Cheyenne record., 1917-01-04
CHAPTER xlV-Continued.

If In way l must have known this
before, yet, not until that moment
.did the fact dawn upon me in full
I sank my head on
my hands. my breath quickened by
surprise, by shame, and felt my cheeks
burn. I loved him, and believed he
loved me. knew then that all the
happiness of life centered in this one
fact; while between US arose the
shadow Of Cassion, my husband. True
fI loved him not; true was to him
wife only in name, true our marriage
swas a thing of shame, yet no less
fact, no. less a barrier. l was a La
Chesnayne to whom honor was a re-
ligion; a Catholic bowling humbly to
Y the vow of Holy church: a French
! woman taught that marriage was a
sacred rite.
1 The knowledge of my love for DAT
!: tigny brought me more fear than
pleasure. dare not dream, or hope;
Il must escape his presence while l
retained moral strength to resist temp
7; tation. I got to my feet, not knowing
what could do, yet with wild con-
ceptton of returning to the beach, and
seeking to find a passage southwark.
I would go 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 could be caught. I would
have met the others, and thus escape
the peril Of being alone with him
again.
Even as I reached this decision,
something arose in my throat and
choked me, for my eyes saw just out
side the curve OF the shore line a
canoe emerge from the shadows Of the
blum. I cannot picture the reaction.
the sudden shrinking fear which. in
that instant. mastered me. They were
coming, seeking me; coming to drag
me back into slavery; coming to de-
nounce D'Artlgny OF crime and de-
mand his life. 49, .
sank down out Of sight. yet my de-
cision was made in an instant. 1t did
not seem to me then a though another.
course could be taken. That D'Artigny
was innocent had no doubt. l loved
him, this I no longer denied to myself;
and could not possibly betray the
man to the mad vengeance of Cassion.
I 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 I assured myself that In
dians We're 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 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 I 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 efwood
D'Artigny had flung down. l observed
this with an intense feeling Of relief
as l peered. cautiously out from my
covert.
II could see now clearly the faces
OF those in the canoe-the, dark, ex-
nressionless countenances of the In
dians, and the three white men, an
gnxings intentiy. at the shore line. ;as
they swept past soldier in the bow.
and Pere Ailouez and Cassion at the
itern, he latter standing, gripp1ns the
steeriit paddle. THE sound Of his
rasplnsS dissgreeahle voice reached me
of1f 1f---f-----t-s - s.----t - = :
This 10 the spot" he exclaimed,