Mexico Missouri message., 1916-09-14
CHAPTER XlV-continued.

In way 1 must have known this
before, yet, not until that moment
did the fact dawn upon me in full
acknowledgment. 1 sank my head on
my hands, my breath Quickened by
surprise, by shame, and felt my cheeks
burn. 1 loved him, and believed he
loved me. I knew then that all the
happiness Of life centered in this one
fact; while between us arose the
shadow Of Cassion, my husband. True
] loved him not; true I was to him
wife only in name. true our marriage
was a thing of shame, yet no less a
fact, no less barrier. / was a La
Chesnayne to whom honor was a re-
llgion; a Catholic bowling humbly to
the vow of Holy church; a French
woman taught that marriage was a
sacred rite.
The knowledge of my love for DAT
tlgny brought me more fear than
pleasure. dare not dream, or hope;
1 must escape his presence while l
retained moral strength to resist temp
tation. 1 got to my feet, not knowing
what could do, yet with wild con-
ception of returning to the beach, and
seeking to find a passage southwark.
I would 60 now along the shore, before
D'Artigny came back, and meet those
returning canoes. In such action lay
my only safety-he would find me
gone, would trace me along the sand,
yet before I could be caught, would
have met the others, and thus escape
the peril Of being alone with him
again.
Even as 1 reached this decision,
Bomething arose in my throat and
choked me, for my eyes saw just out
side the curve of the shore line
canoe emerge from the shadows Of the
bluff. I cannot picture the reaction,
the sudden shrinking feal which, in
that instant, mastered me. They were
coming, seeking me; coming to drag
me back into slavery; coming to de-
nounce D'Artigny of crime and de-
mand his life.
I sank down out Of sight, yet my de-
cision was made in an instant. 1t did
course could be taken. That D'Artigny
was innocent I had no doubt. 1 loved
him, this no longer denied to myself;
and / could not possibly betray the
man to the mad vengeance of Cassion.
/ peered forth, across the ridge of
earth concealing me from observation,
at the distant canoe. 1t was too far
away for me to be certain of its occu-
pants, yet / assured myself that In
dians were at the paddles, while three
others, whose dress designated them
as whites, occupied places in the boat.
turned and ran down the bank to
where the fire yet glowed duly in the
hollow, emitting a faint spiral of blue
smoke, dug dirt up with my hands and
covered the Goals, until they were COM
pletely extinguished. Then crept back
to the bluff summit and lay down to
watch.
The canoe rounded the curve in the
shore and headed straight across
toward where rested in concealment.
Their course would keep them too far
away from the little strip of sand on
which we had landed to observe the
imprint of our feet or the pile of wood
D'Artigny had flung down. observed
this with an intense feeling of relief
as peered cautiously out from my
covert.
could see now clearly the faces
of those in the canoe-the dark, ex-
pressionless countenances of the In
dians, and the three white men, all
gazing intently at the shore line, as
they swept past, soldier in the bow,
and Pere AlIouez ard Casslon at the
stern, the latter standing, gripping the
steering paddle. The sound of his
rasping, disagreeable voice reached me
nrst.
This is the spot" he exclaimed,
'oolnung. q saw that headland just