Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-02-10

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sier,' he said. 81 knew nothing of this
until the deed was done, or / should
nave used every effort to prevent 1t.
THESE people asked me to speak for
them. They say that they broke down
the stable door and saved his life when
he was about to be cut to pieces"
His life!" cried Father Lucien,
seornfully. His life hangs by thread
and If he dies his murderers shall
hang for it. And you are guilty equal
ly, he continued, addressing the
crowd, which seemed to melt under his
burning tones. "You left him lie there
and bleed to death. And listen fur
Their. You think that Monsieur Askew
brought the revenue officers to Ste.
Marie. Do l not hate Ste. Marie more
than he? Yet even l would not bring
the officers here until had used every
means to clean up the evil there. 1t
was Monsieur Morris who brought
them, for he told me so.'
There was sensation at the priests
words. An excited babble broke out
Madeleine, who had just completed
the bandaging. halted with one foot
upon the step of the buggy and turned
to the lumbermen.
Yes, you left him to die !" she cried
in scorn. you were afraid, and you
forgot that strangers who come upon
our land, upon our seigniory, are under
our protection" Her eyes blazed as
she denounced them. "You have for
gotten your ancient loyalty in these
days, Messieurs. You have no memory
of your Seignicur and what you owe
to him-still your Seigneur. although
| you no longer grind and hew for him
You have forgotten !"
There was another movement among
the crowd. Her words seemed to stir
them even more than the priests had
| done. mo, no, mademoiselle! !" cried
several voices. mo! We have not
! forgotten
| MACPHERSON came forward again.
"They thought" he said, "Mademoi-
selle, that Monsieur Brousseau's enc
mics were yours"
LATE saw the girl stagger as if she
had received blow. She put her
hand upon the buggy wheel and leaned
thus for a moment, staring into Mac
Pherson's face. Then, without a word,
she stepped in, took no the reins and
began to urge the horse, very slowly,
along the road. The cure came to the
| side of the vehicle.
II shall come to the Chateau, then.
Mademoiselle Rosny," he said.
Madeleine did not answer him. Pres
emily LATE, crouching in the bottom of
the buggy, heard her sobbing again,
low, heartbroken sobs that she could
not check for a long time. Sometimes
she took her eyes from the road to look
for moment into Hilary's face, and
once she stopped for a moment.
''How is he?" she asked
| HE is living, Mademoiselle," said
Lafe. And that was all he dared to
say.
There was no lantern, and Madeleine
needed all her watchfulness TO avoid
the stones and ruts in the road. Luck
lily the moon was bright and the horse
steady. Once. as the buggy swung
round bend, Lafe, looking out, saw
the cure trudging behind, shaking his
heavy stick. He heard Madeleine still
sobbing. His own heart was heavy
enough; he blamed himself for Hill
ary's misfortune. He should have
stood by him. And he had meant to do
so. But he had not calculated that
Hilary would walk so fast or go to St.
Boniface so soon.
The trees fell away, disclosing the
Rosny chateau. The buggy stopped be-
fore the door in front of which the
Seigneur and the old retainer were
standing, with anxious faces. Made
Ieine bent swiftly over Hilary and
raised his limp hand; then she turned
her eyes to Lafe's mutely asking him
that question which could not be
spoken.
"He Is no worse" said LATE.
The Seigneur and his man came to-
ward them. Macpherson telephoned
to the post Office and they brought me
the news" he said "You did quite
right, Madeleine. Gently. now, Mon
sieur," he added, addressing Connell
and together they raised Hilary from
the buggy floor. Remember the steps
Now, will go backward-so."
They were inside the Chateau, carry
ing their burden between the rows of
portraits into room which had been
a drawing room in bygone days, fur
nished with spindle-legged furniture,
| gilt mirrors and ormoiu cabinets. A
bed in a corner showed that its use had
been converted. probably because the
upper part of the Chateau was no
longer habitable.
Madeleine Rosny came in with her
arms full of bed linen, diffusing the
scent of wintergreen. LATE and her
father got Hilary to bed. He was stir
ring now, beginning to toss his arms
and mutter in delirium. The pulse
was stronger, but the flush which had
supplanted the pallor denoted fever.
Presently the cure entered and went
straight to the bedside. The three men
looked at Hilary and at each other.
81 have seen men who were wounded
worse recover" said Edmond Rosny.
"He has bled much, but the heart is
uninjured, and unless the lung is
gravely hurt well, we shall see
to it that he gets WELL" he ended
abruptly.
There was nothing more ConnelI
could DO. He would have stayed, but
he felt that he must await the issue
in patience. Madeleine was already
establish ed at Hilary's bedside.
LATE s'ent in softly. II shall come
early in the morning. Mademoiselle
Rosny," he said. Il want to say
about what you said to Father Lucy
tonight mean it was my fault. |
guess I'm the only one to blame. |
ought to have stood by him. and /
went away. You did more than me,
mademoiselle. and it wasn't up to