Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-05-17

River Lys, all on the two rar-tor1s
roads to Lille. Seventy-tuo gears
ago A7erandre Dumas made these
places famous as the final dramatic
scene Of his immortal n0veZ, "The
Three .N0sketecrs'
A vast storm Of rain and wind swept
the fiat country when D'Artagnan and
his friends, Athos, Porthos and Ara
mis-, the three musketeers of Louis
XIII, rode cut Of the town Of Bethune,
TO hold their reckoning with the WON
an known as Milady, the famous spy
and tool Of the kings uncomfOrtably
powerful minister, Cardinal Richelieu.
Two other h0rSemen accompanied
them. One was an Englishman, Lord
&c Winter, just arrived il France eX-
presSly to aid them. The other was
q man known only to Athos, who had
added him to the party without intro
ducing him. Immensely tall, this man,
who was wrapped in q great red cloak,
wore z eight mask and accompanied
them il utter silence.
The powerful horses splashed
through mud and streams Their riders
urged them headlong, although it was
so black that the rOad could be
glimpsed only by momentary illumina-
tons from lightning.
With the wind tearing through their
plumes, th2y passed through Eestubert~
! They skirted the wood of Richebourg.
At IIeT;ier they turned to the left and
north Of Arnentieres.
In the outskirts Of Armentieres they
drew rein. One Of their men, a sentinel,
| advanced from the shelter Of q tree.
DiSmounting, they followed him to a
| little, lonely house on the bank Of the
River LyS, within q hundred yards Of
a small ferry.
The musketeerS ran at the house and
broke IN. A woman, most beautiful,
richly apparelled, faced them with star
ing eyes.
we want said AthOs in q terrible
voice, "Charlotte Backson, who once
was called C0mtesse de Ia Fere and
afterWard Milady de Winter, baroness
of Sheffield, D'Artagnan, it is for you
to accuse her first"
Before God and before man." said
DArtagnan tiercely, Il accuse this
woman OF having poisoned the girl /
loved Constance B0nacieuX"
eve bear witness to this" said
PorthOS and Aramis.
Lord de Winter advanced Before
God and man, | accuse this woman Of
having caused the assassination Of the
duke Of buckingham at behest of
Cardinal Richelieu. That is not all.
My brother, who made this woman his
heir, died in three hours. Assassin of
buckingham, assassin of my brother,
| demand justice upon YOU"
"NIy turn" cried Athos, his great
frame trembling. Il, who truly am
Count de la Fere, married this woman
when she was young girl. gave her
my wealth. I gave her my name. And
{ discovered that she was branded
marked with the feur-de-lis, the hang
mans brand for thieves"
With a wild, futile effort, the woman
lifted her head and defied Athos to
name the tribunal that had delivered
such a sentence.
The man in the red cloak advanced
without a sound. Slowly he took off
his mask. The Woman's countenance
became liyid. Her hair seemed to rise
above her face like something dread
fully alive.
Help. Help!" she screamed. She
tore at the wall as if she would scratch
a hole through it for escape. THE
eNecutioner of Lille!" came from her
suffocating throat. "The executioner
of LilIe.''
"What is the penalty you demand
against this woman?" demanded Athos
with hollow voice.
1.-THE punishment of death ~ replied
the others.
Milady dragged herself toward them
Oh her knees. Without a word, the
sWordsmens lackeys seized her and
bore her from the house. followed
closely by the eXecGtioner
passed. The houses of Armentieres and
the skeleton of its high belfry stood
black against a slowly rising moon.
Low, stunted trees stood along the
Lys, like deformed, sQuatting dwarfs
watching the sinister scene.
The eXecutioner bound the woman's
hands and feet and carried her to a
small boat. Athos handed him a sum
of silver. Here" he said, lis the price
of the execution, that it may be plain
VIC act as judges"
ut is correct" answered the execu-
toner. He threw the money into the
river.
The boat with it's burden, passed to
the left shore of the Lys. The others
remained on the right bank, where
they fell on their knees.
They saw the headsman and his vic
tim gain the shore. Their figures stood
out as huge black shadows against a