The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-10-03
CHAPTER X-ContInued.

M. Ducbaine has been q recluse for
many years." he said, "and OF late his
mind has become affected. 1t is said
that he was implicated in the troubles
OF 1867, and that, fearing. arrest, he
fed here and built this chateau in this
des0late region, where he would be
safe from pursuit. Solitude has made
a hermit of him and taken him out of
touch with the world of today.
II believe that Leroux has discov-
cred coal on his property, and by
threatening him with arrest has
gained a complete ascendency over
the weak-minded old man. However,
the fact remains that his daughter
was married by me to M. d'Epernay
some ten or twelve days ago at the
chateau.
my duties took me to Quebec.
There / learned that Nine. d'Epernay
Ind fed on the night Of her marriage,
and that her husband was in pursuit
Of her. Again 1t was told me that she
was living at the Chateau Frontenac
with another man. 1t was not for me
to question whether she loved her hus-
band but to do my duty.
II appealed to you. You refused to
listen to my appeal. You threatened
me, monsieur. And you denied my
priesthood. / shall not help you In
the pursuit. of her, M. Hewlett, for you
are actuated solely by love for the
wife of another man. Is that not so?"
he ended, bending, over me with a pen
etrating look In his blue eyes.
"Yes, 1t is so. But I shall 60 to
the chateau" / answered.
Pere Antoine rose UP.
"You will find food here" he said,
"and If you wish to take exercise
there are snowshoes. Try to find the
c~hateau--do what you please; but re-
member that If you lose your way ]
shall not be here to save you. / shall
return from my mission In q week and
be ready to conduct you to st. Boni-
face. And now, monsieur. since we
understand each other. / shall prepare
the supper"
I swallowed a few mouthfuls Of food
and fell asleep o afterward. In
the morning when / awoke the cabin
was empty.
/ spent the next two days recover
Ing my strength, and on the third
found myself able to leave the hut for
q short tramp.
found one Of the pistols In the hut,
and In the pocket Of my fur coat were
couple Of cartridges which I had
overlooked. The rest / had fred away
I'm my deiirium.
The cabin was situated In q valley.
around which high hills clustered.
Swapping on the snowshoes I set to
work to climb a lofty peak which
stood at no great distance.
I must have turned Off at a slight
angle which took me some distance
out Of my course. for my progress was
: suddenly arrested by q mighty wall Of
rock, a sheer precipice that seemed to
descend perpendicularly into the val
ley underneath. Somewhere a torrent
was roaring like a miniature Niagara.
I stopped to stare In admiration.
Far below me the narrow valley had
widened into a smooth. s~now-coated
surface Of a lake.
And on a point Of land projecting
from the bottom Of that mighty wall I
saw the chateaui
It could have been nothing else. II
was a splendid building-nct larger
than the house Of a country gentle
man, perhaps. and made OF hewn logs;
but the rude splendor Of 1t against
that icy. rocky background transfixed
me with wonder.
On each side Of the chateau a cata.
ract plunged. yelling Itself In an opGc-
ity OF mist, tinted with all the spec
trail hues by the rays Of the westerine
sun.
why, that position was impreg'
nablei Behind II the sheer pFeclpjec
up which NOT evan = bird could walk