The Yale expositor., 1917-02-22

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River LyS, all on the tWo war-torn
roads to Lille. SeUenty-tpO gears
ago Alexandra Dumas made these
places famous as the final dramatic
scene of has immortal novel, "T'he
Three MuSketeerS."
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 out of the town of Bethune,
to hold their reckoning with the wOm-
an known as Milady, the famous spy
and tool of the kings uncomfortably
powerful minister, Cardinal Richelieu
Two other horsemen accompanied
! them. One was an Englishman, Lord
de Winter, just arrived in France ex-
pressly 10 aid them. The other was
a man known only to Athos, who had
added him to the party without intro
ducing him. Immensely tall, this man,
who was wrapped in Il great red cloak,
wore a tight mask and accompanied
| them in 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
gllmpsed only by momentary illumna-
tons from lightning.
With the wind tearing through their
/ plumes they passed through Festubert.
They skirted the wood of Richebourg.
At Herlier they turned to the left and
north of Armentieres.
In the outskirts of Armentieres they
drew rein. one of their men, n 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 a 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.
1--WE want" said Athos in a terrible
voice, Charlotte Backson, who once
was called Comtesse de In 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
D'Artagnan fiercely, Il accuse this
woman of having poisoned the girl
loved, Constance Bonacieux."
1--WE bear witness to this" said
| POrthos and Aramis.
nrI 10
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,
l demand justice upon your
"N1y turn :" cried Athos, his great
frame trembling. II, who truly am
| Count de In Fere, married this woman
when she was young girl. gave her
my wealth. gave her my name. And
1 discovered that she was branded
marked with the fleur-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 n sentence.
The man in the red cloak advanced
without q sound. Slowly he took Off
his mask. The woman's countenance
became livid. Her hair seemed to rise
above her face Ike something dread
fully alive.
"Help! Help!' she screamed. She
tore at the wall as If she would scratch
hole through it for escape. "The
executioner of Lille" came from her
suffocating throat. 1.-THE executioner
of Llllel"
"What is the penalty you demand
| against this woman?' demanded Athos
with hollow voice.
"The punishment of death ~ replied
the others.
Milady dragged herself toward them
on her knees. Without a word, the
swordsmens lackeys seized her and
bore her from the house, followed
| closely by the exeeutioner.
1t was midnight. The storm had
passed. The houses of Armentieres and
the skeleton of its high belfry stood
black against slowly rising moon.
Low, stunted trees stood along the
Lys, like deformed, squatting dwarfs
watching the sinister scene.
The executioner bound the womans
hands and feet and carried her to a
small boat. Athos handed him a sum
of silver. Here" he said, 'is the price
Of the execution, that it may be plain
we act as judges"
at is correct" answered the execu-
toner. He threw the money into the
river.
The boat with its 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
| hori1on ffntad rodlv with tha DIVING