
the family all at once came to an end.
1t was necessary to find new tenants,
and the general offered the place to
LIE Francois and La Claire. Even in
their best days they he'd not been so
1t was a large farm Of 400 acres. with
a big house, with gardens and farm
buildings and many horses n cattle
q rich, great place for them and for
their children. There could be no ques-
ton as to accepting the offer. They
could have their family together once
more and give them advantages beyond
what had ever been planned; it. was a
new start in life. And LIE Francois,
having learned his lesson so bitterly,
could be trusted how to make the most
of 1t. 1t was ALMOST a miracle to hap
pen in old. quiet. little Vicques, where
changes came mostly by slow years,
not often by thunderclaps. Yet beau
taful as it was. there were. drawbacks.
One must leave ones village where
ones self and the grandfathers and the
great-grandfathers and before that 9TH
ers, had been bern and buried; one
must leave ones old house down the
street there. and the dream of buying
il back, which had kept despair out Of
these months Of poverty; moreover,
what about Francois?
La Claire and LIE Francois, sitting
stiffly on the fine chairs in the gem
erals library, where they had been
brought to heal the great news, asked
that question suddenly in a breath. The
general glowered at them from deep
eyes.
There is the screw" He fired the
words at them like hot shot and La
| Claire Shrank a little.
There's always a screw somewhere
in every good thing. This time it's the
boy"
There was a silence. Claire trembled.
1.-THE boy Is your boy" the seigneur Of
Of the castle went on. quietly enough,
and then in a flash brought his fist
down on the table with a roar. But.
by heaven. he's my boy. too. now. He's
a miracle Of a boy and I love him like
a son and I want to give him such a
chance in life as l would have given
had he been born my son. Are you go
ing to stand in the way OF that?"
Like bullets the words struck La
Claire; she saw the way they led. and
she rebelled at fate. It was cruel. now
when they were able again to do all
for the child which they had planned.
to take the child away; yet that very
ability to do for him was the gift Of
the man who wanted him. What could
she say?
1T will go hard with the lad to give
us up,"Ishe brought u softly.
"He won't give you up; I should not
respect him II he W. you up" the
general Numbered. and the two pens
ants breathed moro freely. This great
good fortune was not, after all. the price
Of their son
BY degrees the three came to an un-
Outstanding. And tho peasant parents,
seeing how the general, as he had said.
did indeed love their boy; seeing also
that he had q power beyond theirs to
develop him; seeing that advantages